FINE QUALITY MARLIN SPIKE SHELLS

Marlin Spike Shells

Oxymeris maculata common name Marlin Spike

Oxymeris maculata, common name the marlinspike auger, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Terebridae, the auger snails.

Oxymeris maculata (Linnaeus, 1758). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 30 March 2011.

The Terebridae, commonly referred to as auger shells or auger snails, is a group or family of small to large predatory marine gastropods in the superfamily Conoidea.

These gastropods have extremely high spired shells with numerous whorls, and the common name refers to the resemblance of their shells to rock drill-type drill bits.

There are more than 400 known recent species worldwide.

Marlin Spikes are an auger shells belonging to the family Terebridae; species Terebra Maculata. They are heavy, glossy with a broad body whorl(complete turn of the shells imaginary axis). Young shells have weak vertical ridges; while older species become smooth. There color is cream with interrupted spiral bands of brown. The shell has been used as a boring instrument by coastal tribes. Marlin Spikes are found in shallow water, across the Indo-Pacific tropics from the Indian Ocean east to just south of the Japanese Sea to the northern Australian/New Zealand shores.

Snails such as Marlin Spikes are sand-dwelling carnivores which live in warmer waters. They have a venomous barb similar to that of the cone snails; which is used to stun and immobilize prey, that typically consists of various marine worms.

The Marlin Spike species are found in the Red Sea, in the Indian Ocean off Aldabra, Chagos, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius and Tanzania; in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico; and off Papua New Guinea.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Neogastropoda

Family: Terebridae

Genus: Oxymeris

Species: O. maculata

Binomial name: Oxymeris maculata

(Linnaeus, 1758)

D0-6

One Marlin Spike shell 2 1/2 to 4 inches ......$2.10



D1-6

One Marlin Spike 5 to 6 inches......$2.80



D2-6

One Marlin Spike shell 6 to 7 inches ......$3.85



D3-6

One Marlin Spike shell 7 to 8 inches ......$4.95



D4-6

One Marlin Spike shell 7 1/2 inches or more ......$7.00



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