| Hawk-wing conch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Five views of a shell ofLobatus raninus(Gmelin, 1791) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Strombidae |
| Genus: | Lobatus |
| Species: | L. raninus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lobatus raninus (Gmelin, 1791) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
List of synonyms
| |
Lobatus raninus,common name thehawk-wing conch, is aspecies of medium to largesea snail, amarinegastropodmollusk in thefamilyStrombidae, the trueconchs.[1]
The maximum recordedshell length is 121 mm[2] or up to 130 mm.[3] Like other species in the same genus,Lobatus raninus has a robust, somewhat heavy and solid shell, with a distinctstromboid notch. Thebody whorl is dorsally ornamented by characteristic coarse spiral ridges.[3] The posterior expansion of the flaring outer lip is always lower than the spire.[3] The color is brownish, with several disperse white spots. Both inner and outer lips are cream or white.[3]
| Phylogeny and relationships of Eastern Pacific and AtlanticStrombus species, according to Latiolais and colleagues (2006)[5] |
The phylogenetic relationships among the Strombidae have been mainly accessed on two occasions, using two methods. In 2005, Simone proposed acladogram (a tree of descent) based on an extensivemorpho-anatomical analysis of representatives ofAporrhaidae, Strombidae,Xenophoridae andStruthiolariidae, includingL. raninus (there referred to asTricornis raninus).[4]
With the exception ofLambis andTerebellum, the remaining taxa were previously allocated within the genusStrombus. However, according to Simone, onlyStrombus gracilior,Strombus alatus andStrombus pugilis, thetype species, remained withinStrombus, as they constituted a distinct group based on at least fivesynapomorphies (traits that are shared by two or moretaxa and theirmost recent common ancestor).[4] The remaining taxa were previously considered assubgenera, and were elevated to genus level by Simone in the end of his analysis. The genusTricornis (now considered a synonym ofLobatus),[1] in this case, only includedT. raninus (now considered a synonym ofLobatus raninus).[1][4]
A different approach, this time based on sequences of nuclearhistone H3 and mitochondrialcytochrome-c oxidase I (COI) genes was proposed by Latiolaiset al. (2006). The phylogenic relations of (32 analyzed) species that used to belong or still belong in the genusStrombus andLambis are shown below:[5]
This species is distributed in theCaribbean Sea, theGulf of Mexico and theLesser Antilles.
S. raninus lives near seagrass beds, usually in shallow water.[3] The minimum recorded depth is 0.3 m; the maximum recorded depth is 55 m.[2]
Like other species of thegenusStrombus,S. raninus is known to be aherbivore.
