Colours
Distinguishing features
One of its most striking characteristics is its flared outer lip, ornamented by six hollow marginal digitations. These digitations present subtle differences in shape between genders in this species, as the three anteriormost digitations are short and posteriorly bent in male individuals, and longer and dorsally recurved in females. The color of the shell is highly variable, being white or cream externally and often presenting brown, purplish or bluish black patches. The interior is glazed and may be pink, orange or purple. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 29 cm (Shell length)
Depth range
- Up to 5 m
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
This species is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, including Aldabra, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, Seychelles, Tanzania, Micronesia, eastern Melanesia, Taiwan, southern Japan and northern Australia.
It lives in mangrove areas, as well as reef flats and coral-rubble bottoms in shallow water from low tide levels to depths of 5m. It is usually found in association with red algae. (Wikipedia)
Local abundance
- Lizard Island: Common
Diet
It feeds on fine red algae. (Wikipedia)
Web resources
References
- Benson, A.A. and R.E. Summons (1981). Arsenic accumulation in Great Barrier Reef invertebrates, Science, 211: 482-483. LIRS catalog number 42.