Tridentarius dentatus (Linné, 1758)
Distribution: Throughout the Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Intertidal to at least 100 ft. Nocturnal, so may be found along the reef at night. They remain buried in sand, particularly underneath loose pieces of coral rubble, during the day.
Availability: Common along Guam's outer reefs, much less common within Apra Harbor.
Size: Guam specimens are typically between 25 - 35 mm.
Comments: An easy species to care for in an aquarium, routinely coming out at night to graze on algae.
References:
Abbott, R. Tucker & S. Peter Dance. Compendium of Seashells. p. 78.
Adams, F. W. 1967. Some Notes on Strombus dentatus. Hawaiian Shell News 15(11):1, 8. (New Series No. 95, November 1967).
Cernohorsky, Walter O. 1972. Marine Shells of the Pacific, Volume II. p. 77. pl. 18, fig 6.
Hinton, Alan. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific. p. 10. pl. 5, fig 21.
(The figured specimen of Strombus fragilis (pl. 5, fig. 22) appears to be an immature T. dentatus.
Kay, E. Alison. 1979. Hawaiian Marine Shells. p. 170. fig. 59 H.
Kira, Tetsuaki. 1965. Shells of the Western Pacific in Color, Vol. I. p. 34. pl. 16, fig. 3.
Kreipl, Kurt & Guido T. Poppe. 2000. Family Strombidae. p. 33. pl. 56, fig. 1-7; pl. 127, fig. 3.
Springsteen, F. J. & F. M. Leobrera. 1986. Shells of the Philippines. p. 68. pl. 15, fig. 10.
Walls, Jerry G. 1980. Conchs, Tibias and Harps. p. 91-92.
Wilson, Barry. 1993. Australian Marine Shells, Part One. p. 155. pl. 21, fig. 14 a-b.
Links:
- Deep Sea Images
- Marine Themes - Marine Wildlife Stock Library
- Emmanuel Guillot de Suduiraut's Eurasia Shells
- Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine Gastropods
- Jacksonville Shell Club
- Micro Shells (Bisyogai)
- Tahiti Shells
- OBIS Database
- Conch-L Archives - Swimming gastropods