Johnny Braun, Luxemburg
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Turris babylonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turris babylonia is a shell snail in the family Turridae, colloquially known as slit-tower snails. Snails in this family have a tall, sinuous shell, with long siphonal groove or notch on the outer lip.
Turridae is a very extensive family of shallow water snails. They are almost exclusively predatory species that use venom to kill their prey consisting of multibornets, cutworms, or squirtworms. Like cone snails, they belong to the arrow tongues (Conoidea).
Turris babylonia grows up to 10 cm, but usually remains somewhat smaller at 7 cm. The color of the shell is whitish, with large dark brown or almost black spots on the ribs. These snails are found on rocky and sandy bottoms from the intertidal zone to mid-water depths.
Planktonic larvae develop from the spawn of these snails. Adults feed predatorily on bottom-dwelling worms, preying on them similarly to cone snails using venom.
Synonymised names
Lophiotoma babylonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Murex babylonius Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination)
Turris assyria Olivera, Seronay & Fedosov, 2010
Turris imperfecti Röding, 1798
Turris nobilis Röding, 1798
Turris pulchra Röding, 1798
Turris tornatum Röding, 1798
Turris babylonia is a shell snail in the family Turridae, colloquially known as slit-tower snails. Snails in this family have a tall, sinuous shell, with long siphonal groove or notch on the outer lip.
Turridae is a very extensive family of shallow water snails. They are almost exclusively predatory species that use venom to kill their prey consisting of multibornets, cutworms, or squirtworms. Like cone snails, they belong to the arrow tongues (Conoidea).
Turris babylonia grows up to 10 cm, but usually remains somewhat smaller at 7 cm. The color of the shell is whitish, with large dark brown or almost black spots on the ribs. These snails are found on rocky and sandy bottoms from the intertidal zone to mid-water depths.
Planktonic larvae develop from the spawn of these snails. Adults feed predatorily on bottom-dwelling worms, preying on them similarly to cone snails using venom.
Synonymised names
Lophiotoma babylonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Murex babylonius Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination)
Turris assyria Olivera, Seronay & Fedosov, 2010
Turris imperfecti Röding, 1798
Turris nobilis Röding, 1798
Turris pulchra Röding, 1798
Turris tornatum Röding, 1798
