Spotted
moon snail
Natica
gualteriana
Family Naticidae
updated
Oct 2019
Where
seen? This moon snail with a spotted body is sometimes
seen on sandy areas near reefs on some of our Southern shores. It
is also known as Gualtieri's moon snail.
Features: 2-3cm. Shell thick spherical
(not flat) with the spiral tip sticking out. Shell beige, grey or
orange sometimes with many irregular thin dark bands. Operculum shelly,
smooth and pearly white with a dark smudge where the whorl starts.
Body pale, tentacles short both with lots of small dark spots.
Human uses: It is collected for
food and the shell trade. |
Cyrene Reef, Jul 10 |
|
|
Sisters Islands, Feb 10 |
|
|
| Spotted
moon snails on Singapore shores |
| Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Changi, Sep 10
Photo
shared by Neo Mei Lin on her
blog. |
St John's Island, Feb 13
Photo
shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr. |
Big Sisters Island, Feb 19
Photo
shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr. |
Kusu Island, Jun 15
Photo
shared by Toh Chay Hoon on facebook. |
Kusu Island,
Sep 10
Photo
shared by Toh Chay Hoon on her
blog. |
Pulau Semakau South, Feb 16
Photo
shared by Toh Chay Hoon on facebook. |
Terumbu Pempang Laut, Aug 16
Photo
shared by Richard Kuah on facebook. |
Terumbu Bemban, Jun 15
Photo
shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook. |
|
Pulau Sudong, Dec 09
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his
flickr. |
|
|
Acknowledgement
Grateful
thanks to JK
for sharing the ID of this snail on the wild
shores of singapore blog.
Links
References
- Tan Siong
Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary
Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles
Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
- Abbott, R.
Tucker, 1991. Seashells
of South East Asia.
Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.
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