''Tonna sulcosa'', common name banded tun, 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 ...

of large

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 Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

Tonnidae The Tonnidae are a family (biology), family of medium-sized to very large sea snails, known as the tun shells. These are marine invertebrates, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. The name ''tun'' refers to the snails' shell sh ...

, the tun shells.

Description

Shells of ''Tonna sulcosa'' usually can reach a length of , with a maximum of . These medium-sized shells are quite strong, oval-globose, with 4 -5 moderately convex turns and flat ridges. The aperture is large, semi-circular, with reflected lip and long, sharp teeth. The shell surface is white with 3 - 5 wide brown bands. Thin shell is ovate and ventricose. Its ground color is whitish, with four or five distinct bands of a reddish fawn-color, rarely continued to the outer

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

. There is only one upon the two

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

s next above the lowest. The

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

is brown at top, and is formed of six convex whorls, encircled by projecting, pretty narrow, equal, approximate, flattened ribs, a little more distant towards the upper part..They are separated by shallow furrows. Two of the upper whorls are chequered as it were by intersections of striae. The suture is a little flattened, and slightly channeled. The ovate

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

is white, colored with red at the bottom. The outer lip is arcuated, and presents externally a projecting margin, which is crenulated outwardly by the jutting of the ribs, undulated externally, and dentated within. The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the wo ...

is twisted. And upon some specimens are observed several crenulations towards the base of the inner lip which partially covers the umbilicus. The

periostracum The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...

is thin and reddish.Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837
(described as 'Dolium fasciatum'')

Distribution

This species is widespread in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region - from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and the Indian Ocean to the Indo-China, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and Australia (

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

).Ramsay, E. P
Distribution at Biodiversity Library - Records of the Australian Museum
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Habitat

These benthic gastropods live on sandy bottoms in tropical environment at depths of 10 to 70 m.

Life cycle

Embryos develop into free-swimming planktonic marine larvae (

trocophore A trochophore (; also spelled trocophore) is a type of free-swimming planktonic marine larva with several bands of cilia. By moving their cilia rapidly, they make a water eddy, to control their movement, and to bring their food closer, to captu ...

) and later into juvenile veligers.

Bibliography

* Vos, C. (2007) A conchological Iconography (No. 13) - The family Tonnidae. 123 pp., * G. T. Poppe - Philippine Marine Molluscs Vol. 1, p 106 * Alan G. Hinton - Shells of New Guinea & Central Pacific * R. Tucker Abbott - Seashells of South East Asia * Cornelis Swennen and Robert Moolenbeek - The Molluscs of the southern Gulf of Thailand * B. Dharma - Indonesian Shells I * Hedley, C. 1919. ''A review of the Australian Tun Shells''. Records of the Australian Museum 12(11): 329-336, pls 39-44 * Hinton, A.G. 1978. ''Guide to Australian Shells''. Port Moresby : Robert Brown & Associates 82 pp. * Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp. * Wilson, B. 2002. ''A handbook to Australian seashells on seashores east to west and north to south. Sydney'' : Reed New Holland 185 pp.

References

* Martini, F.H.W. 1777. ''Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet, fortgesetzt durch Johann Heironymus Chemnitz''. Nürnberg : G. N. Raspe Vol. 3 vi + 1-434, pls 66-121. * Born, I. von 1778. ''Index rerum naturalium Musei Caesarei Vindobonensis, pl. 1, Testacea. - Verzeichniss etc. Illust.'' Vindobonae. Vienna : J.P. Krauss xlii 458 pp. * Röding, P.F. 1798. ''Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturae quae olim collegerat Joa''. Hamburg : Trappii 199 pp. * Preston, H.B. 1910. ''Description of new shells in the collection of the Indian Museum from Burma, Siam and the Bay of Bengal.'' Records of the Indian Museum 5(5): 34-35

External links

NCBI

Encyclopedia of life

Bold Systems

Gastropods.com: ''Tonna (Sulcosa complex) sulcosa''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1310985 Tonnidae Gastropods described in 1778