what is the purpose of the operculum (conch)
The operculum is attached to the upper surface of the foot and in its most complete state, it serves as a sort of trapdoor to close the aperture of the shell when the soft parts of the animal are retracted.The shape of the operculum varies greatly from one family of gastropods to another.any families have opercula that are reduced in size, and which are not capable of closing the shell aperture. Opercula have sometimes been modified: in the Strombidae the operculum is claw-shaped and is used to push into the substrate in a leaping form of locomotion.