Turbinella laevigata, common name the Brazilian chank, is a species of very large sea snail with a gill and an operculum, a marine gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Turbinellinae of the family Turbinellidae.[2]
Subspecies
There are two subspecies of this species:
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Turbinella laevigata laevigata Anton, 1838
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Turbinella laevigata rianae Delsaerdt, 1986 (synonym : Turbinella rianae Delsaerdt, 1987)
Description
The shell of this species is thick and heavy, and can grow as large as 200 mm in length.[3]
Distribution
This species is found in Brazil.
Life cycle
The spawn of Turbinella laevigata has 240 eggs in every capsule; each capsule contains a high number of nurse eggs.[4]
Human use
Turbinella laevigata is used as a zootherapeutical product. It is used as a treatment for sexual impotence in traditional Brazilian medicine in the northeast of Brazil.[5]
References
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^ (in German) Anton H. E. 1839. Verzeichniss der Conchylien. Halle, xvi + 110 pp. Turbinella laevigata is on the page 71.
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^ Rosenberg, G. (2010). Turbinella laevigata Anton, 1838. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=533539 on 2011-04-03
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^ Turbinella laevigata Anton, 1838. Malacolog 4.1.1. A Database of Western Atlantic Marine Mollusca, accessed 20 September 2009.
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^ Matthews-Cascon H., Rocha-Barreira C. de A., Meirelles C., Bigatti G. & Penchaszadeh P. (March–April) 2009. Description of the Ootheca of Turbinella laevigata (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 52(2): 359-364.
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^ Alves R. R. N. 2009. Fauna used in popular medicine in Northeast Brazil. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2009, 5:1. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-5-1
