Page 2 January 197 No. 248 NEW YORK SHELL CLUB Notns 
SHELL GIANTS 
An analysis of the "World Size Records” listed in Wagner and Abbott's 
logists, pub.) revea] 
TALOG OF SHELLS (1977, Amer. Malaco : 
Se ee reekine data, and tends to discredit some popularly held 
ry for "world's largest gastropod" 
notions such as the supposed rivalry tus) aruanus and the Flor- 
betw ralian Syrinx (ae ee eo ten 
ya pe cheli« or "Horse Conch," Pileuro Toca BABor see. 
Apocryphal tales of 8 or 10-inch-long Qliva por payee or 0 Terebra 
maculata “over a foot long" are not borne out by existing records, 
Perhaps such shells are hidden away in older, unmeasured collections, 
The author suspects that anyone with a large collection who takes 
the time to do a bit of measuring may turn up new length records. 
P mab veryone knows that the largest mollusks are probably to 
oe ae the "Giant Squids" (Architeuthis species), which may 
reach or exceed a length of 60 feet, but, as ese do not have con- 
ventional shells, they are disregarded here. The lengths quoted be- 
low and in the Catalog are of shells, not of the molluscan animals, 
First in size among shelled mollusks is, of course, the "Giant Clam," 
Tridacna gigas, at a few millimeters short of four and a half feet. 
Other related species reach lengths of from 13 to 16 inches. Those 
exceeding 12 inches are: 
Tridacna gigas ....53.89" 
Hippopus hippopus..16.65" 
Tridacna squamosa..16.06" 
Tridacna maxima ...12.95" 
The next largest group, perhaps surprisingly, are the Pinnidae or 
Pen Shells, with Pinna nobilis at nearly 2% feet, and P. rugosa at 
nearly 2 feet in length, as follows: 
Pinna nobilis ...29.53" 
Pima ruroga <..'.23.25" 
Atrina maura ....16.61" 
The title of "Largest Gastropod" appears to belong indisputably to 
Syrinx (=Megalotractus) aruanus, at just over 28 inches. ‘Two other 
species of Belacatics exceed a foot in length, as follows: 
Syrinx (=Megalotractus) aruanus ...28.09" 
Hemifusus Colosseus .. 6.6 oe ssc oeetoieo" 
pusycoon Contrarium .... i...) oon hee 
Next in line is our Florida shell, Pleuro gig h two 
other fasciolarids in the "over a foo obrees Ee antes, wit 
Pleuroploca gigantea ...23.00" 
Pleuroploca princeps ...15.91" 
Fusinus Salisbury ......12.07" 
No other mollusk approaches two feet in le a 
ngth, but quite a few ex 
ceed a foot. The next two families are tida for ne (ace size. he 
Tritons (Cymatiidae), and particul = 
tute one of these groups, as eiecea aces Genus Charontay Be 
Charonia tritonis @0e219.00" 

