conch

 

(kŏngk, kŏnch, kôngk) , common name for certain marine gastropod mollusks having a heavy, spiral shell, the whorls of which overlap each other. In conchs the characteristic gastropod foot is reduced in size and the operculum, a horny plate located on the foot and used to seal the shell opening in many gastropods, has the appearance and function of a claw. During locomotion, the operculum secures a foothold in the sand, and the conch jumps forward by means of the quick contraction of a retractor muscle called the columella muscle. Thus the conch lacks the creeping motion of most gastropods. The king conch, Strombus gigas, found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, has a shell 10 to 12 in. (25–30 cm) long and may weigh up to 5 lb (2.3 kg). Similar in size and distribution is the queen conch, Cassis cameo. Its shell has been used in Europe to carve cameos. Conch shells range in color from white to red; they have been used by humans to fashion a number of items, such as buttons, ornaments, or the crude trumpets made from the shell of the trumpet conch, Charonia tritonis. This conch is similar in shape to the king and queen conchs but is much more slender and reaches a length of 20 in. (50 cm). C. tritonis is found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean. The largest conch and also one of the largest univalves in the world is the horse conch, Pleuroploca gigantea, having a shell length of 24 in. (60 cm). It is found along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Brazil. The body can retreat entirely into the shell and remain there for months if unfavorable conditions prevail. An unusual conch shell is that of the spider conch, Lambis lambis, which has leglike projections. Spider conchs are voracious carnivores, common on coral reefs. They also feed on algae, as do the king conchs. Most conchs are carnivorous, feeding on bivalve mollusks; some are scavengers as well. They inhabit tropical waters and have been used as a food source for man. The conch is classified in the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, order Mesogastropoda.

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Conch
An adult Queen Conch shell
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Orthogastropoda Superorder: Caenogastropoda Order: Sorbeoconcha Suborder: Hypsogastropoda Infraorder: Littorinimorpha Superfamily: Stromboidea Family: Strombidae Genus: Strombus
Species
Strombus gigas Strombus luhuanus Strombus pugilis Strombus tricornis Strombus canarium Strombus dolomena Strombus gibberulus Strombus conomurex Strombus lentigo Strombus doxander Strombus urceus Strombus fragilis Strombus gallus Strombus dentatus Strombus marginatus Strombus raninus Strombus buvonius

A conch (pronounced in the U.S.A. as "konk" or "conch"(IPA: /kɒŋk/) [1] is one of a group of species of saltwater snail. True conches are marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, and the genus Strombus.

Various other species of large, marine, shelled gastropods are also commonly called "conches", for example the Horse Conch Pleuroploca gigantea and the Chank shell, Turbinella species, but these various other gastropods are not considered true conches and are classified in other taxonomic families.

The true conch species within the genus Strombus vary in size from fairly small to very large. Several of the larger species such as Strombus gigas, the pink conch or queen conch, are economically important as food sources. Strombus gigas is also capable of producing (very rarely) a pink, gem quality pearl.

At least 65 species of Strombidae are extant, and a much larger number of species exist only in the fossil record. Of the living species, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Six species live in the greater Caribbean region, including the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, and the West Indian Fighting Conch, Strombus pugilis.

Many species of conch, such as the Queen Conch, live on sandy bottoms among beds of sea grass in warm tropical waters.

Strombus gigas is included in Appendix II of the UNEP's CITES list of endangered species, and international trade is heavily restricted.[2]

Anatomy

Conches have spirally constructed shells. This spiral shell growth is usually dextral (right-handed) but on very rare occasions it can be sinistral (left-handed).

True conches have long eye stalks with colorful ring-marked eyes. The shell has a long and narrow aperture, and a short siphonal canal, with another indentation near the anterior end called a stromboid notch. This notch is where one of the two eye stalks protrudes from the shell. The animal also has a foot ending in a pointed, sickle-shaped, operculum. The animals grow a flared lip on their shells only upon reaching sexual maturity.

Conches have a characteristic leaping motion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward. They lay eggs in long, gelatinous strands.

Human use

The animal inside the shell is eaten, either raw, as in salads, or cooked, as in fritters, chowders, gumbos, and burgers. In East Asian cuisines, the meat is often cut into thin slices and then steamed or stir-fried. In El Salvador, live conch is served in a cocktail of onion, tomato, cilantro, and lemon juice. Lemon juice is squeezed onto the cocktail, causing the conch to squirm, and then the whole thing is slurped down whole, as in the manner of oysters. Conch meat is also often confused with Scungilli, which is more accurately whelk meats. All parts of the conch meat are edible. However, most people only find the white meat appetising.

Conch shells are sometimes used as decoration, as decorative planters, and in cameo making. In classic Mayan art, conches are shown being utilized in many ways including as paint and ink holders for elite scribes, as bugles or trumpets, and as hand weapons (held by combatants by inserting their hands in the aperture). The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and often depicted conch shells in their art. ^[1] Some American aborigonals used cylindrical conch columella beads as part of breastplates and other personal adornment. See Hair Pipes.

In popular folklore, it is believed that if one holds an open conch shell (or any other large marine snail shell) to the ear, the ocean can be heard. This phenomenon is caused by the resonant cavity of the shell producing a form of pink noise from the surrounding background ambience.^{[citation needed]}

In some Caribbean and African American cemeteries conch shells are placed on graves. (The Last Miles of the Way: African Homegoing Traditions, 1890-Present, edited by Elaine Nichols).

In some countries, cleaned Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) shells or polished fragments are sold, mainly to tourists, as souvenirs or in jewelry. Without a permit, however, export is a breach of CITES regulations and may lead to arrest [3]. This is most likely to occur on return to the tourist's home country while clearing customs. In the UK conch shells are the ninth most seized import. [4]

Conch shells are occasionally used as a building material, either in place of bricks or as bulk for landfill.

Playing the conch shell as a muscial instrument

Conch shells are sometimes made into crude bugles by removing the small tip of the shell to form a mouthpiece. Such instruments are used in the Pacific Islands as well as in many parts of Asia.

While lacking the range capabilities and tonal quality of brass instruments, the conch shell is still an interesting instrument to play. Despite its limited range, the conch shell possesses a haunting, mellow, resonate tone that no traditional brass instrument can mimic. As it has no mouthpiece or valves, the embouchure in shell playing is critical.

Most shells will only naturally play one note, but with pitch manipulations, multiple sounds can be achieved. The insertion of the hand and the placement of the fingers will also change the pitch of the shell.

The conch shell is said to be the musical instrument of mermaids and mermen. Steve Turre is the leading innovator of modern shell playing. The conch shell is sometimes found in classical works, such as the symphony piece "La Noche de Los Mayas", or "Night of the Mayas", which was premiered in 1939 with Jacob Watkins on percussion and conch. The shell is also sometimes sounded at cricket matches in the Caribbean.

Religious symbolism

Hindu tradition

A Chank shell or Turbinella species in the family Turbinellidae, is often referred to in the west as a conch shell, and this is a major Hindu article of prayer. It is used as a trumpet.

The god of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters.

In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India would blow conch shells to announce battle, such as is famously represented in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. The conch shell is a deep part of Hindu symbolic and religious tradition. To this very day, many Hindus use the conch as a part of their religious practices, blowing it during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells. See also: Dakshinavarti Shankh Paris Flood

Buddhist tradition

Buddhism has also incorporated the Chank shell into its symbolism. See: Buddhist symbolism.

Literature

William Golding's Lord of the Flies features frequent references to "The Conch". In the book the conch is used to call everyone together and held by whoever is speaking at meetings, symbolically representing democracy and order. When a boulder released by Roger, Jack's lieutenant, smashes the conch, it is a sign that civilized order has collapsed and Jack's domination has begun.

Media

References

1. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.

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