T. coronatus is found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean, in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. It occurs on rock high in the intertidal zone, extending to considerably above the high tide mark. It is found exclusively on karstic limestone rocks and cliffs, sometimes in the splashzone several meters above the high tide mark. This is an extremely challenging environment for the mollusk where it is exposed to extreme heat, desiccation, high salinity, and sometimes low salinity (in the torrential tropical rain); in fact the genus name “Tectarius” comes from the Latin meaning “tolerant of difficult conditions” or “avoiding confrontations”, while “coronatus” means “crowned”. The mollusc thus avoids competition from other animals for food and is safe from many aquatic predators. The sexes are separate in this species, with the eggs and sperm being liberated into the sea. The fertilised eggs develop into trochophore larvae, which form part of the plankton, and later develop into veliger larvae. When sufficiently developed, these settle on the seabed and undergo metamorphosis into juvenile mollusks.

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