Silver conch | |
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Five views of a shell of the silver conch, Lentigo lentiginosus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
(unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
Superfamily: | Stromboidea |
Family: | Strombidae |
Genus: | Lentigo |
Species: | L. lentiginosus |
Binomial name | |
Lentigo lentiginosus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Synonyms | |
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Lentigo lentiginosus, common name the silver conch, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
The maximum shell length of this species is 100 mm, but more commonly it grows up to 75 mm.
As is the case in many strombids, the adult shell of Lentigo lentiginosus is very heavy and thick, with a characteristic deep stromboid notch, and a flared, very thick and posteriorly expanded outer lip. The columella is anteriorly projected, and the siphonal canal is convex. The body whorl has a notably irregular surface, which is ornamented by spiral cords and rows of blunt tubercles that form elevated knobs on the shoulder. The inner lip is smooth, with a large callus that often spreads over the spire and over the body whorl. The shell has a tall spire, and each whorl of the spire has a row of heavy knobs and groves that nearly completely fold over each other. The shell color is usually white with large irregular brown blotches and dots occurring at intervals over the shell surface. The columellar callus has a characteristic faint silvery gloss. The lateral margin of the outer lips has a series of tan blotches. The aperture is pink to orange on the interior, becoming paler towards the margins.
Alive on la Réunion
On the Maldives
In a museum
Lentigo lentiginosus is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa, including Aldabra, Madagascar, Mauritius and Tanzania to eastern Polynesia, and also in southern Japan and northern Australia.