Reef Stories

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Conchs & Co.

Helmets, Moon Shells, Tritons & Tuns

Shell Index

Bivalves



File Shells

Files Shells

Giant Clam

Gaint Clams

Oysters

Oysters

"Snails"



Auger

Augers

Bubble Shells

Bubble Shells

Conchs

conchs

Cones

Cones

Cowries

Cowries

Cystiscus

Cystiscus

Harp Shells

Harp Shells

Helmets

Helmets

Mitres

Mitres

Murex

Murex

Moon Shells

Moon Shells

Olives

Olives

Ovulid Cowries

Ovulid Cowries

Parasitic Shells

Parasitic Shells

Stromatolines

Stromatolines

Tritons

Tritons

Tuns

Tuns

Velutinid

Velutinid

Volutes

Volutes

Wendeltraps

Wendeltraps

Whelks

Whelks

Worm Shells

Worm Shells

Conchs & Co.

Relationships



This is my image


Lambis chiragra
Lambis chiragra
Lambis chiragra
Lambis lambis
Lambis scorpius
Lambis scorpius
Strombus ?canarium
Terebellum terebellum


Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta from below
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Phalium glaucum
Phalium glaucum
Phalium glaucum - laying eggs
Phalium glaucum - mass egg-laying


Echineulima asthenosomae
Echineulima asthenosomae
Stilapex zebra
Thyca astericola
Thyca crystallina
Thyca crystallina


Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Naticarius alapapilionis
Naticarius orientalis
Tanea undulata


Charonia tritonis - eating a starfish
Charonia tritonis - eating a starfish
Charonia tritonis


Pelagic Tonna perdix larva
Tonna perdix
Tonna perdix


Coriocella nigra
Coriocella nigra
Coriocella nigra - juvenile
Coriocella nigra


Thylacodes sp.

Helfen Sie, die Riffe zu retten!



Die Organisationen, die sich für den Schutz der Korallenriffe und unserer Ozeane einsetzen, brauchen so viel Unterstützung, wie sie bekommen können. Eine Auswahl:

Wenn Sie Taucher sind, und vor allem, wenn Sie Unterwasserfotograf sind, spenden Sie. Wenn Sie nichts tun, wird es nichts zum Tauchen und nichts zum Fotografieren geben.

Es handelt sich hierbei um Vorschläge, nicht um Bevorzugung der vorgeschlagenen Organisationen. Es liegt in Ihrer Verantwortung, die Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen, an die Sie spenden möchten, zu überprüfen und zu kontrollieren.

Conchs

Conchs

The huge Queen Conchs of the Caribbean are highly regarded as food, which has had a drastic impact in many areas. In SE Asia the species are smaller and very well camoflaged. They are also edible but there appears to be no commercial fishery.

Conchs graze on algae and detritus films on plants and stones. This makes them of prime importantance in shallow water ecosystems.

One characteristic feature is a notch in the outer lip that enables the conch to stick out its' right eye above its' upper surface without exposing the rest of the body. Males and females are separate. 100 000 to 500 000 eggs are laid in a gelatinous tube and generally held under the lip of the shell until hatching.

Lambis chiragra
Lambis chiragra
Lambis chiragra
Lambis lambis
Lambis scorpius
Lambis scorpius
Strombus ?canarium
Terebellum terebellum

Helmets

Helmets

The heavy-shelled helmets and thinner shelled Cassids are active hunters of sea urchins, sand dollars, and sand dollars. I have personally seen a Phallium in hot persuit of a heart urchin (Lovinia), finally overwhelming and consuming it.

Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta from below
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Cassis cornuta
Phalium glaucum
Phalium glaucum
Phalium glaucum - laying eggs
09-Phalium glaucum - mass egg-laying

Parasitic Shells

Parasitic Shells

The majority of Eulimid snails are parasites on starfish and sea urchins. Thyca crystallina is most commonly seen in SE Asia. They feed on the body fluids of their host, and some become embedded in the host body as the starfish grows. Echineulima asthenosomae seems to feed on the spines of Fire Urchins, but appears to do no harm.

Echineulima asthenosomae
Echineulima asthenosomae
Stilapex zebra
Thyca astericola
Thyca crystallina
Thyca crystallina

Moon Shells

Moon Shells

Moon shells are quite fast moving predators on molluscs, particularly bivalves. When they find a mollusc, they drill a hole through the shell with their radula, softening the shell with acid as they go. Their probosis is then inserted through the hole and their prey eaten from the inside!

The round sand-impregnated "collars" that are often seen on sand and reefs are the egg cases of moon shells. Some species produce sausage-like egg masses.

Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica onca
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Natica sp.
Naticarius alapapilionis
Naticarius orientalis
Tanea undulata

Tritons

Tritons

The Triton Trumpet is a large predatory shell (the second largest in the world) best known as the main predator of the Crown of Thorns (COT) starfish, though it does eat e.g. Linkia as well. Over-collecting by shell hunters in some areas greatly reduce numbers and the COT populations rise.

Charonia tritonis eatinga starfish
Charonia tritonis - eating a starfish
Charonia tritonis

Tun Shells

Tun Shells

Tun shells are large and thin with a very large body. They are active at night is sandy/silty areas, actively hunting sea cucumbers, which they seem to swallow whole.

Pelagic Tonna perdix larva
Tonna perdix
Tonna perdix

Velutinids

Velutinids

A thick mantle covers the very thin, flattened shell of these snails which causes many people to mistake them for sea slugs. They have a pair of head tentacles, as can be seen in the photo of the juvenile.

Colonial ascidians seem to be their main food.

Coriocella nigra
Coriocella nigra
Coriocella nigra - juvenile
Coriocella nigra

Worm Shells

Worm Shells

These snails have an irregularly shaped tubular tubelike shell either cemented to the substrate or embedded in a sponge. They secrete a sheet of mucus into the current which traps food items that pass by. Every few minutes they withdraw the mucous sheet to harvest the catch. A new mucous sheet is then secreted.

Thylacodes sp.