LAMPAS SHELLS WIDELY COVETED BY TRITON SHELL COLLECTORS

Pacific Lampas Shell   11/5/13

Charonia Tritonis Common Name Pacific Lampas

According to the World Register of Marine Species Charonia is a genus of a very large sea snail, commonly known as Triton's trumpet or Triton snail. They are marine gastropod mollusks in the monotypic family Charoniidae.

The common name Triton's trumpet is derived from the Greek god Triton, who was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. The god Triton is often portrayed blowing a large seashell horn similar to this species.

Species within the genus Charonia have large fusiform shells, usually whiteish with brown or yellow markings.

The shell of the giant triton Charonia tritonis (Linnaeus, 1758), lives in the Indo-Pacific, they can grow up 20 inches in length.

Charonia species inhabit temperate and tropical waters worldwide.

Tritons are not hermaphrodites; they have separate sexes and undergo sexual reproduction with internal fertilization. The female deposits white capsules in clusters, each of which contains many developing larvae. The larvae emerge free-swimming and enter the plankton, where they drift in open water for up to three months.

Adult tritons are active predators and feed on other molluscs and starfish. The triton grips its prey with its muscular foot and uses its toothy radula (a serrated, scraping organ found in gastropods) to saw through the starfish's armoured skin. Once it has penetrated, a paralyzing saliva subdues the prey and the snail feeds at leisure, often beginning with the softest parts such as the gonads and gut.

Tritons ingest smaller prey animals whole without troubling to paralyse them, and will spit out any poisonous spines, shells, or other unwanted parts later.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Littorinimorpha

Super family: Tonnoidea

Family: Charoniidae

Powell, 1933

Genus: Charonia

Gistel, 1847

Type species Charonia Tritonis

H1-3

One Pacific Lampas shell 3 to 5 inches...... $5.65

H2-3

One Pacific Lampas shell 5 to 7 inches ...... $9.25



H3-3

One Pacific Lampas shell 7 to 8 inches......$11.59



H4-3

One Pacific Lampas shell 8 to 9 inches...... $14



H5-3

One Pacific Lampas shell 9 to 10 inches...... $18.25



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