The shape and the idea: 95 — Trumpet shell, Charonia lampas

Sunday 27 November 2016

95 — Trumpet shell, Charonia lampas

Charonia lampas,
Pilot Bay Wharf, 9/02/15.

The trumpet shell, Charonia lampas (Linnaeus, 1758) is an iconic sea shell and immediately recognisable from their large size (~20–25cm) and colourful markings. For a long time it was thought that there were several species scattered around the world. However, current thinking is that there's one variable species found in temperate waters from the north Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, to the south Pacific. They can be found in a variety of habitats from shallow waters down to continental shelf depths.

Charonia lampas feed on echinoderms, particularly sea stars, but will also consume sea-cucumbers and urchins. While they are occasionally seen sub-tidally, your best chance to see one of these large gastropods is during the summer months, when they come into the intertidal zone to breed and lay eggs.

Their numbers have been depleted through collecting and from the affects of toxic antifouling paints. However, it does seem like they are making a comeback, which is great as they appear to perform an important ecological role controlling the sea star populations. It would be nice if these large charismatic gastropods continued to recover.