Lambis truncata (Humphrey, 1786)
Giant spider conch
Lambis truncata
photo by Harasti, David

Family:  Strombidae (conchs)
Max. size:  43 cm SHL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 30 m
Distribution:  Indo-Pacific: from eastern Africa to Sudan, Egypt, Yemen and India, to southeast Asia and Australia, as far east to Pitcairn Islands and north to Hawaii and Japan. Tropical to subtropical.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Actively collected by native populations for food, by hand at low tide on the reefs, or by diving. In spite of its weight and considerable size, the shell is favored, especially by tourists, due to the beauty of its heavily glazed aperture (Ref. 349).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Known from Henderson (Ref. 87866) and Oeno (Ref. 87907). C: Refs. 87866, 87907.

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