SUNDAIL SHELLS OF THE TROPICS A DECORATIVE GASTROPOD

Sundail Shells

Architectonica maxima, also known as the giant sundial, belongs to the family Architectonicidae and is a species of marine gastropod mollusk. These creatures are commonly referred to as staircase shells or sundials.

The Architectonica maxima, known for its shell spanning 0.75 to 3.25 inches, is the largest in the sundial family. Its shell features a low spire and a flattened profile adorned with a beaded texture. A spiral groove carves the shoulder slope into two distinct ribs. Its primary color is cream, accented with brown spots.

TThis species is distributed across the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from East Africa and the Persian Gulf to the western Pacific, including Japan, eastern Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Hawaii.

The giant sundial, a carnivorous deep-water sea snail, resides on sandy patches and muddy sublittoral bottoms near soft corals, typically found at depths ranging from 1/3 to 11 inches.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Family: Architectonicidae

Genus: Architectonica

Species: Architectonica maxima

Binomial name: Architectonica maxima

(Philippi, 1849)

(REF: Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O (eds.). "Architectonica maxima (R. A. Philippi, 1849)". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species.)(REF: Poutiers, J. M. (1998). "Gastropods". In Carpenter, K. E.; Niem, V. H. (eds.). The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Vol. 1. Rome: )

G1-7

A Sundail Shell measuring 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches ...... .26

G2-7

A Sundail Shell measuring 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches ...... .35

This Form cannot be submitted until the missing fields (labelled below in red) have been filled in
YOUR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT SHELLS OF AQUARIUS LISTINGS
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name*
Last Name
E-Mail Address
Street Address
City
State/Prov
Zip/Postal Code
Country*	CountryUnited StatesCanada----------------AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntiguaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribadiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoFederated States of MicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMontenegroMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaS. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls.Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamUS Virgin IslandsWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenYugoslavia (former)ZaireZambiaZimbabwe
Home Phone
Business Phone
YOUR QUESTION TO SHELLS OF AQUARIUS
Please complete the challenge that you see below.