Cinctura lilium

Cinctura lilium, common name the banded tulip, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, the tulip snails and their allies.

Shell description

The banded tulip shell does not grow as large as that of the true tulip, Fasciolaria tulipa. The color pattern is also different: the color splotches appear as a redder color and the stripes that give the banded tulip its name are much further apart.
The shell grows to be 2 ¼ - 4 1/8 inches in length.

Distribution

This species occurs off the coast of North and South Carolina and in the Gulf of Mexico from the Florida coast to the Gulf coast of Texas, and south into Mexico; in the Caribbean Sea

Habitat

C. lilium is found on sand or muddy sand from 2 to 150 feet depth.

Feeding habits

Little is known about the banded tulip’s diet, but it is assumed that it is similar to the true tulip: small gastropods and bivalves.