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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Melongenidae |
| Spiral
melongena Pugilina cochlidium Family Melongenidae updated Dec 08
Where seen? This large snail is commonly seen on our muddy-sandy shores particularly on our Northern shores, on rocky shores and seagrass meadows. Features: 8-12cm. Shell large, thick with a long siphonal canal. Operculum teardrop-shaped and made out of a horn-like material. Body all black. The shell of a living spiral melongena is covered with a layer of fine hairs (called the periostracum). These hairs trap surrounding sediment so that the snail blends perfectly into the mud. The living snail is thus rarely spotted although relatively large and common. When the snail dies, the hairs drop off revealing a glossy, orange shell. The large empty shell is often taken over by a hermit crab. What does it eat? The spiral melongena eats barnacles. It is believed to get to the barnacle by forcing its long proboscis between the plates that seal the barnacle's shell opening. Spiral babies: The spiral melongena is responsible for the strange yellow zipper-like egg capsules that are often encountered on rocks and other hard surfaces. The young hatch as miniature snails with a shell and a foot. |
 Laying eggs Sembawang, Aug 02  Laying eggs Pulau Sekudu, Aug 05 |
Large and common, they are overlooked as they are well
camouflaged.
 Upper side of living snail Changi, Apr 05 |
 Underside of living snail |
 The animal's body is black. |
Spiral melogena snails on Singapore shores
 A gathering of snails: mating? Chek Jawa, May 05 |
 Underside laying eggs Tuas, Apr 05 |
 When the snail dies, the shell loses its hairy coat. Changi, Apr 05 |
Links
References
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Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.|
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