| Coralliophila violacea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Muricidae |
| Genus: | Coralliophila |
| Species: | C. violacea |
| Binomial name | |
| Coralliophila violacea Kiener, 1836 | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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Coralliophila violacea, known as the violet coral shell or purple coral snail, is a species of sea snail in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. [1]
Shells of C. violacea are typically bulbous with an off-white exterior and a violet aperture. The shell size varies between 17 and 47 millimetres (0.67 and 1.85 in).
Like other members of its genus, C. violacea feeds on the living tissue of various corals. It is found in association with reef-building corals such as Porites .[ citation needed ]
Purple coral snails are protandrous hermaphrodites. Females produce oval egg sacs and retain them within the mantle cavity; fertilization and brooding occur internally. Larger shell size in females is associated with higher fecundity. [2]
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This species is distributed in the Red Sea [2] and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra, Chagos, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania, in the Indo-Pacific and along the Galapagos Islands
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