Tulip snail or tulip shell is the common name for eight species of large, predatory, subtropical and tropical sea snails from the Western Atlantic. These species are in the genus Fasciolaria. They are marine gastropod mollusks in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle shells, tulip shells and their allies.
The word "tulip" describes the overall shape of the shells of these species, which is like that of a closed tulip flower.
Description
The shell is fusiform. The spire is acuminated. The aperture is oval, elongated, as long as the spire. The siphonal canal is straight. The columella is smooth, with a few oblique plaits at the fore part. The outer lip is internally crenate.
Species
According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), and the Digital Atlas of Ancient Life for the Neogene of the Southeastern United States, the following species with a valid name are included within the genus Fasciolaria :
† Fasciolaria apicina Dall, 1890
Fasciolaria bullisi Lyons, 1972
Fasciolaria curvirostris (Wood, 1828) † Fasciolaria evergladesensis E.J. Petuch, 1991 Fasciolaria insularis Fernández, 1977 Fasciolaria magna (Anton, 1838) † Fasciolaria monocingulata Dall, 1890 † Fasciolaria okeechobensis Tucker & Wilson, 1932 † Fasciolaria rhomboidea, W.B. and H.D. Rogers, 1839 Fasciolaria sulcata (Anton, 1838) Fasciolaria tephrina De Souza, 2002 Fasciolaria thersites (Reeve, 1847) Fasciolaria tulipa (Linnaeus, 1758) - the true tulip Fasciolaria tulipa hollisteri Weisbord, 1962 , this species has a channeled suture