Rapana venosa
| Veined rapa whelk | |
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| A live individual of Rapana venosa retracted into the shell, with the operculum closing the aperture | |
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| Five views of a shell of R. venosa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Muricidae |
| Subfamily: | Rapaninae |
| Genus: | Rapana |
| Species: | R. venosa |
| Binomial name | |
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Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Purpura venosa Valenciennes, 1846 (basionym) |
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Purpura venosa Valenciennes, 1846 (basionym)
Rapana marginata Valenciennes, 1846
Rapana pechiliensis Grabau & King, 1928
Rapana thomasiana Crosse, 1861
Rapana venosa, common name the veined rapa whelk or Asian rapa whelk, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or whelk, in the family Muricidae, the rock shells.
This large sea snail has become an invasive species in many different localities around the world.
The veined rapa whelk ( The mr conroy of the sea )The shell of Rapana venosa is globose (rounded) and heavy, possessing a very short spire, a large body whorl, a strong columella and a deep umbilicus. The aperture is large and roughly ovate. Ornamentation is present externally as axial ribs, smooth spiral ribs ending in blunt knobs at both the shoulder and body whorl, and internally as small elongated teeth disposed along the outer lip margin. The external color varies from gray to reddish-brown, with dark brown dashes on the spiral ribs. Some specimens may have distinctive black/dark blue vein-like coloration patterns throughout the inner portions of the shell, usually originating from each individual tooth at the outer lip. A diagnostic feature for this species is the deep orange color found in the aperture and on the columella. The height of the shell can reach up to 180 mm (about 7 in).
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