Turbinella angulata
Turbinella angulata, common name the West Indian chank shell or Lamp Shell, is a species of very large tropical sea snail with a gill and an operculum, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae.
The name "chank" for the shell of this species is derived from the word shankha, the divine conch or sacred conch, Turbinella pyrum, a closely related species from the Indian Ocean. Due to the rarity of the more famous Turbinella pyrum shell, sometimes the Turbinella angulata shell is used as a shankha.
Synonyms
Xancus angulata Voluta angulata Lightfoot, 1786Murex scolymus Gmelin, 1791Mazza scolymus Turbinellus scolymus Fusus cynara Röding, 1798Fasciolaria cardoscolym G. Fischer, 1807Tubularia clavata Esper, 1830
Distribution
This species is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from the Florida Keys and the Bahamas south to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Haiti, and on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.
Habitat
These large reef-associated gastropods can be found in tropical environment on subtidal and offshore mud, on rock or sand beds, and on mangrove lagoons, at depths of 0 to 45 m.
Description
The shells of Turbinella angulata can reach a size of. These large shells are heavy and fusiform, with a sculpture of 8 to 10 prominent ribs angled at shoulder. Columella shows three strong folds. The basic colour of the external shell surface is white, while the inner are may be pink or orange.