Sea Snail Sea shell - S-407 CHARONIA LAMPAS (No reserve price)

The beautiful shell of Charonia lampas is a species of predatory marine snail, a mollusk in the family Charoniidae. The conch consists of 8–9 whorls with a moderately high conical spire and convex whorls, the last of which is broad and accounts for somewhat more than two-thirds of the total height. The spiral whorls have indistinct sutures, with very flat spiral cords separated by poorly defined, fairly narrow intervals; the whorl is adorned with a markedly wider and flatter cord and usually—but not always—a spiral series of nodules, parallel to the abapical side with smaller flat cords and spiral rows of nodules or without them. The large aperture is oval in shape with an elaborate peristome. The outer lip is flared, thickened at a short distance from the edge, and with internal teeth. The inner part of the columella reveals a flattened callus of the whorl, transitioning into a foliated, stalked callus, which has a raised edge above the siphonal canal in large specimens and shows indistinct ridges toward the edge. The coloration is very characteristic, with interlocking spiral bands of light spots on the knobs and dark brown at intervals, alternating with medium-brown uniform bands. The peristome is white with dark brown teeth on the outer lip and a brownish to reddish tint on the edge of the columellar callus. The shell is old and bears signs of wear (see photos). Dimensions: 80/110/220 mm. I highly recommend it to collectors and interior decorators.