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Lantern shell is one of primitive brachiopod that can be found in the tropical region. One species of brachiopod has been reported found in Indonesia. This invertebrate is collected by local people for consumption as well as traded in the local market in the area of the southern shore of Madura Island  and the northern shore of East Java, Indonesia. This research aimed to analyze the potency of lantern shell as food resources based on the protein and fat content and to evaluate the food safety based on the content of plumbum and cadmium. The sample of lantern shells was collected from Probolinggo beach. Fresh samples of flesh and pedicle of  lantern shell were kept in a cool box for laboratory analysis. The protein content was analyzed using Kjeldahl method, while the content of fat was analyzed using soxhlet method. In addition, the level of plumbum and cadmium in the flesh and pedicle of lantern shell were tested using atomic adsorption spectroscopy. The results revealed that both of the flesh and the pedicle of lantern shell contained high protein, namely 14.02±0.62% and 12.06±0.44% respectively. The flesh contained 1.12±0.13% of fat, meanwhile, the pedicle contained 0.84±0.07% of fat. These nutrient content are slightly higher than other marine invertebrate. It seems that the nutrient content outweighs the content of heavy metal that can be accumulated in the sessile invertebrate. The content of plumbum in the flesh and pedicle of lantern shell were 0.10±0.01 ppm and 0.08±0.01 ppm respectively. Meanwhile, the content of cadmium in the flesh and pedicle of lantern shell were 0.09±0.01 ppm and 0.06±0.01 ppm respectively. These numbers are considerably lower that the level permitted. Hence, it can be concluded that lantern shell has potency as food recources.

lantern shell; Lingula sp.; Brachiopoda