Laevistrombus maxwelli

Laevistrombus maxwelli is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Strombidae, the true conches. It stands apart from other members of its genus due to several distinctive features.

The species was named in honor of Stephen J. Maxwell, a researcher at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, whose work on the Strombidae family led to his surname being included in the scientific name.

The shell of L. maxwelli is smooth, glossy, and heavy for its size, with a broad shape relative to its length. Its form is a triangulated oval, and the aperture is wider at the back and narrower toward the front. The lip around the aperture is thick and curves upward toward the second suture, while the columella is also thick, extending from its center to the front. The upper body whorl is globe-shaped, and the spire is both taller and wider than in related species.

The dorsal surface and the area near the outer lip are white, while the last body whorl shows a tan color that becomes lighter near the inner lip. Darker markings appear on the body whorls.

A study comparing this species to others in the genus Laevistrombus found that L. maxwelli is morphologically very distinct. In that study, shell length ranged from 54.0 mm to 63.4 mm, and shell width from 38.0 mm to 43.8 mm.

L. maxwelli occurs along the coast from Chonburi to Trat province in the Gulf of Thailand, as well as in northern Borneo and the southern Philippines. Its type locality is Chonburi, in the northeastern Gulf of Thailand. The original holotype and additional paratypes were collected on the surface of, or buried in, sand at low tide.