The noble volute (Cymbiola nobilis) of Vietnam

摘要

Cymbiola nobilis (Lightfoot,1786) is a member of the genus Cymbiola Swainson, 1831 and family Volutidae Rafinesque, 1815. It can be found along most coastal cities of South Vietnam, especially occurring in large quantities in Bình Thuan & Kiên Giang provinces. This volute lives on soft bottoms, at depths of 5-80m, where it feeds on other mollusks or crustaceans, and is usually collected by trawling operations. It has no operculum. Specimens collected in Vietnam are typically larger than those collected in adjacent countries. The animal has a colorful body with both foot and siphon bearing many small orange dots on a black background (fig. 31). In Vietnam, this species displays many attractive patterns and colors on the shell as well as numerous interesting shapes. I have illustrated some typical and some atypical specimens on Plates 1 and 2.