Favoritos de sultana

All these shells were inhabited by (live) hermit crabs -- I saw them crawling around at higher tide -- but this observation is of the shell. The densities achieved was very surprising to me given how polluted the lagoon was.

Crawling up to the host Dendronephthya australis soft coral and attempting to squeeze through the polyps. What caught my eye is how long the foot can extend to give it a firm base to lean over.

Based on malacological differences and geographical location Prionovolva wilsoniana was previously thought to be a distinct species confined to a region from Japan to the south east coast of Australia, but Gary Rosenberg's (2010) study of the DNA has now shown this is the same species as Prionovolva brevis. Consequently Prionovolva wilsoniana is now synonymised with Prionovolva brevis. www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=430583

One of several found easily on clean coarse white sand near low rock reef ledge in littoral zone of a shore-based platform reef. Very rich colour is as seen in ambient light of sunlit shallows despite my using fill-in flash.(The deep blue colour is contributed by the periostracum of live animals so is quickly replaced by the drab brown shell upon death. This stunning Unique South endemic is thus not particularly popular with shell collectors)
Previously known as Laterus spiceri but neither that taxonomic name nor the header common name got a response from iNat ,so either my spelling is wrong or taxonomy's evolved.