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Species of gastropod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Austrosiphonidae.[1]
| Penion maximus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| 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) | |
Penion maximus is the largest species of Penion siphon whelk, and is endemic to Australia.[2][3] 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.[2] Their shells are highly coveted due to the intricate designs embedded in onto the shells.
The range of the species extends from waters off Tasmania and Victoria to lower Queensland.[2][3]
Penion maximus is closely related to another Australian species P. mandarinus.[3][4] 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.[4]
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