Conomurex luhuanus

Strawberry conch
File:Conomurex luhuanus 01.JPG
FIve views of a shell of the Strawberry conch, Conomurex luhuanus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Stromboidea
Family:	Strombidae
Genus:	Conomurex
Species:	C. luhuanus
Binomial name
Conomurex luhuanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Strombus luhuanus Linnaeus, 1758

Conomurex luhuanus, common name the Strawberry conch, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.

Shell description

File:Strombus luhuanus series.jpg

Some shells of Conomurex luhuanus. The two smaller shells to the right have been cut open to reveal the coloration of the parietal wall

The shell of C. luhuanus ranges from a more common length of 5 cm, to a maximum length of 8 cm.

C. luhuanus is often mistaken for a Cone snail, mainly because of the conoidal outline of its shell, which is relatively unusual among the Strombidae. Its stromboid notch, though not as conspicuous as observed in many species that used to belong to Strombus (such as Lentigo lentiginosus), is deep and easily distinguished. The interior may be slightly lirate.

The external color of the shell can be either white with an orange, brown/tan pattern of blotches, or completely brown/white. The interior is usually colored strong orange, red or pink, and the inner lip border is black or chocolate brown.

Phylogeny

Strombidae Terebellum terebellum Canarium urceus Conomurex luhuanus Tricornis raninus Lambis lambis Strombus Eustrombus Aliger

Phylogeny and relationships of Strombidae according to Simone (2005)

The phylogenetic relationships among the Strombidae have been mainly accessed in two different occasions, by Simone (2005) and Latiolais (2006), using two distinct methods. Simone proposed a cladogram (a tree of descent) based on an extensive morpho-anatomical analysis of representatives of Aporrhaidae, Strombidae, Xenophoridae and Struthiolariidae, which included C. luhuanus.

With the exception of Lambis and Terebellum, the remaining taxa were previously allocated within the genus Strombus, including C. luhuanus. However, according to Simone, only Strombus gracilior, Strombus alatus and Strombus pugilis, the type species, remained within Strombus, as they constituted a distinct group based on at least five synapomorphies (traits that are shared by two or more taxa and theirmost recent common ancestor). The remaining taxa were previously considered as subgenera, and were elevated to genus level by Simone in the end of his analysis. The genus Conomurex, in this case, only included C. luhuanus.

In a different approach, Latiolais et al. (2006) proposed a cladogram based on sequences of nuclear histone H3 gene and mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase I (COI) gene showing phylogenetic relationships of 32 species that used to belong to the genus Strombus and Lambis, including Conomurex luhuanus (= Strombus luhuanus). All species in this cladogram are still given under their original names in Strombus and Lambis.

Eastern Pacific and Atlantic  Strombus gallus Strombus gigas Strombus costatus Strombus raninus Strombus peruvianus Strombus galeus Strombus latus Strombus pugilis Strombus alatus Strombus gracilior Strobus granulatus Strombus bulla Strombus aurisdianae Strombus vomer Strombus gibberulus Strombus luhuanus  Lambis  Lambis chiragra Lambis truncata Lambis lambis Strombus taurus Strombus sinuatus Strombus maculatus Strombus mutabilis Strombus microurceus Strombus labiatus Strombus fragilis Strombus urceus Strombus dentatus Strombus canarium Strombus vittatus Strombus epidromis Strombus fusiformis Strombus haemostoma Strombus wilsoni

Phylogeny and relationships of Strombidae according to Latiolais (2006)

References

• Walls, J.G. (1980). Conchs, tibias and harps. A survey of the molluscan families Strombidae and Harpidae. T.F.H. Publications Ltd, Hong Kong