Mo. 9 . EGG CASE OF SACRED CHANK

 

Phylum : Mollusca

Class    : Gastropoda

Order  : Neogastropoda

Family  : Turbinellidsae

Genus  :  Turbinella

 

DESCRIPTION

Turbinella pyrum, common names the chank shell, sacred chank or chank, also known as the divine conch, sometimes referred to simply as a conch, is a species of very large sea snail with a gill and an operculum, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae. This species occurs in the Indian Ocean. The name "chank" for the shell of this species is derived from the Indian word shankha, the divine conch. The old generic name was Xancus. The Dutch used to call them chianco. This species is found mainly in the Indian Ocean. The shell of this species is massive, with three or four prominent columellar plicae. It is usually pure white under a heavy brown periostracum, but it can also be a pale apricot color. It can sometimes be dotted with dark brown. Shells of the lightning whelk (Sinistrofulgur sp.), a normally left-handed western Atlantic Ocean genus, are sometimes sold in imitation of the rare left-handed shells of the Turbinella species.

IUCN Status: Not evaluated