Harpago chiragra
A large Indo-Pacific conch with six curved marginal digitations.
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The Chiragra spider conch, Harpago chiragra, is a large marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the Strombidae family. Its shell is very thick, robust, and heavy, featuring a distinct anterior notch.
The most striking trait is the six long, curved projections (digitations) that extend from the flaring outer lip and canals. The columella and aperture are lined with fine ridges (lirate). Shell length ranges from 85 mm to 320 mm, typically around 170 mm.
Strong sexual dimorphism exists: females are usually much larger than males. This species is widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific, from the Aldabra Atoll, Chagos, Mauritius, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and the Gulf of Bengal east to Polynesia. Its range extends north to Taiwan and southern Japan, and south to New Caledonia and Australia.
Harpago chiragra inhabits coral reef areas, found in littoral and sublittoral zones, tidal pools, and low tide levels down to about 25 meters. It is herbivorous, feeding on plants and algae. Humans collect it locally for food, as the flesh is edible, and its shell is used in shellcraft.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- SubclassCaenogastropoda
- OrderLittorinimorpha
- FamilyStrombidae
- GenusHarpago
- SpeciesHarpago chiragra
Named by (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Harpago chiragra (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 564725 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.32 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Harpago chiragra
Where the harpago chiragra has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (856 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 49 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
More in Marine Snails: Ceriths, Nassas and Conchs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Harpago chiragra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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