Monoplex parthenopeus

Not to be confused with Charonia tritonis.

Monoplex parthenopeus, common name the giant triton or giant hairy triton, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. It preys on other molluscs.

Monoplex parthenopeus Temporal range:
Apertural view of Monoplex parthenopeus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cymatiidae
Genus:	Monoplex
Species:	M. parthenopeus
Binomial name
Monoplex parthenopeus (Salis-Marschlins, 1793)
Synonyms
Cymatium (Cabestana) parthenopius (Salis Marschlins, 1793) Cymatium (Cabestana) parthenopius var. robusta Bellatante, 1954 † Cymatium (Linatella) valentinei Olsson & Petit, 1964 Cymatium (Monoplex) echo Kuroda & Habe in Kira, 1961 Cymatium (Monoplex) echo iwakawanum sensu Kuroda & Kira Shikama, 1964 Cymatium (Monoplex) parthenopeum (Salis, 1793) Cymatium (Septa) parthenopeum (Salis Marschlins, 1793) Cymatium echo Kuroda & Habe in Kira, 1961 Cymatium parthenopeum (Von Salis, 1793) Cymatium parthenopeum parthenopeum (Salis Marschlins, 1793) Cymatium (Septa) parthenopeum (Salis Marschlins, 1793) † Cymatium doliarium var. minor Segre, 1952 Cymatium turtoni E. A. Smith, 1890 Dissentoma prima Pilsbry, 1945 Monoplex australasiae Perry, 1811 Murex costatus Born, 1778 (invalid: junior homonym of Murex costatus Pennant, 1777) Murex costulatus Risso, 1826 † Murex doliare Brocchi, 1814 Murex intermedius Brocchi, 1814 Murex parthenopus Salis-Marschlins, 1793 Ranella parthenopaeum (Salis Marschlins, 1793) (incorrect generic placement; incorrect grammatical agreement of species epithet) Ranella pyramidata Risso, 1826 Septa (Monoplex) parthenopea (Salis Marschlins, 1793) Septa (Monoplex) parthenopea echo Beu, 1970 Triton (Monoplex) fossatum Gould, 1860 Triton (Simpulum) acclivis Hutton, 1873 † Triton abbreviatus Bellardi in d'Ancona, 1872 Triton acclivis Hutton, 1873 Triton americanum d'Orbigny, 1842 Triton brasilianum Gould, 1849 Triton fossatum Gould, 1860 (doubtful synonym) † Triton olearium var. escoffierae Fontannes, 1879 Triton parthenopaeum [sic] (misspelling of Triton parthenopeum (Salis Marschlins, 1793)) Triton parthenopaeum var. antupa de Gregorio, 1885 Triton parthenopaeum var. milona de Gregorio, 1884 Triton parthenopaeum var. peribranta de Gregorio, 1884 Triton parthenopaeum var. sbilpa de Gregorio, 1885 Triton parthenopaeum var. stimum de Gregorio, 1885 Triton succinctum Lamarck, 1816 Tritonium hirsutum Franseschini, 1906

Fossil records

This species have been recorded as fossils from the Miocene to the Quaternary (from 15.97 to 0.0 million years ago).

Distribution

This species occurs worldwide including:

• The Western Atlantic Ocean
• New Zealand

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 180 mm.

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. Maximum recorded depth is 75 m.

Life cycle

Hairy tritons are notable for having particularly long planktonic periods. The veliger larvae remain in the plankton for nearly 300 days, dispersing as far as 4000 km. This is the longest known larval duration and dispersal distance of any marine invertebrate which occurs along the west coast of North America.

Gallery

• 
  A shell of Monoplex parthenopeus with periostracum removed
• 
  Same shell, apertural view
• 
  Apertural view of Monoplex parthenopeus echo (Kuroda & Habe in Kira, 1961) with operculum and periostracum attached
• 
  Fossil shell of Monoplex parthenopeus from Pliocene of Italy

References

• Salis Marschlins C. U. von (1793). Reisen in verschieden Provinzen den Königreischs Neapel. Zurich and Leipzig, Ziegler Vol. I: pp. 442 + 10 pl.
• Beu, A. G. (1970). The Mollusca of the subgenus Monoplex (family Cymatiidae). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Biological Sciences 11 (17): 225-237
• Morton B. & Morton JE. (1983). The sea shore ecology of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press
• Gofas, S.; Afonso, J.P.; Brandào, M. (Ed.). (S.a.). Conchas e Moluscos de Angola = Coquillages et Mollusques d'Angola. [Shells and molluscs of Angola]. Universidade Agostinho / Elf Aquitaine Angola: Angola. 140 pp
• Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
• Rolán E., 2005. Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda.
• Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. García. 2009. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
• Beu A.G. 2010 [August]. Neogene tonnoidean gastropods of tropical and South America: contributions to the Dominican Republic and Panama Paleontology Projects and uplift of the Central American Isthmus. Bulletins of American Paleontology 377-378: 550 pp, 79 pls.

External links

• Pilsbry, H. A. (1945). New Floridian marine mollusks. The Nautilus. 59(2): 59-60
• Perry, G. (1811). Conchology, or the natural history of shells: containing a new arrangement of the genera and species, illustrated by coloured engravings executed from the natural specimens, and including the latest discoveries. 4 pp., 61 plates. London
• Born, I. Von. (1778). Index rerum naturalium Musei Cæsarei Vindobonensis. Pars I.ma. Testacea. Verzeichniß der natürlichen Seltenheiten des k. k. Naturalien Cabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil. Schalthiere; Vindobonae (Vienna); (Kraus)
• Risso, A. (1826-1827). Histoire naturelle des principales productions de l'Europe Méridionale et particulièrement de celles des environs de Nice et des Alpes Maritimes. Paris, F.G. Levrault. 3(XVI): 1-480, 14 pls.
• Hutton, F. W. (1873). Catalogue of the marine Mollusca of New Zealand with diagnoses of the species. Didsbury, Wellington. xx + 116 pp.
• Orbigny A. d'. (1841-1853). Mollusques. In: R. de la Sagra (ed.). Histoire physique, politique et naturelle de l'Ile de Cuba. Arthus Bertrand, Paris. Vol 1
• Gould, A. A. (1849). Descriptions of new species of shells, brought home by the U. S. Exploring Expedition. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. 3: 83-85, 89-92, 106-108, 118-121
• Gould, A. A. (1860). Descriptions of new shells collected by the United States North Pacific Exploring Expedition. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. 7: 323-336
• Smith, E. A. (1890). Report on the marine molluscan fauna of the island of St. Helena. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1890): 247-317, pls 21-24
• Bellardi, L. (1873). I molluschi dei terreni terziarii del Piemonte e della Liguria. Parte I. Cephalopoda, Pteropoda, Heteropoda. Gasteropoda (Muricidae et Tritonidae). Stamperia Reale, Torino, 264 pp., 15 pl.
• Drawing of the shell
• Photos of Monoplex parthenopeus on Sealife Collection