Ficus ficus

Ficus ficus or the paper fig shell is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ficidae, the fig shells.[1]

Ficus ficus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Ficidae
Genus: Ficus
Species:
F. ficus
Binomial name
Ficus ficus
Synonyms[1]

Distribution

Ficus ficus is found in the Indian Ocean and the West Pacific.

Description

Ficus ficus is an unusual shaped thin shell being somewhat pear-shaped with a long narrow aperture and four whorls. The spire is tiny. The shell may reach 5 ins (12 cm) in length. The maximum recorded shell length is 145 mm.[2] There is a trellis-like sculpture of fine striations on the pinkish surface. The inside is orange and there is no operculum. There is a large foot with two curved flaps near the head and a single long siphon.[3]

Habitat

The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m.; maximum recorded depth is 176 m.[2]

References
  1. Ficus ficus (Linnaeus, C., 1758). WoRMS (2009). Ficus ficus (Linnaeus, C., 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=214982 on 6 June 2010 .
  2. Welch J. J. (2010). "The “Island Rule” and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
  3. Paper Fig Shell: A Fragile, Shapely Beauty Retrieved 2011-11-29.
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