Gastropoda | 
Trochida | 
Trochidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 0 - 7 m (Ref. 83435).  Tropical; 26°N -   6°N, 89°W -   57°W			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Western Central Atlantic.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?, range 1 -  3.4 cm Max length : 18.0 cm SHW male/unsexed; (Ref. 105349); common length : 10.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 355)			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Shell large, heavy, conical, with rounded shoulders.  Umbilicus deep and round, operculum multispiral, circular.  Colour:  purple-black on a whitish background; aperture white, internally nacreous; operculum iridescent brown.					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Stocks have been locally extirpated or are diminishing due to over exploitation (Ref. 355). Shallow subtidal, on rocks and shell rubble (Ref. 355).  They are also found in intertidal and offshore coral reefs, particularly on algae, boulder, and coral habitats (Ref. 83934).  Herbivore-detritivore.  Most feeding seems to occur at night and early morning.  Feeds on a wide variety of algae, sand and detritus (Ref. 105349).				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Broadcast spawners.  Spawning occurs during lunar period.  Females lay eggs in ribbons or jelly masses in the substratum, after the males have released their sperm (Ref. 105346).  Males don't have penis (Ref. 105349).  Life cycle:  Embryos develop into planktonic trocophore larvae and later into juvenile veligers before becoming fully grown adults (Ref. 833).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Leal, J.H. 2003 Gastropods. p. 99-147. In Carpenter, K.E. (ed.). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 1: Introduction, molluscs, crustaceans, hagfishes, sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. 1600p. (Ref. 355)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
				Fisheries: commercial			
			
			
				 | FishSource | Sea Around Us			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 26.8 - 28.2, mean 27.7 (based on 344 cells).			
 
			
			
			
							
					Resilience  				
				
				
					Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.19-0.2).				
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low to moderate vulnerability (31 of 100).					
				
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.			
			
			
				Nutrients  :  Calcium = 126 [75, 177]  mg/100g; Iron = 4.79 [1.67, 7.92]  mg/100g; Protein = 15.9 [14.8, 16.9] %; Omega3 = 0.331 [0.263, 0.400]  g/100g; Selenium = 57.8 [48.5, 67.2]  μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 1.97 [0.92, 3.02]  mg/100g (wet weight); based on 
nutrient studies.