''Conus rattus'',
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
the rat cone, is a species of
sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...
, a marine
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk in the
family Conidae
Conidae, with the current common name of "cone snails", is a taxonomic family (previously subfamily) of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Conoidea.
The 2014 classification of the superfamily Conoidea, groups onl ...
, the
cone snails
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines co ...
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.
Description
The size of the shell varies between 25 mm and 70 mm. Typically found in water on sand or in crevices with a depth of 0 to -6,737 meters (0 to -22,103 feet).
The color of the shell is yellowish brown or ash-color, often with fine close chestnut revolving lines, with large white spots and maculations usually forming an interrupted central band and another at the shoulder. The shell has a flattish
spire, rounded shoulders and several spiral ridges around the base of the
body whorl
The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk.
In gastropods
In gastropods, the b ...
. The
aperture is pale purple.
G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
/ref>
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea; in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar, Tanzania, Chagos, Aldabra
Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 k ...
, the Mascarene Islands
The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Thei ...
; as an alien in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea; in the tropical Pacific Ocean and off Polynesia; off Australia ( Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia]
References
* Bruguière, M. 1792. ''Encyclopédie Méthodique ou par ordre de matières. Histoire naturelle des vers.'' Paris : Panckoucke Vol. 1 i-xviii, 757 pp.
* Dillwyn, L.W. 1817. ''A Descriptive Catalogue of Recent Shells, arranged according to the Linnaean method; with particular attention to the synonymy''. London : John and Arthur Arch 2 volumes 1092 + 29 pp.
* Reeve, L.A. 1843. ''Monograph of the genus Conus.'' pls 1–39 in Reeve, L.A. (ed.). Conchologica Iconica. London : L. Reeve & Co. Vol. 1.
* Sowerby, G.B. (2nd) 1857. ''Thesaurus Conchyliorum.'' Vol. 3 pp. 16–20.
* Sowerby, G.B. (3rd) 1882. ''Descriptions of new species of shells in the collection of Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1882: 117-121
* Dautzenberg, P. & Bouge, J.L. 1933. ''Les Mollusques Testacés Marins des Établissements Français de L'Océanie.'' Journal de Conchyliologie 77(1): 41-113
* Demond, J. 1957. ''Micronesian reef associated gastropods.'' Pacific Science 11(3): 275–341, fig. 2, pl. 1
* Wilson, B.R. & Gillett, K. 1971. ''Australian Shells: illustrating and describing 600 species of marine gastropods found in Australian waters''. Sydney : Reed Books 168 pp.
* Salvat, B. & Rives, C. 1975. ''Coquillages de Polynésie''. Tahiti : Papéete Les editions du pacifique, pp. 1–391.
* Cernohorsky, W.O. 1978. ''Tropical Pacific Marine Shells.'' Sydney : Pacific Publications 352 pp., 68 pls.
* Kay, E.A. 1979. ''Hawaiian Marine Shells. Reef and shore fauna of Hawaii. Section 4 : Mollusca''. Honolulu, Hawaii : Bishop Museum Press Bernice P. Bishop Museum Special Publication Vol. 64(4) 653 pp.
* Drivas, J.; Jay, M. (1987). ''Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'Île Maurice.'' Collection Les Beautés de la Nature. Delachaux et Niestlé: Neuchâtel. . 159 pp.
* Wilson, B. 1994. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods.'' Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
* Röckel, D., Korn, W. & Kohn, A.J. 1995. ''Manual of the Living Conidae. Volume 1: Indo-Pacific Region''. Wiesbaden : Hemmen 517 pp.
Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015). ''One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails.'' Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81: 1-23
Gallery
File:Conus rattus 1.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
File:Conus rattus 2.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
File:Conus rattus 3.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
File:Conus rattus 4.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
File:Conus rattus 5.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
File:Conus rattus 6.jpg, ''Conus rattus'' Hwass in Bruguière, J.G., 1792
External links
The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conus rattus
Conus, rattus
Gastropods described in 1792