Family Fasciolariidae

Shell size up to 50 cm; shell with up to ten whorls. Sculpture of about 5-7 spiral cords and weak axial ribs that sometimes form knobs on whorl shoulders. Columella with three plications. Periostracum dark-brown to light-tan, sometimes flaky, periostracum. Shell color grayish-white to salmon-orange, usually orange in younger specimens. This is the largest gastropod in American waters, and the Florida State Shell. A variety lacking nodules known as "knobless wonder" can be found in SW Florida. The egg cases are fan-shaped, with concentric strations regularly spaced on the surface of each capsule, each capsule roughly one inch long. The egg cases in this image were photographed by Amy Tripp on Kice Island, Collier County, FL, on February 21, 2012. The Shell Museum holds the world size record for this species: a specimen measuring 606 mm (about 23.86 inches) and collected off Sanibel Island by Ed Hanley!

Shell size to 20 cm; shell fusiform with about nine rounded whorls. Surface smooth, except for very fine growth lines. Outer lip thin, with fine denticles on inner edge. Operculum thick, heavy. Color extremely variable, cream, light-brown, to reddish orange with irregular blotches of darker brown, white, or cream. Brown spiral lines present. This voracious predator is known to feed on other mollusks and small invertebrates. The shell name alludes to its general shape, resembling a tulip (the flower.) The living animal is bright-orange, reddish, or darker red. On seagrass bottoms and sand flats. The operculum is oval, with "pointy" ends. The live animal and the egg cases detail photos were taken by Amy Tripp near Marco Island. The two chitons on the live tulip (second image) are Chaetopleura apiculata.

Shell size to 120 mm; shell fusiform, similar to Fasciolaria tulipa, but smaller. Body whorl exhibits 5 to 6 dark brown, widely spaced, spiral lines. Background color is grayish with darker bluish-gray streaks. Mottled with purplish-brown or brown. The additional photo, taken by Amy Tripp near Marco Island, shows a female banded tulip in the process of laying egg cases. The greenish color on the shell is most likely caused by a layer of microscopic green algae. The egg cases in the third image were laid in a Museum aquarium. The egg case looks like a small version of that of the true tulip, minus the frilled edges. The last supplementary image of a female individual with egg cases was taken by Amy Tripp on Kice Island, Florida.