Sea Snail Sea shell - S-479 MELO AMPHORA

Beautiful, very large XL Melo amphora shell, a popular name volute Diadem, is a very large sea snail, a mollusk of the marine snail in the family Volutidae, volutes. This large shell has a bulbous or almost oval outline. The columella has three easily recognizable slanted folds. The aperture is wide and almost as long as the shell itself and has no operculum. It has a very large, swollen and posteriorly expanded body whorl. One of its most striking features is the arm with prominent and curved hollow spines. These spines become obsolete in later stages of growth. The apex is usually very short. It is said that the color of the Melo amphora shell is very variable. It is usually brown, white, or pale orange. It usually shows spiral darker brown bands. The interior is glassy, most often cream or pinkish-orange. Dimensions: 115/160/255 mm. Highly recommended for collectors and interior decorators.