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Phylum
Mollusca
Class
Gastropoda
Family
Muricidae
Subfamily
Coralliophilinae
Coral-loving Shells
| Some of these cryptic snails live and feed
upon live corals. They inhabit a home scar or burrow by devouring the
coral tissue and dissolving the hard skeleton. Others such as Latiaxis
are dredged from
very deep-water and little is known about their biology. Many of thee
deep-dwelling species are beautiful murex-like shells prized by collectors. |
HAWAII
Coralliophila
bulbiformis
ERODED CORAL-LOVING SHELL
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Uncommon on live corals at any depth.
Preys upon coral but is free-living. Attains 2 inches.
Reported as C. erosa in Kay, 1979. |
Coralliophila
erosa
ERODED CORAL-LOVING SHELL
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Rare under
Porites corals at any depth. Attains 1.5 inches. Hawaii
& the Indo-Pacific. |
Coralliophila
neritoidea
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Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 3 feet |
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VIOLET-MOUTHED
CORAL-LOVING SHELL
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Common on
Porites corals at a permanent home scar. Difficult to see due to heavy deposits of
coralline algae. Attains 1 inch. Hawaii & the
Indo-Pacific. Formerly known as C. violacea. |
Galeropsis
monodontus
SINGLE-TOOTHED
CORAL-LOVING SHELL
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Fairly common on large Pocillopora
corals. Heavily encrusted with coralline algae. Attains 1.5 inches.
Formerly known as Quoyula madreporarum. Hawaii,
Indo-Pacific, Tropical Eastern Pacific. |
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