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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Naticidae |
| Oval
moon snail Polinices mammilla Family Naticidae updated Aug 10 Where seen? This rather oval white moon snail is often encountered on many our Southern sandy shores. Elsewhere, it is abundant on sandy bottoms associated with coral reefs. Previously identified as Polinices mammatus. Features: 5-6cm. Shell thick and oval, the spiral tip smoothly sticking out so the overall shape resembles a breast (mammilla means 'breast' in Latin). The shell is usually white, glossy and unmarked, but sometimes with large irregular patches of brown, black, orange or yellow. There is often large bump on the underside near the shell opening. The underside is usually completely white. The thin operculum is made of a horn-like material and is smooth and amber yellow. The body is plain white. It's very hard to get a good look at the entire body as the snail retracts quickly and completely into the shell when it is disturbed. Sometimes mistaken for the Ball moon snail (Polinices didyma) that is easily distinguished by its round shell which has a brown-coloured depression on the underside. Human uses: Elsewhere, it is collected in large quantities for food and the shell trade. In Thailand, it is actively collected at low tide by hand and sold by weight for shell craft, in batches of 5,000-10,000 shells. |
 Kusu Island, May 06  Side view. |
 Sisters Island, May 08 |
 Sisters Island, May 08 |
 Close up of shell opening and operculum. |
Oval moon snails on Singapore shores
 Tanah Merah, Aug 09 |
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 Sisters Island, Jul 06  |
 Raffles Lighthouse, Jul 06  |
 Pulau Hantu, Feb 06  |
more photos of oval moon snails on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4
Links
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Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.|
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