Cymbiola nobilis

Cymbiola nobilis (commonly known as Noble volutes)

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Superfamily:	Muricoidea
Family:	Volutidae
Subfamily:	Amoriinae
Genus:	Cymbiola
Subgenus:	Cymbiola
Species:	C. nobilis
Binomial name
Cymbiola nobilis (Lightfoot, 1786)

Where seen?

This large, beautifully marked snail is sometimes encountered on sandy areas near seagrasses and coral rubble on some of our shores. It is more commonly seen moving above the surface at night, and is usually buried during the day.

According to the Singapore Red Data Book, this beautiful snail is restricted to our part of the world, in particular, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.

Features:

12-20cm. Thick heavy shell orange, yellow or beige with red or brown zig-zag patterns. A wide variety of patterns can be seen, although in some, the pattern may be obscured by encrusting growths. The fleshy body is black with bright orange or yellow spots. It has a long siphon.

Empty shells of dead noble volutes are quickly taken over by large hermit crabs.

Baby nobles:

Mama noble volutes lay large egg capsules. Each capsule about 10cm long, oval with angular bumps, semi-transparent white to beige or yellowish. The capsules are usually stacked up to form a cylindrical, generally oval shape and the entire assembly attached to a hard, embedded object such as coral rubble.

Credit: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/volutidae/nobilis.htm