{{Short description|Species of gastropod}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Speciesbox | image = Strombus peruvianus 15a.jpg | image_caption = Apertural (left) and abapertural (right) views of a shell of ''Lobatus peruvianus'' | status = | status_ref = | taxon = Lobatus peruvianus | authority = (Swainson, 1823) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="WoRMS">{{WRMS species|531665 |''Lobatus peruvianus'' (Swainson, 1823)|||WoRMS (2013). Lobatus peruvianus (Swainson, 1823). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Speciesat<nowiki>http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=531665</nowiki> on 6 December 2013}}</ref> | synonyms = *''Strombus peruvianus'' <small>Swainson, 1823</small> (basionym) }}
'''''Lobatus peruvianus''''', commonly known as the '''Peruvian conch''' or the '''cock's comb conch''', is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs and their allies.<ref name="FaoEasternPacific">{{cite book|last=Senchenberg|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/t0851s/t0851s00.htm|title=Guia FAO para la identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca.|author2=Krupp, F.|author3=Schneider, W.|author4=Sommer, C.|author5=Carpenter, K. E.|author6=Niem, V. H.|publisher=Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación|year=1995|isbn=92-5-303408-4|volume=1|location=Rome|page=283|language=Spanish}}</ref>
==Distribution== ''Lobatus peruvianus'' occurs along the benthic tropical coastal waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their distribution stretches across various countries and regions including the Gulf of California, Mexico, Pacific Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. These Peruvian Conchs are sand dwellers and are found in depths up to 130 feet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mexican-fish.com/peruvian-conch/|title=Peruvian Conch|date=2017-05-11|website=Mexico - Fish, Birds, Crabs, Marine Life, Shells and Terrestrial Life|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
==Description== The shell of Lobatus peruvianus is large, ranging from {{convert|60|-|210|mm|in}}. It was originally described by William Swainson in 1823, with him stating that the shell is "heavy, with a depressed spire, and a prominent tip". Like other species in the same genus, ''Lobatus peruvianus'''s outer lip is very pronounced and ornamental. The outside color of the shell falls into the tan and light brown range, sometimes also pink; while both the inner and outer lips are cream, pink, or white.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stromboidea.de/?n=Species.LobatusPeruvianus|title=Gastropoda Stromboidea {{!}} Species / Lobatus Peruvianus|website=stromboidea.de|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref> While not much information is available regarding the Peruvian conch specifically, similar species in the same Genus have life spans of up to 40 years; while the majority live between 10 and 30 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dcnanature.org/queen-conch/|title=Queen Conch – Detail Page {{!}} DCNA|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
== Behavior == thumb|*Not a photo of ''Lobatus peruvianus*'' Their large muscular foot (which connects to the operculum) can be seen in this photo. This is what the ''Lobatus peruvianus'' uses to move itself. Similar to other animals in the family Strombidae, ''Lobatus peruvianus'' moves around by using their muscular foot that sinks like a claw into the sand to exert force and move forward. This behavior is also beneficial in terms of predator avoidance. It causes the conch's chemical trail to be scattered and inconsistent therefore confusing predators.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/1975/00000025/00000003/art00001|title=Behavior and Ecology of Conch (Superfamily Strombacea) on a Deep Subtidal Algal Plain|last=Berg|date=July 1975|website=ingentaconnect.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref> Similar to other conchs in the family Strombidae, Peruvian conchs can take around 5 years to reach maturity and are therefore very slow-growing creatures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.communityconch.org/|title=Community Conch|website=Community Conch|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>
== Diet == This species is an algivore, which means that its diet mostly consists of algae. It locates food by scrounging over the sea-floor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eol.org/pages/4872485|title=Lobatus peruvianus (Swainson 1823) - Encyclopedia of Life|website=eol.org|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref> Since strombids are shallow sand dwellers, they move along the sea-floor finding algae that live in shallow waters. They may also occasionally feed on detritus.<ref name="Latiolais">Latiolais J. M., Taylor M. S., Roy K. & Hellberg M. E. (2006). "A molecular phylogenetic analysis of strombid gastropod morphological diversity". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''41''': 436-444. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.027}}. [http://biology.ucsd.edu/labs/roy/PDFs/Latiolais%20et%20al.%202006%20Mol.%20Phyl.%20&%20Evol.pdf PDF].</ref>
== Human Uses == ''Lobatus peruvianus'' is a major source of protein for many groups along the Pacific coast, and the shells have historically been used as trumpets. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/lobatus-peruvianus/?lang=en|title=Lobatus peruvianus|last=Mazza|first=Giuseppe|date=2008-08-07|website=Monaco Nature Encyclopedia|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
Conchs are vulnerable to overfishing due to their slow growth rates and late mating tendencies; because of this, it is illegal or frowned upon to harvest these types of conch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.communityconch.org/|title=Community Conch|website=Community Conch|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Strombidae Category:Gastropods described in 1823