Strombus conchs are unusually active snails. Unlike most snails, which glide slowly along, Strombus have been described as "sprightly and energetic" (A. Adams 1848, cited in Parker 1922). Parker (1922) writes "Strombus is remarkably alert and active, and in the quickness of its movements it reminds one more of a vertebrate than of a mollusk. Its eyes, too, are highly developed and are moved and directed in such a way as to give it the appearance of no small degree of intelligence."
Strombus moves by extending its muscular foot, thrusting it against the substrate, and "leaping" forward. Each leap may advance the animal as much as a half a shell length (Parker 1922). When Strombus sense a predator such as a Conus snail, they are capable of rapid escape. Kohn and Waters (1966) studied the escape behavior of S. canarium in the presence of C. textile and reported that it would "leap" about 16 mm around every 1.6 seconds, yielding a getaway rate of 6.8 mm per second. In most strombid species whose escape behavior has been investigated, this behavior is not qualitatively different from normal locomotion, just slower. Field (1977) reports, however, that in the presence of certain gastropod predators Hawaiian S. maculatus actually propel themselves backwards, clear of the substate, traveling up to 2.5 shell lengths, a phenomenon never observed during normal locomotion.
Berg (1974) describes the results of a detailed comparative analysis of feeding and locomotory behavior in 10 species of Indo-Pacific strombid gastropods (but not including Strombus latissimus).
Ryukyu Islands to the Philippines and Fiji (Abbot 1960).
Vietnam, southern Japan, NW Australia, Fiji (www.gastropods.com).
Islands of the tropical West Pacific, from southern Japan to eastern Melanesia (Poutiers 1998).
Generally not very abundant (Poutiers 1998).
Poutiers (1998): On sand bottoms, around coral reefs. Sublittoral, at depths of 4 to 20 m.
Poutiers (1998): Thick, solid shell. Like other members of the family Strombidae (conchs), Strombus latissimus has a distinct notch present along the anterior (front) margin of the shell's flaring outer lip. Also like other strombids, it sports complex eyes with distinctly colored irises. The eyes are borne on long stalks which protrude from the shell, one eye along the anterior canal and the other under the characteristic notch in the outer lip of the shell.
Strombus latissimus is a large species, with a shell length sometimes exceeding 20 cm. The shell has a broadly flaring outer lip (wing), with a convex upper part. The rim is reflected sharply toward the shell axis when reaching adulthood, thus forming a distinct gutter. This gutter is subsequently filled with shell material. The anterior canal is short. Color consists of groups of narrow brown lines and/or maculations on a whitish background.
Sexes separate, with internal fertilization. Numerous eggs are laid in gelatinous, tubular, tangled masses; larvae are planktonic (Poutiers 1998).
100-226 mm (www.gastropods.com).
The shell of Strombus latissimus commonly reaches a length of 150 mm, with a maximum of about 200 mm (Poutiers 1998).
Systematic and taxonomic treatments of strombid gastropods have gone through enormous changes from Linnaeus to the present. In particular, the definitions of strombid genera and subgenera have been very fluid, especially since the last decade of the 20th century, and remain not well resolved. The following account of the taxonomic history of the species treated here as Strombus latissimus was provided by Gijs C. Kronenberg (in litt., December 2009): This species was first validly described, as Strombus latissimus, by Linnaeus in 1758. The same species was subsequently described as Lambis picta by Röding in 1798 and as Pterocera alata by Schumacher in 1817 (making these two names junior synonyms). Linnaeus' generic concept of Strombus included species that today are not even included in the family Strombidae, and the subsequent two centuries have seen several major descriptions and redefinitions of genera and subgenera. This included the placement of Linnaeus' Strombus latissimus in the genus (or subgenus, depending on authority) Tricornis. As a consequence of subsequent taxonomic reorganization of the Indo-Pacific Tricornis, this species is currently assigned to the genus Sinustrombus, described by Bandel (as a subgenus) in 2007. It is now best referred to as Sinustrombus latissimus (Kronenberg 2008; Gijs C. Kronenberg, in litt. December 2009).
Kinoshita (2003) has studied the prehistoric shell trade in Japan and the Korean Peninsula: From the 3rd century B.C. to the 7th century A.D., the farmers in Kyushu (southern Japan) and (during at least part of this period) the adjacent Korean Peninsula traded with people from the Ryukyu Islands to obtain Strombus (Tricornis) latissimus shells, which they made into distinctively shaped bracelets. During this period, people in Kyushu were often buried wearing these bracelets, which seem to have held some religious significance. These bracelets seem later to have become symbols of political authority.
Today, Strombus latissimus is collected locally for both food and for its large shells, which are used for decorative purposes (Poutiers 1998).
Sinustrombus latissimus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.[1]
Sinustrombus latissimus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
