Syrinx aruanus
| Syrinx aruanus | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Apertural view of a shell of Syrinx aruanus at the Houston Museum of Natural Science | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Turbinellidae |
| Subfamily: | Turbinellinae |
| Genus: |
Syrinx Röding, 1798 |
| Species: | S. aruanus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Syrinx aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Synonyms | |
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A synonym for the genus Syrinx: Megalatractus |
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clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
A synonym for the genus Syrinx: Megalatractus
Murex aruanus Linnaeus, 1758
Megalatractus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Murex gigas Born, 1780
Fusus proboscidiferus Lamarck, 1822
Cerithium brazieri Tryon, 1887
Syrinx aruanus, common name the Australian trumpet or false trumpet, is a species of extremely large sea snail measuring up to 91 cm long and weighing up to 18 kg. It is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae, and is the only species in the genus Syrinx.
This is the largest extant snail (shelled gastropod) species in the world, and arguably the largest (heaviest) gastropod in the world. Although the shell itself is quite well known to shell collectors because of its extraordinary size, little is known about the ecology and behavior of the species, except for one study about its feeding habits.
In 1681, Filippo Bonanni depicted this species in one of the first books ever published that was solely about seashells. The book was entitled: Ricreatione dell' occhio e dela mente nell oservation' delle Chiociolle, proposta a' curiosi delle opere della natura, &c.
The taxonomic affinities of Syrinx aruanus were not properly understood for a long time. Until fairly recently it was placed in the family Melongenidae. A detailed taxonomic overview of this species was provided by Harasewych & Petit (1989).
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