Conus inscriptus

Conus inscriptus
Apertural view of Conus inscriptus
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. inscriptus
Binomial name
Conus inscriptus Reeve, 1843 [1]
Synonyms[2]
Asprella inscripta (Reeve, 1843) Asprella inscripta adenensis E. A. Smith, 1891 Conus adenensis E. A. Smith, 1891 Conus cuneiformis E. A. Smith, 1877 Conus evansi Bondarev, 2001 Conus inscriptus f. meridionalis G. Raybaudi Massilia, 1989 Conus inscriptus indicus Röckel, 1979 Conus keatiformis Shikama, 1977 Conus keatii G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 Conus maculospira Pilsbry & Johnson, 1921 Conus maculospira Pilsbry, 1922 Conus maculospira bangladeshianus da Motta, 1985 Conus planiliratus G. B. Sowerby II, 1849 Conus planiliratus G. B. Sowerby III, 1870 Conus planiliratus var. batheon Sutrany, 1904 Conus sartii Korn, Niederhöfer & Blöcher, 2001 Conus tegulatus G. B. Sowerby II, 1870 Conus wilmeri G. B. Sowerby III, 1882

Conus inscriptus 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 32 mm and 65 mm. The shell is rather solid, smooth, grooved towards the base. Its color is ash-white, with dark chestnut hieroglyphic characters, interrupted by revolving series of spots in the middle and at the base. ^[3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along Madagascar and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; also found along Western Thailand. .

References

1. ^ Reeve, L. A., 1843. Monograph of the genus Conus. Conchologia Iconica, i: figures and descriptions of the shells of molluscs; with remarks on their affinities, synonymy, and geographical distribution, 1. Conus.
2. ^ ^{a b} Conus inscriptus Reeve, 1843.  Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=215573 on 26 July 2011.
3. ^ George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p.65; 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: Asprella inscripta adenensis; accessed: 26 July 2011