Conch shell - Conch shell

Japanese: ホラガイ(法螺貝) - ホラガイ

A snail shell of the family Mytilidae. It is the largest snail shell in Japan, reaching over 40cm in height and 20cm in width. Its shell is elongated, spindle-shaped and thick. Numerous blackish brown half-moon spots are lined up on a yellowish brown background. It is widely distributed in the western Pacific Ocean south of the Kii Peninsula and the Indian Ocean, living on rocky reef bottoms below the intertidal zone. It is carnivorous, eating sea urchins and starfish, and is attracting attention as a natural enemy of the crown-of-thorns starfish, which damages coral reefs. The tip of the shell is carved to make a conch with a blowhole, and it was used in the past to signal the time and to signal on the battlefield. The meat is edible. A closely related species, the small Boshubora, is distributed south of Chiba Prefecture.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

フジツガイ科の巻貝。日本最大の巻貝で高さ40cm，幅20cm以上になる。殻は細長い紡錘形で厚質。黄褐色地に多数の黒褐色半月斑が並ぶ。紀伊半島以南の西太平洋，インド洋に広く分布し，潮間帯下の岩礁底にすむ。肉食性でウニ，ヒトデなどを食べるので，サンゴ礁を害するオニヒトデの天敵として注目されている。殻の先端を削って吹口をつけ法螺にするほか，昔は時報や戦場の合図等に用いた。肉は食用。近縁種の小型なボウシュウボラは千葉県以南に分布する。

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