Harpa major
A live individual of Harpa major
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Harpidae
Genus: Harpa
Species:
H. major
Binomial name
Harpa major
Röding, 1798
Synonyms[1]
  • Harpa conoidalis Lamarck, 1822
  • Harpa kawamurai Habe, 1973
  • Harpa ligata Menke, 1828
  • Harpa major major Röding, 1798 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Harpa ventricosa Lamarck, 1801

Harpa major, common name large harp,[1] or major harp,[2] is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusks in the family Harpidae, the harp snails and their allies.[1]

Description

The size of the shell varies between 60 mm and 130 mm . The average adult reaches 3 1/2 inches and the shells have an ovate body with a heavily calloused spire. The columella, or the lower portion of the inside coil, has dark brown coloring.[2]

It has a long siphon, a large mouth and a very large foot in proportion to its shell, which it uses to hunt its prey. A voracious nocturnal predator of benthic crustaceans on sandy bottoms, it can prey on crabs as large as itself.

Shell of Harpa major (specimen at MNHN, Paris)

Distribution

This marine species occurs off East Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Mascarene Basin; off Hawaii

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rosenberg, G. (2015). Harpa major Röding, 1798. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=208166 on 2016-02-28
  2. 1 2 The Encyclopedia of Shells 1998 Kenneth R. Wye
  • Walls, J.G. (1980). Conchs, tibias and harps. A survey of the molluscan families Strombidae and Harpidae. T.F.H. Publications Ltd, Hong Kong.
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