Janthina
janthina (Linnaeus, 1758)
18.5mm
Janthina
janthina lives
pelagically at the surface of the ocean, riding the underside of a bubble raft
it creates. It feeds on the floating siphonophores Portuguese man-o-war (Physalia
physalis) and Velella velella. At the mercy of the wind, they
occasionally wash ashore on beaches, and that is where the purple shells can
be found. If you find them soon enough, you can plop them back into the water
to take photos. The former family Janthinidae was recently moved into
the Epitoniidae.
Created
2 January 2018
Updated 12 November 2020
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