Vasum cassiforme

Vasum cassiforme, common name the helmet vase, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae. ^[1]

Vasum cassiforme
Two views of a shell of the helmet vase, Vasum cassiforme.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Turbinellidae
Subfamily:	Vasinae
Genus:	Vasum
Species:	V. cassiforme
Binomial name
Vasum cassiforme (Kiener, 1840)
Synonyms[1]
Turbinella cassiformis Kiener, 1840 Vasum cassidiformis Kiener, 1845[2]

Distribution

Vasum cassiforme lives in the southeastern and northeastern littoral of Brazil,^[3] including Abrolhos and the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia and Espírito Santo.^[2]

Shell description

The maximum reported size of this species shell is 114.9 mm.^[4]

Vasum cassiforme has a large, thick and heavy shell, presenting 8 whorls.^[2] One of its most striking characteristics is its rich ornamentation, with foliated cords and spines over the body whorl and shoulder, respectively. It is colored cream^[2] or light brown externally, while the aperture may be colored purplish-brown.^[2]

Ecology

Habitat

This sea snail lives on sand and muddy bottoms, to a depth of 70 m.^[3]