West Indian star-shell
Astraea tecta
(Lightfoot, 1786)

Description:
Seen from the side, the shell is almost triangular. From the underside, it looks circular, with a flat bottom. Along the edge of the underside, small rounded knobs are present.
It is vegetarian.
Size: the shell can reach up to 6 cm, usually 4 cm.

Habitat:
Can be found in seagrass beds and on reefs. Can be hidden in cracks en crevices.
Depth: ranges from 2 m down to 10 m.

Distribution:
Common all over the Caribbean.

Remarks:
In most countries it is illegal to bring back these shells from holidays.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Prosobranchia
Genus Astraea
Species Astraea tecta

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

West Indian star-shell [English]
Astrea snail [English]
Trochus tectus Lightfoot, 1786
Trochus imbricatus Gmelin, 1791
Trochus papillatus Potiez & Michaud, 1838
Trochus tuberosus Philippi, 1843
Trochus cubanus Philippi, 1849
Trochus olfersii Philippi, 1850
Trochus papillosus Philippi, 1850
Trochus saxosus Philippi, 1850
Turbo ramosus Mörch, 1852
Trochus corolla Reeve, 1861
Astralium guadeloupense Crosse, 1865

Humann, P., 1992. Reef Creature Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas, (ed. N. Deloach). New World Publications, Inc., Paramount Miller Graphics, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida.

You can continue searching for Astraea tecta on one of these Web sites:

Fauna Europaea (animals) | IOPI (plants) | NCBI (genetic)

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