Vasum

Vasum, common name the vase snails or vase shells, is a genus of mostly rather large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Vasinae within the family Turbinellidae.^[1]

Vasum
A live but retracted individual of Vasum rhinoceras in a tide pool in Mombasa, Kenya, Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Turbinelloidea
Family:	Turbinellidae
Subfamily:	Vasinae
Genus:	Vasum Röding, 1798
Type species
Murex ceramicus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms[1]
Cynodonta Schumacher, 1817 Globivasum Abbott, 1950 Scolymus Swainson, 1835 Vasum (Siphovasum) Rehder & Abbott, 1951 alternate representation Vasum (Vasum) Röding, 1798 · Volutella Perry, 1810

Shell description

Shells of species in this genus are usually somewhat large, and are usually very thick and heavy. They are often vase-shaped, in the sense that the shell of most of the species is more or less widely conical. The shells have a thick periostracum, a low spires, and 2, 3 or 4 plaits on the columella.

The shell is oval, oblong, solid, tubercular or spinose, with spinose fascicles below. The spire is short. The apex is not papillary. The aperture is oblong. The siphonal canal is short and somewhat recurved. The columella contains several transverse folds in the middle. The outer lip is thickened and sinuous.

The animal (of Vasum) is slow-moving, timid and inactive, shrinking quickly within the shell on the slightest alarm. The operculum is ovate, acute, with an apical nucleus; it is very thick, claw-like, and partially free at the hind part. The dentition resembles somewhat that of the Buccinidae, differing in the lateral teeth; it differs widely from the Nassidae, and quite as much from that of the Fasciolariidae ^[2]

Distribution

Species of this genus are circumtropical; also off Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)

Species

Species within the genus Vasum include:

• † Vasum aedificatum Guppy 1876
• † Vasum aquitanicum Peyrot, 1928
• Vasum armatum (Broderip, 1833)
• Vasum caestus (Broderip, 1833)
• † Vasum cancellatum (Grateloup, 1845)
• Vasum capitellum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum cassiforme (Kiener, 1840)
• Vasum ceramicum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum crosseanum (Souverbie, 1875)
• † Vasum dominicense Gabb 1873
• † Vasum elongatum Vokes 1970
• † Vasum floridanum T. L. McGinty, 1940
• † Vasum frequens (Mayer-Eymar, 1895)
• Vasum globulus (Lamarck, 1816)
• † Vasum gurabicum Maury 1917
• † Vasum haitensis Sowerby 1850
• † Vasum intermedium (Grateloup, 1832)
• Vasum lactisfloris Ferrario, 1983
• Vasum latiriforme Rehder & Abbott, 1951
• Vasum muricatum (Born, 1778)
• † Vasum omanicum Harzhauser, 2007
• † Vasum pufferi Emerson 1964
• † Vasum pugnus Pilsbry and Johnson 1917
• Vasum rhinoceros (Gmelin, 1791)
• Vasum stephanti Emerson & Sage, 1988
• † Vasum subpugillare (d'Orbigny, 1852)
• † Vasum suwanneensis Petuch 1997
• † Vasum tribulosum Vokes 1970
• Vasum truncatum (Sowerby III, 1892)
• † Vasum tuberculatum Gabb 1873
• Vasum tubiferum (Anton, 1838)
• Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Species brought into synonymy

• Vasum aldridgei Nowell-Usticke, 1969: synonym of Attiliosa aldridgei (Nowell-Usticke, 1969)
• Vasum antiguaensis Usticke, 1971: synonym of Vasum globulus (Lamarck, 1816)
• † Vasum basilicum Bellardi 1872: synonym of † Melongena basilica (Bellardi, 1873)
• Vasum cassidiformis Kiener, 1845: synonym of Vasum cassiforme (Kiener, 1840)
• Vasum castaneum Röding, 1798: synonym of Thais (Thalessa) tuberosa (Röding, 1798)
• † Vasum excrenatum Sacco, 1904: synonym of † Vasum cancellatum (Grateloup, 1845)
• Vasum flindersi Verco, 1914: synonym of Altivasum flindersi (Verco, 1914)
• † Vasum quirosense F. Hodson, 1931: synonym of † Vasum haitensis Sowerby, 1850
• Vasum nigra G. Perry, 1811: synonym of Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum nigricans G. Perry, 1811: synonym of Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum rubescens G. Perry, 1811: synonym of Vasum capitellum (C. Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum spinosus G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 : synonym of Vasum ceramicum (C. Linnaeus, 1758)
• † Vasum stephanense Peyrot, 1928 : synonym of † Vasum cancellatum (Grateloup, 1845) †
• Vasum triangulare (E. A. Smith, 1902): synonym of Vasum truncatum triangulare (E. A. Smith, 1902)
• Vasum turbinellum [sic]: synonym of Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Vasum urna Röding, 1798: synonym of Vasum muricatum (Born, 1778)
• Vasum variolaris J.B.P.A. Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)

• 
  Vasum cassiforme
• 
  Vasum ceramicum
• 
  Vasum muricatum
• 
  Vasum rhinoceros
• 
  Vasum turbinellus