Gastropoda | 
Neogastropoda | 
Melongenidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 0 - 75 m (Ref. 83435).  Subtropical; 43°N -   18°N, 92°W -   66°W (Ref. 83435)			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Western Atlantic Ocean:  USA:  From Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cape Canaveral, Florida (Ref. 101477);  Mexico: northern coast of Campeche (Ref. 101490).
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm 10.0  range ? - ? cm Max length : 24.9 cm DL male/unsexed; (Ref. 83435)			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Maximum depth from Ref. 104440. Intertidal (Ref. 106829) to subtidal (Ref. 101477).  Found in sand flats (Ref. 101477).  Carnivorous.  Forages on intertidal flats and creeks fringed by oyster reef and in subtidal channels (Ref. 106829).  Preys on bivalves (Refs. 101524, 101525) such as oysters, scallops and clams (Ref. 106829).  It uses the lip of its shell, synchronous with its foot, to penetrate, break off and  force open  the valves of its prey (Refs. 101524, 101525).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Broadcast spawners.  Life cycle:  Embryos emerged into miniature adults which further develop into grown adults (Ref. 833).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Bisby, F.A., M.A. Ruggiero, K.L. Wilson, M. Cachuela-Palacio, S.W. Kimani, Y.R. Roskov, A. Soulier-Perkins and J. van Hertum 2005 Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2005 Annual Checklist. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K. (Ref. 19)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						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 | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 9.6 - 25.6, mean 19.8 (based on 130 cells).			
 
			
			
			
							
					Resilience  				
				
				
					High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.12-0.63; tm=5).				
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100).