Lobatus peruvianus | |
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Apertural (left) and abapertural (right) views of a shell of Lobatus peruvianus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Littorinimorpha |
Family: | Strombidae |
Genus: | Lobatus |
Species: | L. peruvianus |
Binomial name | |
Lobatus peruvianus (Swainson, 1823) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Lobatus peruvianus, commonly known as the Peruvian conch or the cock's comb conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs and their allies. [2]
Lobatus peruvianus occurs along the benthic tropical coastal waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their distribution stretches across various countries and regions including the Gulf of California, Mexico, Pacific Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. These Peruvian Conchs are sand dwellers and are found in depths up to 130 feet. [3]
The shell of Lobatus peruvianus is large, ranging from 60–210 millimetres (2.4–8.3 in). It was originally described by William John Swainson in 1823, with him stating that the shell is "heavy, with a depressed spire, and a prominent tip". Like other species in the same genus, Lobatus peruvianus's outer lip is very pronounced and ornamental. The outside color of the shell falls into the tan and light brown range, sometimes also pink; while both the inner and outer lips are cream, pink, or white. [4] While not much information is available regarding the Peruvian conch specifically, similar species in the same Genus have life spans of up to 40 years; while the majority live between 10 and 30 years. [5]
Similar to other animals in the family Strombidae, Lobatus peruvianus moves around by using their muscular foot that sinks like a claw into the sand to exert force and move forward. This behavior is also beneficial in terms of predator avoidance. It causes the conch's chemical trail to be scattered and inconsistent therefore confusing predators. [6] Similar to other conchs in the family Strombidae, Peruvian conchs can take around 5 years to reach maturity and are therefore very slow-growing creatures. [7]
This species is an algivore, which means that its diet mostly consists of algae. It locates food by scrounging over the sea-floor. [8] Since strombids are shallow sand dwellers, they move along the sea-floor finding algae that live in shallow waters. They may also occasionally feed on detritus. [9]
Lobatus peruvianus is a major source of protein for many groups along the Pacific coast. Besides the subsistence use of these conchs, their shell provides many uses. Due to its color and intricate form, people have been attracted to the shell of the Lobatus peruvianus. Peruvians used the shell to create trumpets; which was possible due to the substantial opening at the top of the shell from which the sound is amplified from. [10]
Conchs are vulnerable to overfishing due to their slow growth rates and late mating tendencies; because of this, it is illegal or frowned upon to harvest these types of conch. [11]
Strombidae, commonly known as the true conchs, is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea snails in the superfamily Stromboidea, and the Epifamily Neostromboidae. The term true conchs, being a common name, does not have an exact meaning. It may refer generally to any of the Strombidae but sometimes is used more specifically to include only Strombus and Lambis. The family currently includes 26 extant, and 10 extinct genera.
Aliger gigas, originally known as Strombus gigas or more recently as Lobatus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family of true conches, the Strombidae. This species is one of the largest molluscs native to the Caribbean Sea, and tropical northwestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, reaching up to 35.2 centimetres (13.9 in) in shell length. A. gigas is closely related to the goliath conch, Lobatus goliath, a species endemic to Brazil, as well as the rooster conch, Aliger gallus.
Strombus is a genus of medium to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Strombidae, which comprises the true conchs and their immediate relatives. The genus Strombus was named by Swedish Naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Around 50 living species were recognized, which vary in size from fairly small to very large. Six species live in the greater Caribbean region, including the queen conch, Strombus gigas, and the West Indian fighting conch, Strombus pugilis. However, since 2006, many species have been assigned to discrete genera. These new genera are, however, not yet found in most textbooks and collector's guides.
The Stromboidea, originally named the Strombacea by Rafinesque in 1815, is a superfamily of medium-sized to very large sea snails in the clade Littorinimorpha.
Strombus pugilis, common names the fighting conch and the West Indian fighting conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Laevistrombus canarium is a species of edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Strombidae. Known from illustrations in books dating from the late 17th century, L. canarium is an Indo-Pacific species occurring from India and Sri Lanka to Melanesia, Australia and southern Japan. The shell of adult individuals is coloured from light yellowish-brown to golden to grey. It has a characteristic inflated body whorl, a flared, thick outer lip, and a shallow stromboid notch. The shell is valued as an ornament, and because it is heavy and compact, it is also often used as a sinker for fishing nets.
Lobatus raninus, common name the hawk-wing conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Lobatus is a genus of very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. Some of the species within this genus were previously placed in the genus Eustrombus.
Strombus alatus, the Florida fighting conch, is a species of medium-sized, warm-water sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Conomurex luhuanus, common name Strawberry conch or Tiger conch, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. C. luhuanus is found in sandy habitat among corals in the Indopacific region. They feed on algae or detritus, move with a modified foot, and have complex eyes compared to other gastropods.
Titanostrombus goliath, previously known as Lobatus goliath and Strombus goliath, common name the goliath conch, is a species of very large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. T. goliath is one of the largest mollusks of the Western Atlantic Ocean, and also one of the largest species among the Strombidae. It was once considered endemic to Brazil, but specimens have also been recently found in the waters of Barbados. Brazilian common names for this species include búzio de chapéu or búzio, and búzio de aba or buzo in. Some phylogenetic hypotheses consider T. goliath as closely related to the queen conch, Aliger gigas.
Macrostrombus costatus, formerly known as Strombus costatus and Lobatus costatus, or commonly known as the milk conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. They are an edible species and important food source for the inhabitants of where they are found. Conchs are most notable for their medium to large-sized ornamental shells. Milk conchs are dispersed among the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, along the coasts and islands of North, Central, and South America.
Aliger gallus, previously known as Strombus gallus, common name the rooster conch or rooster-tail conch, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Labiostrombus epidromis, common name the swan conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Canarium mutabile, common name the variable stromb, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Sinustrombus sinuatus, common name the laciniate conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the true conch family, Strombidae. It is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region.
Terebellum terebellum, common name the Terebellum conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Seraphsidae, the true conchs.
Aliger is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Strombus gracilior, common names the Eastern Pacific fighting conch, or the Panama fighting conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Titanostrombus galeatus, commonly known as the Eastern Pacific giant conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs and their allies.