Conus gladiator

Conus gladiator
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. gladiator
Binomial name
Conus gladiator Broderip & Sowerby,, 1833 [1]
Synonyms[2]
Conus evelynae G. B. Sowerby III, 1882 Conus gloynei G. B. Sowerby III, 1881 Gladioconus gladiator (Broderip, 1833)

Conus gladiator, common name the gladiator cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[2]

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.

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 26 mm and 48 mm. The spire is rather depressed, tuberculate and striate. The color of the shell is chocolate-brown, variegated with white, disposed in longitudinal streaks, with an irregular white band, and more or less distinct revolving lines of darker brown. The interior is white or tinged with chocolate. The epidermis is fibrous. ^[3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean along the Galapagos Islands and from the Sea of Cortez to Peru.

References

1. ^ Broderip, W. J., and Sowerby (i), G. B. Sr., 1833. Genus Conus. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1833: 52 -55
2. ^ ^{a b} Conus gladiator Broderip, 1833.  Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=428134 on 24 July 2011.
3. ^ George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 28-29; 1879

• 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: Gladioconus gladiator; accessed: 24 July 2011