| Conus purpurascens | |
|---|---|
| Shell of Conus purpurascens G. B. Sowerby II, 1833, with operculum, measuring 83.7 mm in height, collected at low tide on Venudo Island, in Panama | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Conoidea |
| Family: | Conidae |
| Subfamily: | Coninae |
| Genus: | Conus |
| Species: | C. purpurascens |
| Binomial name | |
| Conus purpurascens G. B. Sowerby II, 1833 |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Conus comptus Gould, 1853 |
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Conus purpurascens is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.[1]
Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Conantokin-P is a toxin derived from the venom of Conus purpurascens.
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The toxin of Conus purpurascens is mentioned in Michael Crichton's novel The Lost World, as a powerful neurotoxin. In the story the cone toxin is used in poisonous darts, which the characters use to defend themselves from dinosaurs. The novel says that the toxin is capable of killing an animal so fast that it dies before feeling the stinging sensation of the dart.