Malea
Malea is a genus of large, predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. The genus is known for its distinctive, thick, and heavily sculpted shells. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.
Common Names
Snails in the genus Malea are commonly known as "helmet snails" or "helmet shells" due to their helmet-like shell shape. They are also sometimes referred to as "knobbed murexes" or "knobbed shells" due to the prominent knobs and ridges on their shells.
Characteristics
Malea snails are characterized by their large, thick, and heavy shells that are often covered in prominent knobs, ridges, and spines. The shell aperture is usually wide and rounded, and the outer lip is often thickened and flared. The siphonal canal is short and wide.
The body of a Malea snail is soft and fleshy. It has a large foot that it uses for crawling and a siphon that it uses for breathing. The snail's head has two tentacles with eyes at the base. The snail also has a radula, a ribbon-like structure with rows of teeth that it uses to scrape food off surfaces.
Environments
Malea snails are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They are typically found in shallow, rocky areas, often near coral reefs. They are carnivorous and feed on a variety of marine organisms, including other snails, crustaceans, and fish.
Species
The genus Malea contains several species, including:
- Malea pomum (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Malea ringens (Swainson, 1820)
- Malea grata (Röding, 1798)
- Malea argus (Gmelin, 1791)
- Malea ringens (Swainson, 1820)