''Conus regius'',
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 "crown 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" and injuring or killing humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.
The subspecies ''Conus regius abbotti''
Clench, 1942 is a synonym of ''
Conus jucundus
''Conus jucundus'', common name Abbott's 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. ...
''
G. B. Sowerby III, 1887
Distribution
This marine species occurs from in the
Caribbean Sea and in the
Gulf of Mexico; in the Atlantic Ocean off
Brasil.
Description
The maximum recorded
shell length is 75 mm.
[Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLoS ONE'' 5(1): e8776. .] The following images show variation in shell color and markings:
The shell has a low, distantly but distinctly tuberculated
spire, and direct sides. It is slightly striate at the base. The color of the shell knows many variations. It is usually chestnut brown with blue-white spots, but white, yellow brown and pale brown variations occur as well. The
aperture has a white interior, sometimes with chestnut blotches.
Venom
The
conotoxin reg2a from the C. regius is composed by 16 amino acid residues and 4 cysteines, it's considered the most potent antagonist known of
acetylcholine receptors in the vertebrate brain, that have the highest affinity for
nicotine
Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As a pharmaceutical drug, it is used fo ...
. C. regius is known to have more different conotoxins than any other Cone sail species, its conotoxin it's potentially of considered of medical importance in affecting nicotine addiction. Its venom is reported to block the calcium receptors in vertebrate sensory nerve cells, which stop the nerve impulse for propagating along the nerve.
Gallery
File:Conus regius 1.jpg, ''Conus regius'' Gmelin, J.F., 1791
File:Conus regius 2.jpg, ''Conus regius'' Gmelin, J.F., 1791
File:Conus regius 3.jpg, ''Conus regius'' Gmelin, J.F., 1791
File:Conus regius 4.jpg, ''Conus regius'' Gmelin, J.F., 1791
Habitat
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.
Maximum recorded depth is 95 m.
References
* Rosenberg, G.; Moretzsohn, F.; García, E. F. (2009). ''Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico'', Pp. 579–699 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
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
External links
The ''Conus'' Biodiversity websiteCone Shells - Knights of the Sea
regius
Gastropods described in 1791
Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
{{conus-stub