Conus achatinus
| Conus achatinus | |
|---|---|
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| Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus achatinus Gmelin, J.F., 1791 | |
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| 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. achatinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791 [1] | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Conus achatinus, common name the turtle cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.[2]
These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.
Description
The size of an adult shell varies between 35 mm and 100 mm. The shell is bulbous, with a somewhat elevated, lightly striated spire and rounded shoulders. The body whorl is rounded with convex sides, sometimes with granular striae below. The shell is pale blue, marbled with pinkish or purplish white and olivaceous-brown, under a light brown, thin epidermis, everywhere encircled by close-set narrow brown lines, which are usually broken up into brown and white articulations. [3]
The varieties Conus achatinus var. infumata Dautzenberg, 1937 and Conus achatinus var. violacea Barros & C.M.I. Cunha, 1933 are accepted as Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along the Mascarene Basin; in the Indo-West Pacific. It is variable throughout its range.
References
- ↑ Gmelin, J. F., 1791. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, 13th ed. Vol. 1,
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 31 July 2011.
- ↑ George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 64; 1879
- Vine, P. (1986). Red Sea Invertebrates. Immel Publishing, London. 224 pp
- Drivas, J. & M. Jay (1988). Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'île Maurice
- Filmer R.M. (2001). A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758 - 1998. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. 388pp.
- Tucker J.K. (2009). Recent cone species database. September 4th 2009 Edition
- Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 pp.
External links
- The Conus Biodiversity website
- Gastropods.com: Pioconus achatinus; accessed: 19 January 2012
- Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea
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