Melo is a genus of extremely large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Volutidae, the volutes. Because of their huge ovate shells, these snails are often known as "bailers" (the shells were sometimes used for bailing out canoes) or "melons" (because the shell resembles that fruit).
Species in this genus sometimes produce large pearls. The image in the taxobox shows a group of these pearls with a shell of the species Melo melo.
Description The large shell is subovate and ventricose. The spire is short. The apex is obtuse, papillary, persistent. The whorls are smooth. The body whorl is posteriorly coronated. The aperture is oblong and wide. The columella shows several oblique plaits, the anterior the largest. The outer lip is simple, acute and obliquely truncate in front.Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls
Species The following species are recognised in the genus Melo: Melo aethiopicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Crowned baler Melo amphora, (Lightfoot, 1786) Giant baler Melo ashmorensis Morrison, 2005 Melo broderipii (Griffith, E. & E. Pidgeon, 1834) Melo gajahmadai Dharma, 2023 Melo georginae (Griffith, E. & E. Pidgeon, 1834) Melo melo (Lightfoot, 1786) Indian volute Melo miltonis (Griffith, E. & E. Pidgeon, 1834) Milton's melon or Southern bailer Melo nusantara Dharma, 2023 †Melo persolida (Beets, 1986) Melo peterstimpsoni (Lamarck, 1811) Melo tessellatus (Lamarck, 1811) Melo umbilicatus (Broderip in Sowerby, 1826) Heavy baler or umbilicate melon
Gallery
Ecology Parasites of Melo sp. include trematode Lophotaspis macdonaldi.
References
gastropods.com info