Pacific Crown Conch Shell, Melongena patula

The Melongenidae are large gastropod mollusks that include Crown Conchs and Melon Conchs. The shells all large and sturdy that can be diamond, spindle, or pear shaped. Their shells consist of a large body whorl and a spire that can range from low to high. Some species have a series of spines or knobs along their shoulder, giving rise to the name “Crown Conch”. Most have large apertures that may run half to most of the body length, depending on the species. Different species can have canal lengths that vary as-well-as different external sculpture that can vary from smooth to minor grooves running along the whorls.

Melongenidae are found within soft substrate in bays, estuaries, brackish water, mangrove forests, or protected offshore waters, intertidally to depths up to 60 m (200 feet). The majority are predators consuming bivalves and gastropods as-well-as other Crown Conchs. Some are scavengers, feeding on dead animals, or deposit feeders, consuming detritus. In turn they are preyed upon by crabs, fish, sea stars, and other conchs and murexes. They are found in temperate and tropical seas. There are twenty-three species in the Melongenidae Family of which one is found along the east coast of the Baja Peninsula.