Sacred Chank, Turbinella (Xancus) pyrum trading at Karaikal Fishing Harbour, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The Sacred Chank or ‘Indian conch’, Turbinella pyrum Linnaeus, is a large, thick-shelled gastropod abundant in the shallow waters of Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka. T. pyrum is commercially exploited from the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay and Chennai