Dear David (Belgium),
 
I was told that the difference is probably due to water conditions.
calmer water allowing bigger spines, etc.  I believe this is probably
the case (although it doesn't explain the farm raised S. gigas which I
assume was in calm waters but was smooth).  There is still a lot to be
done with this species (as with most mollusk species).  I have what was
sold as a dwarf S. gigas and I have a S. costatus that looks like an
intergrade between S. costatus and the dwarf S. gigas.  I'm not claiming
it is an intergrade -- just that it looks like one when compared to the
dwarf S. gigas.  There is obviously a lot of variability in this species
that is still harvested by the millions to sit in heaps.  My large S.
gigas has a lip almost like that on S. goliath.  Yet others I have seen
have lips with a narrow extension that flares out and crosses to the
spire (I saw these in St Croix years ago).
 
So I would not be surprised to see some of these synonyms eventually end
up with subspecies status.
 
Tom Eichhorst in New mexico, USA
 
David Monsecour wrote:
>
> Dear Tom,
>
> I guess this is just a coincidence. I have these kind of things too, but I
> also have a gigas which was raised on a so-called gigas-farm. This shell
> has almost no knobs. On the other hand, I found a gigas on Key West last
> year (which I left because it was still alive) with quite large and sharp
> spines. Maybe this has something to do with sex or habitat.
>
> Maybe not much of a help
> Best regards
> David (Belgium)
>
> On Thu, 15 Apr 1999, Thomas E. Eichhorst wrote:
>
> > Since we have been hitting the Strombus gigas recently.  Has anyone
> > noticed a difference between the S. gigas from the Keys and the S. gigas
> > now available from Haiti?  I have a couple S. gigas collected in the
> > Keys years ago and they have relatively small knobs on the spire whorls
> > out onto the last whorl, rather than the obvious spines I see on most
> > shells now offered.  Is this just a coincidence or is there really some
> > variability?
> >
> > Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
> >