Astraea heliotropium

Astraea heliotropium

Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Vetigastropoda
Order: Trochida
Superfamily: Trochoidea
Family: Turbinidae
Genus: Astraea
Species:
A. heliotropium
Binomial name
Astraea heliotropium
(Martyn, 1784)
Synonyms
  • Astralium heliotropium (Martyn T., 1784)
  • Guildfordia heliophorus Gray
  • Imperator aureolatus Montfort, 1810
  • Lithopoma heliotropium (Martyn, T., 1784)
  • Solarium radiatum Fischer von Waldheim, G., 1807
  • Trochus heliotropium Martyn, 1784 (basionym)
  • Trochus imperialis Gmelin, 1791

Astraea heliotropium, common name the sunburst star turban or the circular saw shell, is a large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc of the family Turbinidae, the turbans and star snails.

This large species was brought to Europe for the first time by the famous Captain Cook.