Kima boe: the giant clam linked to Labengki

By Labengki Island Editorial Desk

Kima boe, also written kimaboe, is the local name for a giant clam linked to Labengki. A 2013 abstract cited by Mongabay describes it as a new species, Tridacna kimaboe, with an average maximum shell of 55.5 cm. Its status stays open: this page rests on press and NGO accounts, not a taxonomic database entry.

What is kima boe?

The Ministry of Tourism's Jadesta portal tells snorkellers and divers at Labengki that they can see giant clams it calls Kimaboe. That is the plainest statement available, and it stops short of saying what kind of animal the name refers to.

Mongabay Indonesia goes further. It cites a 2013 abstract describing Tridacna kimaboe as a new species around Labengki. Naturevolution, a conservation group working on Sulawesi's clams, reports that a conservationist involved in the local clam effort notes a resemblance to the China clam, except that kima boe anchors to coral. The two spellings, kima boe and kimaboe, are used interchangeably in these accounts.

So there are at least three things in play: a local name, a proposed scientific name, and a set of observations by people who work with the animal. They may all point to the same clam, but the sources below do not treat them with equal confidence.

Is it a separate species?

The question remains open on the evidence available here. Mongabay's wording rests on one abstract. Naturevolution, an NGO writing about conservation work on these clams, reports only that the same conservationist suspects kima boe differs from known species, with questions unanswered.

Naturevolution also counts eight clam species for Southeast Sulawesi, made up of six Tridacna and two Hippopus. Read that count together with the open question. A regional list does not by itself tell you whether kima boe is a ninth form, a variant of something already counted, or one of the eight under a local name.

When you meet the phrase "new species" in a tourism brochure or a news item, ask what it is standing on. A published abstract is a claim made to other scientists. It is not the same as acceptance. This guide therefore writes "described as" and leaves it there.

How big does it get?

The two figures attached to kima boe come from very different kinds of statement, and the figure for the largest clam shows the scale they sit against.

The 55.5 cm and the half metre sit close together, but one is an average maximum from an abstract and the other a spoken round number. The 20 kg comes only from that same remark, so treat it as a rough impression.

The phrase "second largest" appears in three of the accounts. Only Mongabay's has the word "estimated" attached. ANTARA quotes the minister saying it, and Lajur repeats it as fact. Repetition is not confirmation. NOAA Fisheries gives the useful comparison: on those figures, the record holder is roughly twice as wide as kima boe's reported size, so "second largest" does not mean close to the top in absolute terms.

Where is it said to live?

Mongabay's abstract places it around Labengki. Lajur says it is found only at Labengki. That claim comes from a press report and is not a settled range, so it should not be repeated as fact.

There is also a complication that many short articles miss: people have been moving clams around here for years. By January 2017, Jawa Pos was counting 8,400 clams placed in Toli-Toli and Labengki waters, the work of one conservationist and eight villagers who had been paying their own way since October 2009. Naturevolution's total is about 8,000 clams of eight species over ten years, relocated onto reefs where local fishers had agreed not to take anything. Those two figures differ and come from different dates, and neither is a live count. In 2024 the minister handed over specimens, according to ANTARA.

The consequence is simple. A clam on a Labengki reef today may have been placed there. Where you can see one says something about conservation work, and little about natural range. Mongabay credits that same conservationist's campaign for a provincial clam conservation area, created under Perda Sultra No. 9 of 2018. Read the regulation itself before citing it, since this page relies on Mongabay's summary.

Why is the name everywhere at Labengki?

Because it has become the place's signature. Bank Indonesia and local partners put it on the Kimaboe Dive Center in March 2023, as Lajur reports. Jadesta mentions Kimaboe on its village listing. A viewpoint near the Blue Lagoon is called Kimaboe Hill by jonnymelon.com. A ministerial handover in 2024 put the name in the news again.

None of that is evidence about taxonomy, and it would be a mistake to read it that way. A dive centre named after an animal tells you what a community wants to be known for. It says nothing on whether scientists agree about the animal. It does tell you something useful, though: tourism here has been tied to these clams, which is a good reason to treat the reefs with care. If diving is your interest, see our page on diving at Labengki.

What should you expect if you want to see one?

Expect to look for clams in general, with no guarantee of this one. Jadesta says they can be seen, which is not a promise, and this site makes none either. Identifying kima boe by eye is also a problem when even its status is unresolved, so be wary of any guide who is certain which clam is which.

Three questions are worth asking a local guide or provider before you go:

• Which reef are we visiting, and who looks after it?
• Were the clams there placed by people, and what can you tell me about that work?
• What are the rules for visitors at this reef, and is any fee or donation expected?

Our guide to Labengki's giant clams has more on the other species. Published accounts conflict on the legal protection of each species, so this page does not state one. The practical rule needs no statute: leave them where they are, and take no shells.

What else do people ask about kima boe?

Is kima boe a new species?

It has been described as one, in a 2013 abstract cited by Mongabay. A conservation group working with it still reports unanswered questions, so this guide treats the matter as open rather than settled.

What is Tridacna kimaboe?

It is the scientific name given in that abstract for the clam around Labengki. The name appears in press coverage here, and no taxonomic database entry supports this page, so use it with caution.

Is kima boe the second largest clam?

Several outlets say so, and a former minister has too. Only one account attaches the word "estimated" to the claim. It is best read as a repeated statement that has not been shown to be a measured ranking.

Where is kima boe found?

Press reports link it with Labengki, and one says only there. Because clams have been gathered and moved onto protected reefs in this area, a sighting does not settle where the animal naturally occurs.

Can you be sure of seeing kima boe at Labengki?

No. A tourism listing says Kimaboe can be seen, but no one can promise it, and telling this clam from others by eye is uncertain. Treat any clam you see as a bonus and keep your distance.

Which sources support this page?

• Ministry of Tourism Jadesta portal: Labengki
• Mongabay Indonesia: giant clams and nickel pollution (July 2024)
• Naturevolution: giant clam conservation in Sulawesi
• ANTARA Sultra: Kima Boe handover (2024)
• Lajur: Labengki Kecil conservation tourism village (2023)
• NOAA Fisheries: true giant clam
• Jawa Pos: clam recovery at Toli-Toli and Labengki (January 2017)
• jonnymelon.com: Pulau Labengki

How do I reach the desk?

If you hold a published taxonomic paper on this clam, or work on these reefs, please send a correction and we will review this page. Trip questions go to the same two addresses. Nothing here arranges a reef visit, and any offer comes in writing. The disclaimer explains the commercial interest behind the desk.

• WhatsApp: +62 811-3941-4563
• Email: bd@juaraholding.com