Shell Description
The shells in this genus, like the others in the family,are very small with a length between 2 mm and 6 mm. >Their colour is white to yellowish white and some are almost translucent. They are unusual in that the teleoconch of the adult shell is a curving tube for most of its length. In the first stage of the shell it is spiral-shaped but soon becomes cylindrical. The shell is sealed with a permanent calcareous plug at one end and (when the animal has withdrawn into the shell) with a circular,multispiral, horny operculum at the other end, the shell aperture. The sculpture is smooth or consists of a close-set, large number of annular ridges.
Read more about this topic: Caecum (gastropod)
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... contains three illustrations showing the morphology of adult queen conch shells from different perspectives ... The shells are shown as if balancing on the edge of the lip and/or the apex this was presumably done for artistic reasons as these shells cannot be balanced like this ... Considered as one of the most prized and sumptuous shell publications of the 19th century, a series of books titled Illustrations conchyliologiques ou description et figures de ...
... The maximum shell length for this species is up to 29 cm, and average length stands for 18 cm ... The color of the shell is highly variable, being white or cream externally and often presenting brown, purplish or bluish black patches ...
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