Queen Conch
| Lobatus gigas | |
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| A live subadult individual of Lobatus gigas, in situ surrounded by turtle grass | |
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| A dorsal view of an adult individual of L. gigas from Chenu, 1844 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Caenogastropoda |
| Clade: | Hypsogastropoda |
| Clade: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Strombidae |
| Genus: | Lobatus |
| Species: | L. gigas |
| Binomial name | |
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Lobatus gigas (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Strombus gigas Linnaeus, 1758 |
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Strombus gigas Linnaeus, 1758
Strombus lucifer Linnaeus, 1758
Eustrombus gigas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pyramea lucifer (Linnaeus, 1758)
Strombus samba Clench, 1937
Strombus horridus Smith, 1940
Strombus verrilli McGinty, 1946
Strombus canaliculatus Burry, 1949
Strombus pahayokee Petuch, 1994
Lobatus gigas, originally known as Strombus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family of true conches, the Strombidae. This species is one of the largest molluscs native to the tropical northwestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, reaching up to 35.2 centimetres (13.9 in) in shell length. L. gigas is closely related to the goliath conch, Lobatus goliath, a species endemic to Brazil, as well as the rooster conch, Lobatus gallus.
The queen conch is herbivorous and lives in seagrass beds, although its exact habitat varies by development stage. The adult animal has a very large, solid and heavy shell, with knob-like spines on the shoulder, a flared thick, outer lip and a characteristic pink-coloured aperture (opening). The flared lip is absent in younger specimens. The external anatomy of the soft parts of L. gigas is similar to that of other snails in its family; it has a long snout, two eyestalks with well-developed eyes, additional sensory tentacles, a strong foot and a corneous, sickle-shaped operculum.
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