Melongena

Species

Species within the genus Melongena include:

• † Melongena basilica (Bellardi, 1873)
• Melongena bispinosa (Philippi, 1844)
• † Melongena californica Anderson & Martin, 1914
• Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791) - crown conch - synonym: Melongena subcoronata
• † Melongena lainei (Basterot, 1825)
• Melongena melongena (Linnaeus, 1758) - type species
• † Melongena murifactor Vermeij & Raven, 2009
• Melongena patula (Linnaeus, 1758)
• † Melongena pontonxensis Lozouet, 2021
• † Melongena woodwardi (Roxo, 1924) - from Miocene of the Pebas Formation

Synonyms

• Melongena belknapi Petit de la Saussaye, 1852: synonym of Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791)
• Melongena bicolor (Say, 1826): synonym of Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791)
• Melongena fasciata Schumacher, 1817: synonym of Melongena melongena (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Melongena paradisiaca (Röding, 1798): synonym of Volema paradisiaca Röding, 1798 : synonym of Volema pyrum (Gmelin, 1791) (previous combination)
• Melongena perspinosa Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934 accepted as Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791)
• Melongena pirum Dautzenberg, 1929: synonym of Volema pyrum (Gmelin, 1791)
• Melongena sprucecreekensis Tucker, 1994: synonym of Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791)
• † Melongena vigneauxi Magne & Vergneau-Saubade, 1970: synonym of † Melongena basilica (Bellardi, 1873)

The shells of Melongena species are extremely variable in shape and sculpture, and historically this has meant that a large number of different forms have been named, creating numerous synonyms.

There is still some disagreement about how many modern species of Melongena actually exist. However, phylogenetic analysis indicate that there are only three species in the Western Atlantic, with all snails in coastal Florida being referred to Melongena corona.