Gabriel Paladino Ibáñez, Uruguay
Info
Harpa harpa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Harpa harpa is a shell snail in the family Harpidae, also known as harp snails. These snails have a right-handed shell with very strong axial ribs and a wide mouth. The short siphonal canal is formed by a shallow notch on the outer lip. Harpidae have no operculum to close the shell. They have separate sexes and there are planktonic larval stages.
Harpidae live in tropical waters on sandy surfaces and feed on decapod crustaceans. It is assumed that they mucus their prey and then digest it.
The shell of Harpa harpa has twelve axial ribs. The color is cream brown, crossed by thin, dark brown stripes. The columella is cream with dark brown spots, the opening is white with brown markings on the lip. The common harp can be found on deep sandy bottoms in shallow water.
Synonymised names
Buccinum harpa Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted
Harpa nobilis Lamarck, 1822 · unaccepted
Harpa harpa is a shell snail in the family Harpidae, also known as harp snails. These snails have a right-handed shell with very strong axial ribs and a wide mouth. The short siphonal canal is formed by a shallow notch on the outer lip. Harpidae have no operculum to close the shell. They have separate sexes and there are planktonic larval stages.
Harpidae live in tropical waters on sandy surfaces and feed on decapod crustaceans. It is assumed that they mucus their prey and then digest it.
The shell of Harpa harpa has twelve axial ribs. The color is cream brown, crossed by thin, dark brown stripes. The columella is cream with dark brown spots, the opening is white with brown markings on the lip. The common harp can be found on deep sandy bottoms in shallow water.
Synonymised names
Buccinum harpa Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted
Harpa nobilis Lamarck, 1822 · unaccepted
