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Family Naticidae - moon snails
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Order |
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Class |
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Gastropoda |
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No. of Genera in Ref. |
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No. of Species in Ref. |
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Environment |
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Fresh : No |
Brackish : Yes |
Marine : Yes |
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Remark |
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Shell globular to ovate-conical or somewhat ear-like in shape, outer surface generally smooth and glossy or with reduced sculpture. Spire low, obtuse to conical with few whorls, body whorl large and often inflated. Aperture large, semicircular, with a thin outer lip and a more or less developed callus on the inner lip. Anterior siphonal canal absent. Umbilicus open or closed, sometimes with an internal rib (=funicale). Operculum entirely corneous or externally calcified and sculptured, with an eccentric nucleus and a few spiral coils. Head with moderately small, widely spaced tentacles. Eyes reduced to absent, behind the tentacles. Foot highly developed, reflecting over the head and much of the shell when expanded. Sand or mud-dwelling animals, ploughing through the substrate with the expanded foot. Active predators, feeding mainly on burrowing bivalves or gastropods. Drills a circular hole with bevelled edges in the shell of the prey by means of an enzymatic secretion and the scraping action of the radula, before rasping the soft parts. Sexes separate, fertilization internal. Egg capsules generally embedded in a large collar-like ribbon that is hardened by grains of sand or mud. Eggs hatching as free-swimming, planktonic larvae or as crawling juveniles. Moon snails are commonly collected by hand or with nets, and sold as food on the local markets. The consumers often resell the empty shells which are widely used in shellcraft. In Southeast Asia, the shells are also used in gambling games, both as counters and in a game which involves looking at a pile of them and betting on the number being odd or even (Ref. 348). |
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