Harpa davidis

Harpa davidis, common name the Madras harp or David harp, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Harpidae, the harp snails.[1]

Harpa davidis
Five views of a shell of Harpa davidis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Neogastropoda
Family: Harpidae
Genus: Harpa
Species:
H. davidis
Binomial name
Harpa davidis
Röding, 1798
Synonyms[1]
  • Harpa conoidalis Lamarck, 1822
  • Harpa major Röding, 1798
  • Harpa nablium Mörch, 1852
  • Harpa ventricosa Lamarck, 1816

Distribution

This species is widespread over Indo-Pacific, from eastern Africa to Hawaii and it is present in the South Eastern India and in the Andaman Sea.[2][3][4]

A shell of Harpa davidis

Habitat

The Madras harp lives on sublittoral and offshore sandy bottoms at depths of 5 to 250 m.[5]

Description

Shells of Harpa davidis can reach a size of 60–119 millimetres (2.4–4.7 in).[2] These shells are usually smoothy and glossy, pale brown or reddish-brown, with strong axial ribs, a wide aperture and characteristic decorative markings. The ventral side of body whorl usually shows two-three large brown blotches,[5] but may also be completely brown.

Bibliography
  • Hughes, R.N. and W.K. Emerson. 1987. Anatomical and taxonomic characteristics of
  • HarpaandMorum(Neogastropoda: Harpaidae). Veliger, 29(4):349-358.
  • Rehder, H.A. 1973. The family Harpidae of the world. Indo-Pac. Moll., 3(16):207-274.
  • Walls, J.G. 1977. Another viewpoint on the living harps. The Pariah, 4:1-4.
  • Walls, J.G. 1980. Conchs, tibias, and harps. T.F.H., Reigate, 191

References
  1. Harpa davidis Röding, 1798. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 25 April 2010.
  2. "Harpa davidis". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. GBIF
  4. "Harpa davidis". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. FAO - Horse conchs, spindle shells


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