Conus ochroleucus
Encyclopedia
Conus ochroleucus, common name the prefect cone, is a species of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Conidae, the cone snails
and their allies.
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.
There is one subspecies: Conus ochroleucus tmetus Tomlin, 1937 (synonyms : Asprella ochroleuca tmetus (Tomlin, J.R. le B., 1937); Conus pilkeyi Petuch, 1974; Conus sulciferus A. Adams, 1855; Phasmoconus pilkeyi Petuch, E.J., 1974)
is somewhat wider anteriorly. The striate and acuminate spire
is maculated with yellowish brown and white.
, the Philippines
, Papua New Guinea
, Indonesia
and Fiji
; in the Indian Ocean along India
.
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Conidae, the cone snails
Conus
Conus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
and their allies.
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.
There is one subspecies: Conus ochroleucus tmetus Tomlin, 1937 (synonyms : Asprella ochroleuca tmetus (Tomlin, J.R. le B., 1937); Conus pilkeyi Petuch, 1974; Conus sulciferus A. Adams, 1855; Phasmoconus pilkeyi Petuch, E.J., 1974)
Description
The size of an adult shell varies between 40 mm and 88mm. The shell is long and narrow, distantly grooved towards the base. Its color is yellowish brown, variously shaded, with a rather indistinct median lighter band. The white apertureAperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is somewhat wider anteriorly. The striate and acuminate spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
is maculated with yellowish brown and white.
Distribution
This species is found in the Pacific Ocean along TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
; in the Indian Ocean along India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.