User:LaileM/Fasciolaria tulipa

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Fasciolaria tulipa, common name the true tulip, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae. This fiercely predatory species occupies a wide geographic area within the Western Atlantic and is known, along with the other Fasciolariids, for the superficial resemblance their shells possess to a closed tulip flower.

Geographic Distribution
Fasciolaria tulipa has one of the largest geographic distributions of any western Atlantic Fasciolariid inhabiting the North Carolina coast and further south and west to the Gulf coast of Texas, the West Indies (where they have been identified universally regardless of water depth or island) and northern Brazil (35°N to 4°N; 97.22°W to 51°W). This species resides in the benthic zones of bodies of water with a maximum reported depth of 73 meters and are commonly found in seagrass beds and sand flats in marine environments. They also tend to inhabit shallow waters like estuaries and inlets. Some geographic locations they are commonly found are in the Gulf of Mexico along the gulf coast of Florida and near the Florida Keys.

Shell description
The tulip shell has a fusiform outline, with an overall smooth surface, and presents fine growth lines, and small denticles on the inner edge of its delicate outer lip. It is whitish to tan in color, with rows of darker brownish, greenish, or rarely reddish blotches of various sizes. Over the blotches are symmetrical rows of thin lines which spiral along the whorls of the shell, which can reach sizes of 10 inches.

The shell of an adult tulip snail can be from 2.5” to 9.5” inches (6.4 – 24.1 cm) in length.

Ecology
In 1969, Fasciolaria tulipa were seen in Alligator Harbor off the northwest coast of Florida found densities of one individual per 917 m-2 with little known about their behaviors and interactions. Today, it is known that Fasciolaria tulipa lives in the Benthic region of the ocean in a temperate habitat around seagrass beds and tidal flats and is larger than its relative: F. hunteria. Because of their habitat and size, tulip snails are cannibalized, which means they prey on others of the same species, and are preyed on as juveniles and adults by horse conchs, carnivorous crabs, snails, other crustaceans, sea stars, and bony fishes. In order to evade predation, the tulip snail uses its operculum to seal the aperture after it retracts into its shell when threatened or sense potential hazards. Another mode of protection is thrashing its muscular foot to escape a predators grasp.

Reproduction
Fasciolaria Tulipia reproduction occurs in 5 observed reproductive cycles; rest, gametogenesis, mature, spawn, and post spawn. The rest stage occurs in the winter, which is the period where no reproduction occurs. The next stage, gametogenesis, is the production and accumulation of mature gametes. This stage prepares for the mature and spawn stage, which include the active reproduction and egg laying. The post spawn stage is a period where the eggs hatch and enter the larval stage.

The eggs are laid between January-August with egg laying peaking in April. Eggs are described as smooth, opaque, white capsules that hatch 14 embryos from each capsule. The larva develop directly from nutrients in the egg capsule. The larva are free swimming for a short period of time.

Feeding habits
This snail eats bivalves and various other gastropods including the banded tulip Fasciolaria lilium, and the queen conch Eustrombus gigas.

Economic Importance
Fasciolaria tulipa hemocyanin can be dissociated and denatured by urea and Hofmeister salt series, potentially being used in drug development.