| Onustus caribaeus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Onustus caribaeus shells | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Xenophoridae |
| Genus: | Onustus |
| Species: | O. caribaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Onustus caribaeus (Petit de la Saussaye, 1857) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Onustus caribaeus is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells. [1]
The anatomy of O. Caribaeus. is very similar to all members of the Xenophoridae family. Their shells have a flat bottom and a short conical spiral on top. [2] They are known for their ability to camouflage by attaching substrates like pebbles, sand, empty shells, and even coral to the top of their shells. [3] The specifics of how this is done are not known. [4] However, we know that these foreign objects are fused to the shells in all different conformations, radially, laterally, or symmetrically as the shell grows. [5] The shells can reach a maximum height of 45 mm, in average 37 mm. The diameter of the base reaches a maximum length of 88 mm, in average 60 mm. The colour of the dorsum is yellowish-white. [6] Like other snails, O. Caribaeus have a radula, used for scraping detritus and other substances off of substrates to feed on, and a muscular foot used for locomotion. [7]
Onustus caribaeus is distributed in the North-eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and along the Atlantic coast of Brazil between 35m and 640m (mostly deeper than 100m). [6]