Strombus gigas
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 An adult Queen Conch shell, Strombus gigas
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Strombus gigas Linnaeus, 1758, now known as Eustrombus gigas , is a species of very large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
S. gigas is a true conch and it is one of the largest mollusks native to North America and Central America.
Common names for S. gigas include: the queen conch, pink conch, caracol reina, caracol rosa, caracol rosado, caracol de pala, cobo, botuto, guarura, and lambí.
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[edit] Distribution
S. gigas lives in the greater Caribbean tropical zone, including Mexico, southern Florida, and the Bahamas, north to Bermuda.
[edit] Habitat
This large sea snail lives in seagrass meadows and on sandy substrate, feeding on detritus, macroalgae, and epiphytes.
[edit] Shell description
The adult shell is from 15-31 cm (6-12 inches) in length, and has a widely flaring lip. The glossy finish around the aperture of the adult shell is colored primarily in shades of pink, sometimes pale, but rarely this can be as deep in color as magenta, and may also show yellow, peach and cream colors.
In contrast, the juvenile shells have a sharp, unflared lip and are known in Florida as "rollers", because wave action very easily rolls these shells, whereas it is nearly impossible to roll the adult shell of this species. The subadult shell has a flared lip which is very thin, but the adult lip grows thicker and thicker the longer the adult conch survives.
[edit] Life habits
The female lays between 180,000 and 460,000 eggs. A small cardinal fish, known as the conch fish, sometimes lives in the mantle of the conch for protection. Very rarely, a conch pearl is found within the mantle of the animal.
[edit] Human use
The more attractive conch pearls from this species have considerable value as gemstones.
Conch meat is an important part of the diet in many islands in the West Indies. It even has its own website www.strombusgigas.com. In the Spanish speaking regions, at least in the Dominican Republic, Strombus Gigas is called "Lambi"
[edit] Historical human use
Classic Mayan art depicts what appears to be the shell of S. gigas being worn on the hands of boxers.
The south Florida Indians (such as the Tequesta) and Carib Indians used to make knives, ax heads, and chisels out of the lip of the conch before they acquired metal.
[edit] References
- Wildlife Fact File, 1996, Card #46 (pink conch)
- In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a conch shell is used as a symbol of order and democracy.
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