Penion maximus
Penion maximus is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, commonly known as giant whelk or great whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. Their shells are highly coveted due to the intricate designs embedded in onto the shells.
Penion maximus | |
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A shell of Penion maximus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Family: | Austrosiphonidae |
Genus: | Penion |
Species: | P. maximus |
Binomial name | |
Penion maximus (Tryon, G.W., 1881) | |
Description
Penion maximus is the largest species of Penion siphon whelk, and is endemic to Australia.[1][2] The species could be confused with the sympatric species P. mandarinus, however P. mandarinus is typically smaller and has a smoother shell with a shorter siphonal canal.[1]
Distribution
The range of the species extends from waters off Tasmania and Victoria to lower Queensland.[1][2]
Evolution
Penion maximus is closely related to another Australian species P. mandarinus.[2][3] The species have overlapping geographic ranges (sympatry) and may have evolved from a common ancestor via niche differentiation based on prey size and water depth.[3]
References
- Ponder, W.F. (1973). "A review of the Australian species of Penion Fischer (Neogastropoda: Buccinidae)". Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia. 2 (4): 401โ428. doi:10.1080/00852988.1973.10673868.
- Vaux, Felix; Hills, Simon F.K.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). "A phylogeny of Southern Hemisphere whelks (Gastropoda: Buccinulidae) and concordance with the fossil record". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114 (2017): 367โ381. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.018. PMID 28669812.
- Vaux, Felix; Crampton, James S.C.; Trewick, Steven A.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Beu, Alan G.; Hills, Simon F.K.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2018). "Evolutionary lineages of marine snails identified using molecular phylogenetics and geometric morphometric analysis of shells". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 127 (October 2018): 626โ637. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.06.009. PMID 29913310. S2CID 49303166.
External links
- Molluscs of Tasmania: Buccinidae - Siphonaliinae: Penion maximus (Tryon, 1881) ('great whelk')
- Seashells of New South Wales: Penion maximus (Tryon, 1881)