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Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Volutidae
Turritella snail
Turritella terebra
Family Turritellidae
updated Sep 2020

Where seen? Only the empty shells have been seen on our shores so far. The living animal has yet to be encountered on the intertidal. The empty shells seen are usually occupied by a hermit crab. Elsewhere, they are found on soft bottoms.

Features: Those seen 5-7cm, can grow to 15-17cm long. Elegant shell with regular spirals which are finely ridged. It is herbivorous and lives on sandy and muddy areas of the intertidal zone.

Changi, Oct 08

East Coast, Jun 06
Human uses: In the northern Philippines, they are regularly collected and marketed as food.

Status and threats: Turritella terebra is listed as 'Vulnerable' in the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore. In the past it was abundant before its habitat was reclaimed.

Turritella snails on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Family Turritellidae recorded for Singapore
from Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore.
in red are those listed among the threatened animals of Singapore from Davison, G.W. H. and P. K. L. Ng and Ho Hua Chew, 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore.

  Family Turritellidae
  Turritella terebra (VU: Vulnerable)

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.
  • Davison, G.W. H. and P. K. L. Ng and Ho Hua Chew, 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore). 285 pp.
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