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Cittarium pica
These snails are special because they are the only known living species in their genus. Their shells are thick, heavy, round and smooth without any shell "tail" like the tulip snails or other whelks. Indian TopShell inhabits rocky shores through out the greater West Indies, with the northern limit being Bermuda and recorded as far south as Venezuela. They are herbivores/ detritivores that feed on a variety of algae. They have a variety of predators that prey upon the slow moving snail throughout the rocky shore
Intertidal zone of Ranguana Caye
They are extinct in some areas because of over harvesting and exploitation. It is the discarded shells of these snails that are used by the islands land crabs. Once a year, the millions of land "soldier" crabs migrate to the sea to find new, larger shells to live in for protection. They are also called the Magpie Shell.
Spotted on Oct 16, 2013
Submitted on Oct 28, 2013
2 Comments
Thank you, Gatorfellows
lovely :)