''Turbo imperialis'' is a species of

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 in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails. ''T. imperialis'' is fished commercially for its pearly shell, and is often confused with ''T. marmoratus''; both species are known as "the green snail". This species is also often confused with ''

Turbo militaris ''Turbo militaris'', common name the military turban, is a species of sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae. This species is also often confused with '' Turbo imperialis''.The Natural History Museum websitaccessed 9 A ...

''.

Description

The length of the shell varies between 50 mm and 120 mm. The large, solid shell has a globose-conic shape. It is ventricose and imperforate. Its color is green, irregularly mottled and spirally striped with chestnut, closely irregularly striate with the same color. The 6-7 convex

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 show well marked sutures, and numerous more or less conspicuous revolving furrows. The large

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk. In gastropods In gastropods, the b ...

is somewhat flattened above. The aperture is subcircular and pearly white within The outer lip is rather thin. The arched columella has a pearly callus, which reappears at the posterior angle. The green parietal wall is nearly devoid of callus. The base of the shell is slightly dilated and scarcely produced.G.W. Tryon (1888), Manual of Conchology X; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Turbo imperialis'' Gmelin, 1791)

Distribution

According to the Natural History Museum, this marine species occurs off East Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Reunion.

References

* Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). ''Contribution à l'étude de la faune de Madagascar: Mollusca marina testacea''. Faune des colonies françaises, III(fasc. 4). Société d'Editions géographiques, maritimes et coloniales: Paris. 321–636, plates IV-VII pp. * Alf A. & Kreipl K. (2003). ''A Conchological Iconography: The Family Turbinidae, Subfamily Turbininae, Genus Turbo.'' Conchbooks, Hackenheim Germany.

External links

* File:Turbo imperialis 001.jpg File:Turbo imperialis 003.jpg File:Turbo imperialis 004.jpg {{Taxonbar, from=Q1314207 imperialis Gastropods described in 1790 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin