Eustrombus goliath
Encyclopedia
Lobatus goliath, previously known as Eustrombus goliath and Strombus goliath, common name
the goliath conch, is a species of very large edible sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae
, the true conch
s. L. goliath is one of the largest mollusks of the Western Atlantic Ocean
, and also one of the largest species among the Strombidae
. It is endemic to Brazil
. Brazilian common names for this species include búzio de chapéu or búzio (in Ceará
state), and búzio de aba or buzo in (Bahia
state).
in 1805. It is named after the biblical
character Goliath, who is traditionally considered to have been of tremendous size.
The family Strombidae
have undergone an extensive taxonomic revision recently and many subgenera, including Eustrombus
, were elevated to genus level by some authors. Petuch recombined this species as Titanostrombus goliath in 2004, and Landau et al. recombined it as Lobatus goliath in 2008. The type locality of this species is Paracuru
beach, north of Fortaleza
, in Ceará
state (Brazil
).
and southeastern
coast of Brazil
, including several Brazilian states, such as Ceará
, Rio Grande do Norte
, Pernambuco
, Alagoas
, Bahia
and Espirito Santo
and insular regions, such as Abrolhos Marine National Park
.
of Lobatus goliath is 380 mm. The goliath conch has a very large, heavy and solid shell, with a very conspicuous, widely flaring and thickened outer lip
. The stromboid notch
is rather inconspicuous in adult individuals, but it can be identified as a secondary anterior indentation to the right of the siphonal canal
in an non-sinistral shell, assuming it is viewed ventrally, with its anterior end pointing down. Unlike the closely related queen conch, Lobatus gigas, the aperture
of the shell of the goliath conch is colored tan, and not pink. L. goliath has also a shorter spire and duller spines as compared to the queen conch, and the outer lip frequently expands far beyond the length of the spire in the shells of adult individuals.
s and commonly sold as a souvenir in local markets and craft stores in several regions of Brazil. This is despite the fact that some authors have warned about the risks to this species of overexploitation
and even extinction
.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the goliath conch, is a species of very large edible sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae
Strombidae
Strombidae, commonly known as the true conchs, is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Stromboidea....
, the true conch
Conch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
s. L. goliath is one of the largest mollusks of the Western Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and also one of the largest species among the Strombidae
Strombidae
Strombidae, commonly known as the true conchs, is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Stromboidea....
. It is endemic to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Brazilian common names for this species include búzio de chapéu or búzio (in Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
state), and búzio de aba or buzo in (Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
state).
Taxonomy
This species was first named as Strombus goliath by German theologian Johann Samuel SchröterJohann Samuel Schröter
Johann Samuel Schröter was a German theologist who was also a conchologist.- Taxa described :Taxa described by Johann Samuel Schröter include:* Eustrombus goliath - References :...
in 1805. It is named after the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
character Goliath, who is traditionally considered to have been of tremendous size.
The family Strombidae
Strombidae
Strombidae, commonly known as the true conchs, is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Stromboidea....
have undergone an extensive taxonomic revision recently and many subgenera, including Eustrombus
Eustrombus
Lobatus is a genus of very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. :Some of the species within this genus were previously placed in the genus Eustrombus.-Species:...
, were elevated to genus level by some authors. Petuch recombined this species as Titanostrombus goliath in 2004, and Landau et al. recombined it as Lobatus goliath in 2008. The type locality of this species is Paracuru
Paracuru
Paracuru is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.THE STORY HAS PARACURU START BEFORE CABRAL discovered Brazil...
beach, north of Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, in Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
state (Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
).
Distribution
Lobatus goliath is found along the northeasternNortheast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
and southeastern
Southeast Region, Brazil
The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are three richest states of Brazil,...
coast of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, including several Brazilian states, such as Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
, Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
, Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
, Alagoas
Alagoas
Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
and Espirito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
and insular regions, such as Abrolhos Marine National Park
Abrolhos Marine National Park
The Abrolhos Marine National Park is a Marine Park located in the Abrolhos Archipelago since 1983.The Abrolhos are an archipelago of 5 islands with coral reefs off the southern coast of Bahia state in the northeast of Brazil, between 17º25’—18º09’ S and 38º33’—39º05’ W.-External links:***...
.
Shell description
The maximum reported length for an adult shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
of Lobatus goliath is 380 mm. The goliath conch has a very large, heavy and solid shell, with a very conspicuous, widely flaring and thickened outer lip
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
. The stromboid notch
Stromboid notch
The stromboid notch is an anatomical feature which is found in the shell of one taxonomic family of medium sized to large sea snails, the conches....
is rather inconspicuous in adult individuals, but it can be identified as a secondary anterior indentation to the right of the siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
in an non-sinistral shell, assuming it is viewed ventrally, with its anterior end pointing down. Unlike the closely related queen conch, Lobatus gigas, the aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
of the shell of the goliath conch is colored tan, and not pink. L. goliath has also a shorter spire and duller spines as compared to the queen conch, and the outer lip frequently expands far beyond the length of the spire in the shells of adult individuals.
Human uses
The flesh of the goliath conch is edible. However the shell has recently become the main reason for the fishery. This is because the shell is a popular decorative object which is widely utilized in handicraftHandicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
s and commonly sold as a souvenir in local markets and craft stores in several regions of Brazil. This is despite the fact that some authors have warned about the risks to this species of overexploitation
Overexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource...
and even extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
.