Cymbiola imperialis

Cymbiola imperialis, the imperial volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk of the genus Cymbiola in the family Volutidae, the volutes.^[1][2][3]

Shell of C. imperialis

Cymbiola imperialis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Volutidae
Genus:	Cymbiola
Species:	C. imperialis
Binomial name
Cymbiola imperialis (Lightfoot, 1786)
Synonyms
Aulica imperialis (Lightfoot, 1786) Voluta imperialis Lightfoot, 1786

Subspecies

• C. imperialis robinsona Burch, 1954 (Robinson's volute, southern Philippines)^[4]

Description

Shells of Cymbiola imperialis can reach a size of 70–250 millimetres (2.8–9.8 in).^[5] These large and glossy shells are elongate and fusiform, light to heavy in weight. The basic color is whitish. The spire is high, with canaliculate sutures, strong red-brown axial ribs and narrow red-brown spiral lines. The aperture is whitish, elongate-ovate, with the outer lip showing many black denticles. The operculum is dark brown, thick and small.^[6]

Distribution

This species can be found in the Philippines, Sulu Sea.^[2][5][7]