Hydatina albocincta

The Hydatina albocincta is a gastropod present on the madreporic sandy bottoms of the western coasts of the Pacific up to Japan. The mollusc, when moving, has an impressive size in respect to the frail shell, because the robust foot has ample unusual lateral expansions, mostly brown, reddish of violet, white bordered, similar to wings that almost completely hide the shell among elegant undulations. It has a very selective diet based on particular polychaetes belonging to the family of the Cirratulidae. The brown shell, without sculptures but with well visible accretion lines has 5 characteristic white bands that give the name to this species much loved by collectors © Giuseppe Mazza