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Economic Use of Sea Snails

Part 1: Snail Cultivation (Terrestrial Snails) Part 2: Economic Use of Marine Snails Part 3: Cowry Shells (Cypraeidae) Part 4: Cone Shells (Conidae)
 
Section 1 Section 2
   

Inhalt

Section 1:

Section 2:

Other Snail Species

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Turban Snails (Turbinidae)

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Biology and Ecology

The family Turbinidae, commonly known as turban snails, comprises around 200 species found in tropical and temperate marine regions. Their name refers to the turban-like shape of their shells. These snails typically inhabit rocky shores and coral reefs, where they graze on algal films using their strong radula.


Military turban snail (Turbo militaris): New South Wales, AUS.
Picture: Jacob Crisp (iNaturalist).		  
Turban snails are marine gastropods usually found in shallow coastal waters. They possess thick-walled, often vividly coloured shells, which are highly sought after as decorative objects. Particularly striking is the massive operculum, which in many species resembles polished porcelain. Composed of sturdy calcium carbonate, the operculum is used in some cultures to make jewellery.

Turban snails move with the help of a powerful muscular foot, allowing them to maintain a firm grip even in areas with strong currents. Some species can press their shell tightly against the substrate, making it nearly impossible for predators to dislodge them.

Wikipedia: Turbinidae.
WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Turbinidae RAFINESQUE, 1815.

Distribution and Habitat

Turban snails are predominantly found in tropical and subtropical seas, especially throughout the Indo-Pacific, along the coasts of Australia, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa and South America. They favour rocky coastlines and reef environments, where they can shelter in crevices and beneath stones.

 
Rough star turban snail (Bolma rugosa): Phare de la Couronne, Mar-
seille. Picture: Sandrine le Comte (iNaturalist).
A notable European species is the rough star turban snail (Bolma rugosa), which occurs in the eastern Atlantic from Western Sahara and the Canary Islands to the Azores, Madeira, and into the Mediterranean Sea, including Catalonia, Sicily, and Greece.

Ecological Importance

Turban snails play an important role in marine ecosystems. By grazing algae from rocks and corals, they help prevent the overgrowth of delicate reef structures and contribute to reef health. In intertidal zones, their robust shells stabilise the substrate and provide shelter for smaller marine creatures such as shrimp or juvenile fish.

Several turban snail species are also part of complex predator-prey relationships, serving as food for birds, fish, and larger gastropods such as cone snails (Conidae). Nevertheless, their sturdy shells offer good protection against many potential predators.

Cultural and Economic Significance


Marbled turban snail (Turbo marmoratus): French Polynesia.
Picture: Andy Dalton (iNaturalist).		  
Special attention is given to the so-called "cat’s eyes" – the shiny, porcelain-like opercula of certain turban snails. They can be the shape of small discs or balls, with a distinctive eye-like pattern, and are used in many cultures as good luck charms or jewellery components, aas well as fashioned into buttons or inlaid decorations.

In Southeast Asia, the cat's eye shell lids of turban snails are seen as symbols of protection and prosperity, and can often be found on markets in India and Sri Lanka as amulets or ornamental items.

Turban snail shells have been traded for centuries. Even today, particularly in Asian countries, their glossy shells, sometimes polished or ground smooth, are used for furniture inlays, jewellery, decorative boxes, and even as musical instruments.

Maggy Wassilieff: Cat’s eye in shell. Auf: Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

In aquariums, some turban snail species are popular both for their decorative appearance and their usefulness in algae control.

Culinary Use

In some regions, especially across East and Southeast Asia, turban snails are considered a delicacy. In Japan, they are known as sazae and are often marinated in soy sauce or grilled whole. They are also served in traditional seafood restaurants in Korea and Taiwan. The snails are typically placed alive into boiling water, then removed from their shells before further preparation.

Top Snails (Trochidae)

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Biology and Morphology


Top snail (Trochus maculatus): Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Picture:Scott und Jeanette Johnson (iNaturalist): Link.		  
 
Painted top shell (Calliostoma zizyphinum), Scotland.
Picture: Jim Greenfield (iNaturalist).
   
 
West Indian top snail (Cittarium pica) as a second home to the Caribbe-
an hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), Cuba.
Picture: Wayne Fidler (iNaturalist).
The family Trochidae, commonly known as top snails, includes a wide variety of marine gastropods characterised by their typically conical, often brightly coloured and sometimes shiny shells. The size of their shells ranges from approximately 5 mm to 130 mm, and surface structure varies by species from smooth to strongly sculptured. A distinctive feature of top snails is their multi-spiral, horn-like operculum closing off the shell’s aperture.

Distribution and Habitat

Top snails are found in tropical, temperate and even Arctic seas worldwide. They primarily inhabit rocky coastal zones, both in the intertidal and subtidal areas, where they live on hard substrates such as rocks and coral reefs.

In Europe, the painted topshell (Calliostoma zizyphinum) is found from Norway to the Azores, and eastwards into the Mediterranean Sea. This species, noted for its highly variable shell colouration, is preyed upon by animals such as the common starfish (Asterias rubens). Although it closely resembles other top snails in appearance, today however, Calliostoma zizyphinum is placed in a separate family, the Calliostomatidae, due to distinct anatomical features.

WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Trochidae RAFINESQUE, 1815.
WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Calliostoma zizyphinum (LINNAEUS 1758).

Ecological Importance

Most top snails are primarily herbivorous grazers, feeding on algae and biofilm that they scrape from rock surfaces, thus helping regulate algal growth. Some genera, such as Umbonium, are also suspension feeders. Others, like Tegula and Diloma, play a key role in local food webs, serving as prey for a variety of marine predators.

Wikipedia: Trochidae.

Culinary and Cultural Use

In various parts of the world, top snails are valued as a food source. One example is the West Indian top snail (Cittarium pica), which is considered a delicacy in the West Indies, where it has long been harvested. However, overfishing and habitat degradation have led to a decline in its populations. The empty shells of this species are also often used by land hermit crabs such as the Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus) as protective homes.

ROBERTSON, R. (2003): "The edible West Indian “whelk” Cittarium pica (Gastropoda: Trochidae): Natural history with new observations". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 153 (1), 27-47. (Abstract).

Economic Importance

Several members of the family Trochidae, especially those of the genus Trochus, are renowned for their mother-of-pearl or nacre coated shells, which are harvested for the production of jewellery and buttons. Sustainable management of these natural resources is crucial to ensuring both their ecological function and their continued economic viability.

Crown Conches (Melongenidae)

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Biology and Lifestyle


Florida crown conch (Melongena corona), Florida, USA.
Picture: Bradley Smith (iNaturalist).		  
   

Florida crown conch (Melongena corona), Florida, USA.
Picture:Janson Jones (iNaturalist).		  
Crown conches (Melongenidae) are a family of medium to very large marine gastropods found mainly in tropical and subtropical coastal waters. The family includes several genera, such as Melongena, Pugilina, and Hemifusus. Their shells are often solid and heavy, featuring a robust columella and distinct folds near the suture. The whorls are frequently adorned with knobs or spikes, especially near the upper suture, giving the shells a crown-like appearance from which the family derives its name. Shell colours range from deep browns to olive-green patterns.

Like the true whelks (Buccinidae), crown conches are carnivorous or scavengers. They feed primarily on other molluscs and small crustaceans. Using their radula, they bore holes into the shells of their prey and digest the soft tissue with enzymes.

 
Pear conch (Volema pyrum) off the coast of Tanzania.
Picture: Pierre-Louis Stenger (iNaturalist).
Another term, "pear conches", is commonly used for species in the genus Volema, whose shells are less spiky and more pear-shaped in appearance, for example, Volema pyrum in the Indian Ocean and Volema myristica around the Philippines and Indonesia. Considering the scientific name of the aubergine (Solanum melongena), one might whimsically argue that Volema species should rather be called "aubergine conches", a name that arguably does  their shape more justice.

WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Melongenidae GILL 1871 (1854).
WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Volema pyrum (GMELIN 1791), vormals Volema paradisiaca RÖDING 1798.

Distribution and Habitat

Crown conches are mainly found in warm waters of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans. They are especially common in the mangrove forests of Southeast Asia, the coastal regions of the Caribbean, and along the shores of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. Their preferred habitats include muddy ground, estuaries, and mangrove swamps, where they forage for prey in the soft sediment.

Culinary Use

In many coastal regions of the USA and Asia, crown conches are considered a delicacy. In Vietnam and Thailand, Melongena and Pugilina frequently can be seen on menus, often cooked in coconut milk or served with spicy sauces.

Economic Importance

In addition to their culinary value, the shells of crown conches are popular among collectors. In Asia, the mother-of-pearl from their shells is also used in jewellery and handicrafts.

Lookalikes – "Trumpet Conches" (Busycon and Sinistrofulgur)

  The State Shell of Texas?
According to the Jacksonville Shell Club (jaxshells.org), the lightning whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum) is the official State Shell of Texas.

Texas


Lightning whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum), Smyrna Beach, FL, USA. Picture: Andrea Westmoreland (Wikipedia).

Unlike its close relatives, this species is notable for its left-handed (sinistral) shell coiling, a rare trait among whelks.
So-called trumpet conches may resemble crown conches in appearance but are taxonomically part of the Buccinidae family (true whelks and their relatives). The genus Busycon (e.g. Busycon contrarium, Busycon canaliculatum, Busycon carica) is common along the US Gulf Coast (Gulf of Mexico). In the US southern states, Busycon meat is traditionally used in chowders and seafood stews. The impressive shells are also widely used as decorations.

The lightning whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum) if different from its relatives: its shell coils to the left rather than the right, which is also reflected in its name: Sinistrofulgur ("left-handed lightning"), perversum ("inverted" or "reversed").

Sinistrofulgur perversum is not only a fascinating species but also plays a special cultural role in the southern United States. Since 1987, it has been the official State Shell of Texas. Historically, the large, sturdy shells were used by Native American peoples for a variety of purposes, including tools and musical instruments. Today, lightning whelks are still collected along the Texas coast, both by shell enthusiasts and by local fisheries that use the meat in regional cuisine. In some coastal towns, the polished shells are sold as souvenirs, often also crafted into decorative pieces.

SWF Beach Life auf YouTube: Florida Shell Tour at Low Tide: The video’s intro also shows a fighting conch (Strombus) trying to defend itself with its operculum!

Australian Trumpet Snail (Syrinx aruana)

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Australian trumpet snail (Syrinx aruana), Western Australia.
Picture: Mike Kammerman (iNaturalist).		  
   

Syrinx aruana: A shell compared to the photographer's dog for scale.
Picture: Heather Hawk (iNaturalist)., Queensland, AUS.		  
Syrinx aruana, known in English as the "Australian trumpet" or "False trumpet", is the largest living gastropod with a shell.Although in the past, lengths of over one metre were reported, such claims have since been disproven. Today, the maximum known shell length is approximately 72 cm, with the living animal reaching up to 18 kilograms in weight. The shell also has an exceptionally thick and sturdy wall.

However, the California black sea hare (Aplysia vaccaria) is still considered the largest living gastropod in general. At least in size it grows to be noticeably larger with its length known to be up to 99 cm. Its weight has been measured around 14 kilograms, only slightly less than Syrinx aruana. Among extinct marine snails, the fossil Campanile giganteum from the Eocene deposits of the Paris Basin in France is reported to have reached even greater sizes: between 90 and 120 cm in shell length.

Taxonomically, Syrinx aruana belongs to the family Turbinellidae. It was previously placed in its own monotypic family (Syrinxidae) as its sole representative. Formerly known as Syrinx aruanus, the species name had to be corrected due to the grammatical gender of the genus name Syrinx, which is feminine in Greek. Since the species epithet is required to match, the correct name thus is Syrinx aruana (Linnaeus, 1758).

WoRMS: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Syrinx aruana (LINNAEUS, 1758).

The tower-shaped embryonic shell (protoconch), which is often lost in adult specimens, was once mistakenly described as a separate species: Cerithium braziensis (family Cerithiidae) by George Washington Tryon in 1887.

The relatively long, narrow siphonal canal resembles a (very large) syringe, which is what inspired the genus name Syrinx (Greek for "tube" or "pipe").

Wikipedia: Syrinx aruanus.
JUNG, P. (1987): Giant gastropods of the genus Campanile from the Caribbean Eocene. Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae 80/3, pp. 889 - 896 (PDF).

Biology and Ecology

Syrinx aruana is a predatory snail that primarily feeds on polychaete worms and other soft-bodied invertebrates. It uses its strong radula, equipped with powerful teeth, to rasp away at the tissue of its prey. Its impressive size and strength allow it to overpower even hard-shelled animals.

Interestingly, some of the worms it preys upon are themselves record-holders: certain polychaetes such as Polydontes can be more than one metre long! When hunting those, Syrinx aruana makes use of its elongated snout, which forms a long proboscis capable of reaching up to 25 cm into the calcareous tubes of its prey.

Distribution and Habitat

Native to the Indo-Pacific, Syrinx aruana is primarily found along the coasts of northern Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. It prefers sandy or muddy substrates on the continental shelf, typically at depths of 20 to 100 metres.

Cultural Significance and Human Use

The enormous shells of Syrinx aruana are highly prized by conchologists and collectors, but they also have a rich cultural and artisanal value. In Australia, the shells are popular as souvenirs and decorative items. Among some Aboriginal groups in Queensland, the shells are used to make traditional men’s nose ornaments known as imina.

The shells are also traditionally used as wind instruments in Australia, much like triton shells (e.g. Charonia tritonis) in Polynesia. In parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, they play a role in ceremonial practices, used as musical instruments or as vessels.

 

Latest Change: 25.09.2025 (Robert Nordsieck).