About Charonia tritonis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Charonia tritonis, commonly known as Triton's trumpet, the giant triton, or pū, is a species of very large sea snail. It is a marine gastropod mollusc that belongs to the family Charoniidae, which are known as tritons. Its shell can reach up to two feet, or 60 centimeters, in length, making this species one of the largest molluscs found on coral reefs. This species occurs across the entire Indo-Pacific Oceans, including the Red Sea. The shell of Charonia tritonis is widely recognized as a decorative item. It is also sometimes altered to be used as a trumpet, with examples including the Japanese horagai, the Maldivian sangu, the Hawaiian pū (hoʻokani), and the Māori pūtātara. There has been extensive debate over whether plagues of crown-of-thorns starfish are a natural occurrence, or caused by overfishing of the small number of organisms that prey on this starfish, which includes C. tritonis. In 1994, Australia submitted a proposal to list C. tritonis on the CITES register to protect the species. Due to the absence of trade data for this seashell, the proposal did not satisfy CITES' Berne Criteria and was ultimately withdrawn. While Charonia tritonis is protected in Australia and other countries such as India, it can still be legally traded, and is available for purchase in many shell shops worldwide and online.
