🦋 Identification Guide

How to Identify Volutidae

18 species · Animalia · Order Neogastropoda

Volutidae is a animal family in the Animalia kingdom, order Neogastropoda, class Gastropoda. The family contains 18 accepted species worldwide.

Key Identification Features

Shell description: The shell of Melo miltonis can reach a maximum length of 450 mm (18 in), and has distinctive cream and brown markings.
Its columella features three clearly distinguishable oblique folds.
These spines typically become less distinct as the snail continues to grow.
Due to its large size and distinct shell ornamentation, the shell of Melo amphora is highly valued as a decorative object.

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Representative Volutidae Species

Cymbiola magnifica (Gebauer, 1802)

Cymbiola magnifica, the magnificent volute, is a large species of sea snail in t…

Lyria mitraeformis (Lamarck, 1811)

Lyria mitraeformis is a species of marine gastropod sea snail in the volute fami…

Cymbiola complexa Iredale, 1924

Cymbiola complexa Iredale, 1924 is a marine endemic Australian species with shel…

Melo miltonis (J.E.Gray, 1833)

Melo miltonis is a large volute snail restricted to southwestern Australian coas…

Melo amphora (Lightfoot, 1786)

Melo amphora is a large edible sea snail with a distinctive shell, found in trop…

Cymbium olla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cymbium olla, the Algarve volute, is a marine gastropod mollusc in the volute fa…

Alcithoe arabica (Gmelin, 1791)

Alcithoe arabica is a large endemic New Zealand sea snail that lives on subtidal…

Pachycymbiola brasiliana (Lamarck, 1811)

Pachycymbiola brasiliana is a species that produces distinctive gelatinous egg o…

Odontocymbiola magellanica (Gmelin, 1791)

Odontocymbiola magellanica is a carnivorous southern ocean sea snail that is com…

Amoria zebra (Leach, 1814)

Amoria zebra is a marine sea snail with variable patterned shells found in Austr…

Cymbiola nobilis (Lightfoot), 1786

Cymbiola nobilis is a partially hermaphroditic marine sea snail found across Asi…

Melo melo (Lightfoot), 1786

Melo melo is a large Southeast Asian sea snail commonly called bailer shell, col…

Browse all 18 Volutidae species →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you identify Volutidae?

Volutidae animals belong to the Neogastropoda order in the Animalia kingdom. Shell description: The shell of Melo miltonis can reach a maximum length of 450 mm (18 in), and has distinctive cream and brown markings. For instant identification, use the iNature app — AI-powered and works offline.

What are the key characteristics of Volutidae?

Volutidae is classified in the order Neogastropoda, class Gastropoda, phylum Mollusca. Its columella features three clearly distinguishable oblique folds.

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia · Disclaimer

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