Eastern Pacific Fighting Conch Shell, Strombus gracilior
Eastern Pacific Fighting Conch Shell, Strombus gracilior. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, February 2022. Size: 6.8 cm (2.8 inches) x 4.4 cm (1.8 inches) x 33 cm (1.3 inches). Collection, photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.
Eastern Pacific Fighting Conch Shell, Strombus gracilior. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, February 2022. Size: 7.4 cm (2.9 inches) x 44 cm (1.8 inches) x 32 cm (1.3 inches). Collection, photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.
Phylogeny: The Eastern Pacific Fighting Conch, Strombus gracilior ( G.B. Sowerby I, 1825), is a member of the Strombidae Family of True Conch Shells. The genus Strombus is one of thirty-one genera in this family, and there are only two species in this genus. They are also known as the Panama Fighting Conch and in Mexico as Cobo del Pacifico Oriental.
Description: Eastern Pacific Fighting Conch shells are solid and consist of six or seven whorls. They have a large body, a prominent spire, and a long aperture that has a thick outer lip with a notch at the bottom. The shoulder is marked by blunt knobs. The exterior is smooth, and can vary in color from light yellow to yellowish-brown. Most specimens have a white band running around the body whorl. The outer lip of the aperture is often bordered in orange-brown. The interior is white. Eastern Pacific Fighting Conchs reach a maximum of 9.5 cm (3.7 inches) in length and 6.1 cm (2.4 inches) in height. This species very similar to the Fighting Conch, Strombus pugilis, found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Habitat and Distribution: Eastern Pacific Fighting Conchs are found on and within sand and mud substrate, often in protected bays or inlets. They live in the intertidal zone, and to depths up to 50 m (160 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species. In Mexican waters they range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Guatemala. They are also found throughout the Gulf of California.
Ecology and Behavior: Eastern Pacific Fighting Conchs are grazers that feed primarily on algae. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in gelatinous strings. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic relationships. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.
Synonyms: None