Lobatus galeatus
| Lobatus galeatus | |
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| Apertural view of a shell of Lobatus galeatus from a museum collection | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Caenogastropoda |
| Clade: | Hypsogastropoda |
| Clade: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Strombidae |
| Genus: | Lobatus |
| Species: | L. galeatus |
| Binomial name | |
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Lobatus galeatus (Swainson, 1823) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Lobatus 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. It is an eastern Pacific species that occurs from the Gulf of California to Peru.
The shells of this species were used as a wind instruments by the Chavín, an ancient civilization from the northern Andean highlands of Peru. They are still used for this purpose in the Andes, where they are known as pututu.
Lobatus galeatus occurs in several countries and regions along the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Mexico, Pacific Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands and Peru.
The shell of Lobatus galeatus is large (maximum size 23 cm (8.97 inches), common to 14 cm (5.46 inches)), very thick and heavy. It has an oblong outline, with a short pointed spire that lacks spines and nodules and is often eroded. The body whorl is very inflated, with numerous spiral ridges and low, slightly noticeable nodules on the shoulder. The periostracum is thick. The outer lip is very flared, posteriorly expanded, not higher than the apex of the spire. The edge of the outer lip edge bears a shallow stromboid notch that is often associated with the undulations originating from the superficial spiral sculpture. The columella is smooth with a well-developed callus in this species. The shell is colored ivory white to light brown externally, with a darker spire and a brown periostracum. The aperture is bright white, and the outer lip and columellar callus are often extensively orange or dull brown in old specimens.
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Wikipedia