The genus Monodonta was first separated from the Linnaean genus Trochus by Lamarck in 1801 with Trochus labio Linnaeus, 1758 given as the type species.
Monodonta turbinata
Description
The very heavy, thick, solid shell has a turbinate-conic shape. The shell is smooth or spirally ridged. The outer lip is plicate within. The short, porcellanous columella is strong, cylindrical, bulging or more or less toothed near or at the base. Between this tooth and the basal margin there is a square notch or channel. The aperture is as high as wide.
Distribution
The species of this marine genus occurs over a wide area: Central and East Indian Ocean, Indo-China, Indo-Malaysian Oceania, the Philippines, Japan and Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia).
Species
Species within the genus Monodonta include:
Monodonta australis (Lamarck, 1816)
Monodonta canalifera Lamarck, 1816
Monodonta confusa Tapparone-Canefri, 1874
Monodonta gibbula Thiele, 1925
Monodonta glabrata Gould, 1861
Monodonta labio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Monodonta lugubris Lamarck, 1822
Monodonta nebulosa Forsskal in Niebuhr, 1775
Monodonta neritoides (Philippi, 1849)
Monodonta perplexa Pilsbry, 1889
Monodonta vermiculata (P. Fischer, 1874)
Monodonta viridis Lamarck, 1816
Species brought into synonymy
Monodonta (Osilinus) Philippi, 1847: synonym of Osilinus Philippi, 1847
