Conchs: Family Strombidae


Conchs: Family Strombidae
Rafinesque, 1815

Known as the true conchs, several members of this family may be found on S. Hutchinson Island:


Top Row: Three Juvinile Hawkwing Conchs; two mature Hawkwing Counchs
Botton Row: Two juvenile Pink or Queen Conchs

Three months into collecting I have found about 10 juvinile Hawkwing Conchs and 10 mature ones. I've also found several juvinile Queen Conchs.

* * * *

Strombidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scientific classification e
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Mollusca
Class:     Gastropoda
Subclass:     Caenogastropoda
Order:     Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:     Stromboidea
Family:     Strombidae
Rafinesque, 1815
Genera

See text

Strombidae, commonly known as the true conchs, is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea snails in the superfamily Stromboidea. The term true conchs, being a common name, does not have an exact meaning. It may refer generally to any of the Strombidae[1] but sometimes is used more specifically to include only Strombus and Lambis.[2] The family currently includes 23 extant, and 10 extinct genera.
Contents

    1 Distribution
    2 Morphology and life habits
    3 Behavior
    4 Taxonomy
        4.1 Genera
    5 Phylogeny
    6 Human use
    7 References
    8 Further reading
    9 External links

Distribution
A live scorpion conch (Lambis scorpius) in Mayotte. One can see the eyes as well as the scythe-shaped operculum.
Live Conomurex decorus in La Réunion.
Live Lentigo lentiginosus in La Réunion.

Strombid gastropods live mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. These animals are widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, where most species and genera occur.[3] Nearly 40 of the living species that used to belong to the genus Strombus can be found in the Indo-Pacific region.[4] They also occur in the eastern Pacific and Western Atlantic, and a single species can be found on the African Atlantic coast.[3] Six species of strombids are found in the wider Caribbean region, including the queen conch Aliger gigas, the goliath conch Lobatus goliath, the hawk-wing conch Lobatus raninus, the rooster tail conch Aliger gallus, the milk conch Lobatus costatus, the West Indian fighting conch Strombus pugilis, and the Florida fighting conch Strombus alatus. Until recently, all of these species were placed in the genus Strombus, but now many species are being moved into new genera.[5]
Morphology and life habits

Strombids have long eye stalks. The shell of a strombid has a long and narrow aperture and a siphonal canal. The shell margin has an indentation near the anterior end which accommodates one of the eye stalks. This indentation is called a strombid or stromboid notch. The stromboid notch may be more or less conspicuous, depending on the species.[6] The shells of most species in this family grow a flared lip upon reaching sexual maturity, and they lay eggs in long, gelatinous strands. The genera Strombus and Lambis have many similarities between them, both anatomical and reproductive, though their shells show some conspicuous differences.

Strombids were widely accepted as carnivores by several authors in the 19th century, an erroneous concept that persisted for several decades into the first half of the 20th century. This ideology was probably born in the writings of Lamarck, who classified strombids alongside other supposedly carnivorous snails, and was copied in this by subsequent authors. However, the many claims of those authors were never supported by the observation of animals feeding in their natural habitat.[7] Nowadays, strombids are known to be specialized herbivores and occasional detritivores. They are usually associated with shallow-water reefs and seagrass meadows.[8]
Behavior

Unlike most snails, which glide slowly across the substrate on their feet, strombid gastropods have a characteristic means of locomotion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward in a so-called leaping motion.[1][9]

Burrowing behavior, in which an individual sinks itself entirely or partially into the substrate, is also frequent among strombid gastropods. The burrowing process itself, which involves distinct sequential movements and sometimes complex behaviors, is very characteristic of each species. Usually, large strombid gastropods, such as the queen conch Eustrombus gigas and the spider conch Lambis lambis, do not bury themselves, except during their juvenile stages. However, smaller species such as Strombus canarium and Strombus epidromis may bury themselves even after adulthood.[10]
Taxonomy

For a long time, all conchs and their allies (the strombids) were classified in only two genera, namely Strombus and Lambis. This classification can still be found in many textbooks and on websites on the internet. Based on molecular phylogeny[8] in addition to an extensively documented fossil record, both genera have been subdivided into several new genera by different authors.[5][11][12]
Genera

The family Strombidae actually comprises 23 extant genera and 10 extinct genera (marked with a dagger †).[11][13]

Extant genera

    Aliger Thiele, 1929
    Barneystrombus Blackwood, 2009
    Canarium Schumacher, 1817
    Conomurex Bayle in P. Fischer, 1884
    Dolomena Wenz, 1940
    Doxander Wenz, 1940
    Euprotomus Gill, 1870
    Gibberulus Jousseaume, 1888
    Harpago Mörch, 1852
    Labiostrombus Oostingh, 1925
    Laevistrombus Abbott, 1960
    Lambis Röding, 1798
    Lentigo Jousseaume, 1886
    Lobatus Swainson, 1837
    Macrostrombus Petuch, 1994
    Margistrombus Bandel, 2007
    Mirabilistrombus Kronenberg, 1998
    Ophioglossolambis Dekkers, 2012
    Persististrombus Kronenberg & Lee, 2007
    Sinustrombus Bandel, 2007
    Strombus Linnaeus, 1758
    Terestrombus Kronenberg & Vermeij, 2002
    Thetystrombus Dekkers, 2008
    Thersistrombus Bandel, 2007
    Titanostrombus Petuch, 1994
    Tricornis Jousseaume, 1886
    Tridentarius Kronenberg & Vermeij, 2002

    Canarium mutabile

    Conomurex decorus

    Dolomena variabilis

    Doxander vittatus

    Euprotomus aurisdianae

    Eustrombus gigas

    Gibberulus gibbosus

    Harpago chiragra

    Laevistrombus canarium

    Lambis scorpius

    Lentigo lentiginosus

    Lobatus gallus

    Margistrombus marginatus

    Mirabilistrombus listeri

    Sinustrombus sinuatus

    Strombus pugilis

    Terestrombus terebellatus

    Thersistrombus thersites

    Tridentarius dentatus

Extinct genera

    †Austrombus Nielsen, 2005
    †Carinrostrina De Gregorio, 1894
    †Dilatilabrum Cossmann, 1904
    †Europrotomus Kronenberg & Harzhauser, 2011
    †Oostrombus Sacco, 1893
    †Orthaulax Gabb, 1873
    †Striatostrombus Dekkers & Maxwell, 2018
    †Strombiconus Marks, 1951
    †Stromboconus De Gregorio, 1896
    †Volutostrombus Garvie, 2013

Genera brought into synonymy

    Afristrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Persististrombus Kronenberg & Lee, 2007
    Aliger Thiele, 1929 is a synonym of Lobatus Swainson, 1837
    Decostrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Conomurex Bayle in P. Fischer, 1884
    Eustrombus Wenz, 1940 is a synonym of Lobatus Swainson, 1837
    Fusistrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Canarium Schumacher, 1817
    Gallinula Mörch, 1852 is a synonym of Labiostrombus Oostingh, 1925
    Hawaiistrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Canarium Schumacher, 1817
    Heptadactylus Mörch, 1852 is a synonym of Lambis Röding, 1798
    Latissistrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Sinustrombus Bandel, 2007
    Millipes Mörch, 1852 is a synonym of Lambis Röding, 1798
    Ministrombus Bandel, 2007 is a synonym of Dolomena Wenz, 1940
    Monodactylus Mörch, 1852 is a synonym of Euprotomus Gill, 1870
    Neodilatilabrum Dekkers, 2008 is a synonym of Margistrombus Bandel, 2007
    Pterocera Lamarck, 1799 is a synonym of Lambis Röding, 1798
    Pyramis Röding, 1798 is a synonym of Strombus Linnaeus, 1758
    Solidistrombus Dekkers, 2008 is a synonym of Sinustrombus Bandel, 2007
    Strombella Schlüter, 1838 is a synonym of Strombus Linnaeus, 1758
    Strombidea Swainson, 1840 is a synonym of Canarium Schumacher, 1817

Phylogeny
Strombidae     
      

Terebellum terebellum

      
      

Canarium urceus

      
      

Conomurex luhuanus

      
      

Tricornis raninus

      
      

Lambis lambis

      
      

Strombus

      
      

Eustrombus

      

Aliger








Phylogeny and relationships of the Strombidae according to Simone (2005)[6]

The phylogenetic relationships among the Strombidae have been mainly accessed on two occasions, using two methods. In a 2005 monograph, Simone proposed a cladogram (a tree of descent) based on an extensive morphoanatomical analysis of representatives of the Aporrhaidae, Strombidae, Xenophoridae, and Struthiolariidae.[6] In his analysis, Simone recognized the Strombidae as a monophyletic taxon supported by 13 synapomorphies (traits that are shared by two or more taxa and their most recent common ancestor), comprising at least eight distinct genera. He considered the genus Terebellum as the most basal taxon, distinguished from the remaining strombids by 13 synapomorphies, including a rounded foot.[6] Though the genus Tibia was left out of the analysis, Simone regarded it as probably closely related to Terebellum, apparently due to some well known morphological similarities between them.[6] With the exception of Lambis, the remaining taxa were previously allocated within the genus Strombus. However, according to Simone, only Strombus gracilior, Strombus alatus, and Strombus pugilis, the type species, remained within Strombus, as they constituted a distinct group based on at least five synapomorphies.[6] The remaining taxa were previously considered as subgenera, and were elevated to genus level by Simone in the end of his analysis. The genus Eustrombus (now considered a synonym of Lobatus),[11] in this case, included Eustrombus gigas (now considered a synonym of Lobatus gigas) and Eustrombus goliath (= Lobatus goliath); similarly, the genus Aliger included Aliger costatus (= Lobatus costatus) and Aliger gallus (= Lobatus gallus).[6][11]
      
      
      
 Eastern Pacific and Atlantic      
      
      
      
      
      
      

Strombus gallus

      

Strombus gigas


      

Strombus costatus


      
      

Strombus raninus

      

Strombus peruvianus



      

Strombus galeatus


      

Strombus latus


      
      
      
      

Strombus pugilis

      

Strombus alatus


      

Strombus gracilior


      

Strombus granulatus



      
      
      

Strombus bulla

      

Strombus aurisdianae


      

Strombus vomer



      
      

Strombus gibberulus

      

Strombus luhuanus



      
 Lambis      
      
      

Lambis chiragra

      

Lambis truncata


      

Lambis lambis


      
      

Strombus taurus

      

Strombus sinuatus




      
      
      
      
      
      
      

Strombus maculatus

      

Strombus mutabilis


      
      

Strombus microurceus

      

Strombus labiatus



      
      
      

Strombus fragilis

      

Strombus urceus


      

Strombus dentatus



      
      
      

Strombus canarium

      

Strombus vittatus


      

Strombus epidromis



      
      

Strombus fusiformis

      

Strombus haemostoma



      

Strombus wilsoni


Phylogeny and relationships of Strombidae according to Latiolais (2006)[8]

A different approach, this time based on sequences of nuclear histone H3 and mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase I (COI) genes was proposed by Latiolais and colleagues in a 2006 paper. The analysis included 32 strombid species that used to, or still belong in the genera Strombus and Lambis.[8]
Human use

Several species belonging to numerous genera among the Strombidae are considered economically important.[14] Used as food, fishing bait, tools or simply as decoration, some strombid snail species have been used in human culture for centuries.[15]

    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20292533424).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20292538204).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20292539754).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20727155968).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20888850646).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20888857476).jpg
    Die Flügelschnecken (Strombea) - in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (1845) (20922430931).jpg

References

Abbott, R. T.; Dance, S. P. (2000). Compendium of Seashells. California: Odyssey Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 0-9661720-0-0.
Goodenough, W. H. & Sugita, H. (1980). "Trukese-English dictionary". Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. p. 235]
Beesley, P. L.; Ross, G. J. B.; Wells, A. (1998). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia: Part B. Melbourne, AU: CSIRO Publishing. p. 766. ISBN 0-643-05756-0.
Abbott, R.T. (1960). "The genus Strombus in the Indo-Pacific". Indo-Pacific Mollusca 1(2): 33-144
Landau, B. M.; Kronenberg G. C.; Herbert, G. S. (2008). "A large new species of Lobatus (Gastropoda: Strombidae) from the Neogene of the Dominican Republic, with notes on the genus". The Veliger. Santa Barbara: California Malacozoological Society, Inc. 50 (1): 31–38. ISSN 0042-3211.
Simone, L. R. L. (2005). "Comparative morphological study of representatives of the three families of Stromboidea and the Xenophoroidea (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda), with an assessment of their phylogeny". Arquivos de Zoologia. São Paulo, Brazil: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo. 37 (2): 141–267. doi:10.11606/issn.2176-7793.v37i2p141-267. ISSN 0066-7870.
Robertson, R. (1961). "The feeding of Strombus and related herbivorous marine gastropods". Notulae Naturae of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (343): 1–9.
Latiolais J. M., Taylor M. S., Roy K. & Hellberg M. E. (2006). "A molecular phylogenetic analysis of strombid gastropod morphological diversity". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41: 436-444. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.027. PDF.
Parker, G. H. (1922). "The leaping of the stromb (Strombus gigas Linn.)". Journal of Experimental Zoology 36: 205-209.
Savazzi, E. (1989). "New observations on burrowing in strombid gastropods". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie). Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde (434): 1–10. ISSN 0341-0145.
Strombidae Rafinesque, 1815. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 18 May 2019.
Dekkers, A.M. (2012). "A new genus related to the genus Lambis Röding, 1798 (Gastropoda: Strombidae) from the Indian Ocean". Gloria Maris. 51 (2–3): 68–74.
Wieneke, U.; Stoutjesdijk, H.; Simonet, P.; Liverani, V.; Heitz, A. "Strombidae". Gastropoda Stromboidea. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
Poutiers, J. M. (1998). "Gastropods" (PDF). In Carpenter, K. E. (ed.). The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). p. 471. ISBN 92-5-104051-6.[permanent dead link]

    Squires, K. (1941). "Pre-Columbian Man in Southern Florida" (PDF). Tequesta. Florida International University (1): 39–46.

Further reading

    Roy K. (1996). "The roles of mass extinction and biotic interaction in large-scale replacements: a reexamination using the fossil record of stromboidean gastropods". Paleobiology 22(3): 436–452. pdf JSTOR
    Roy K., Balch D. P. & Hellberg M. E. (2001). "Spatial patterns of morphological diversity across the Indo-Pacific: analyses using strombid gastropods". Proceedings of the Royal Society B 268: 2503–2508. doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.1428. PDF

External links
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strombidae.
    Wikispecies has information related to Strombidae.

    Gastropoda Stromboidea - Ulrich Wieneke and Han Stoutjesdijk
    Worldwide Conchology Strombidae
    Strombidae Lambis Eye - photographs
    The difference between a conch and a whelk [1]


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