top shell

top shell, any marine snail of the family Trochidae (subclass Prosobranchia, class Gastropoda), characterized by a spiral, conical shell. Although top shells are found from the intertidal zone to the deep open seas, they occur with greatest diversity in the shallow waters along rocky shores from the equator to the high latitudes. Species of the genera Gibbula, Monodonta, and Calliostoma are common along temperate Atlantic shores, while those of Tegula and Calliostoma are abundant in the Pacific. Tropical top shells such as Trochus, Tectus, and Cittarium tend to be larger and more colourful than the genera from other regions. All species are herbivorous, feeding on algae or films of spores on rock surfaces. Male and female organs occur in separate individuals, and fertilization is external, with most species having free-swimming larva.

The interiors of all top shells are nacreous. The largest species, Trochus niloticus, from the Indo-Pacific region, was, in fact, once extensively fished for its lustrous mother-of-pearl layer, which was used in the manufacture of pearl buttons.