Euthria cornea

Euthria cornea, common name : the spindle euthria, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.^[1]

Euthria cornea Temporal range: Miocene - Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Tudiclidae
Genus:	Euthria
Species:	E. cornea
Binomial name
Euthria cornea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1][2]
Buccinulum corneum (Linnaeus, 1758) † Euthria cornea rhodiensis Bevilacqua, 1928 Euthria cornea var. bellardii de Gregorio, 1885 Euthria cornea var. caprica de Gregorio, 1885 Euthria cornea var. crassa Monterosato, 1884 Euthria cornea var. crassilabra de Gregorio, 1885 Euthria cornea var. elongata Monterosato, 1884 Euthria gracilis Locard, 1891 Euthria inflata Bellardi, 1872 (dubious synonym) Euthria lignarius Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1816 Euthria magna Bellardi, 1872 (dubious synonym) Euthria major Locard, 1891 Euthria minor var. elongata Locard, 1886 Euthria obesa Bellardi, 1872 (dubious synonym) Fusus conulus Risso, 1826 Fusus lignarius Lamarck, 1816 Murex conulus Olivi, A.G., 1792 Murex corneus Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym) Purpura alba Risso, 1826

Fossil reports

The fossil record of this species dates back to the Miocene (age range: from 11.608 to 7.246 million years ago). These fossils have been found in Italy.^[3]

Fossil shell of Euthria cornea from Pliocene of Italy

Euthria cornea laying capsules with eggs

Description

The shell size of Euthria cornea varies between 20 mm and 80 mm.^[2] This mollusk has a robust fusiform shell, with a sharp apex. The opening is oval, wide, with slight striae. The horny operculum is oval. The coloration of the shell is quite variable, with irregular dark spots on a brownish-gray background. The mollusk is orange. This predatory species mainly feeds on small bivalves, opening slightly the valves with the strong foot and sucking the tissues.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off Portugal and Morocco and in the Mediterranean Sea.^[2] It can be found at depths of 5 to 30 m, mainly on rocky substrates.^[4]