|
| Conch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| An adult Queen Conch shell | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Superorder: | |
| Order: | |
| Suborder: | |
| Infraorder: | |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | Strombus |
| Species | |
A conch is a sea-dwelling mollusc. It is a marine gastropod. The ch at the end of 'conch' may be pronounced hard or soft.
Many other gastropods have common names with conch in them. They are however not true conches, in the family Strombidae. One such example is the Horse Conch (Pleuroploca gigantea). The genus Strombus is made up of the true conches.
While most Strombid species are extinct, at least 65 species still exist. Of these, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans while six are in the greater Caribbean region. Living true conch species include the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, and the West Indian Fighting Conch (Strombus pugilis).
 |
|