''Cinctura lilium'', common name the banded tulip, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Fasciolariidae The Fasciolariidae, common name the "tulip snails and spindle snails", are a family (biology), family of small to large sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Buccinoidea. The family Fasciolariidae probably appe ...

, the spindle snails, the tulip snails and their allies.Bouchet, P. (2012). Cinctura lilium (Fischer von Waldheim, 1807). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=607921 on 2012-08-23

Shell description

The banded tulip shell does not grow as large as that of the true tulip, ''

Fasciolaria tulipa ''Fasciolaria tulipa'', common name the true tulip, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae. Distribution This species occurs from the North Carolina coast all the way south and west to the Gulf c ...

''. Also the color pattern is different: the color splotches appear as a redder color (blue in rare areas) and the stripes that give the banded tulip its name are much farther apart. The shell grows to be 2 ¼ - 4 1/8 inches (5.7-10.5 cm) in length.

Distribution

This species occurs off the coast of North and South Carolina and in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

from the Florida coast to the Gulf coast of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and south into

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

; in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

Habitat

''C. lilium'' is found on sand or muddy sand from 2 to 150 feet depth.

Feeding habits

Little is known about the banded tulip’s diet, but it is assumed that it is similar to that of the true tulip: small gastropods and bivalves.

References

External links

* Fasciolariidae Gastropods described in 1807 {{Fasciolariidae-stub