(Harpa imperialis).
Harp-shell (Harpa), a genus of gasteropodous molluscs of the whelk family (Buccinidæ), having the last whorl of the shell large, and covered with numerous sharp smooth ribs, resembling the strings of a harp. The foot is large, and there is no operculum. These shells are elegantly marked, and much prized for their beauty. Nine species are known, all of them tropical, and living in deep water, on soft, sandy, or muddy bottoms.