''Conus martensi'' 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 ...

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 17 mm and 78 mm. (Original description) The shell is small, turbinate, much narrowed towards the base or front. It has an orange colour, rather paler upon the spire. It contains about 10

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

s, flat-topped and a little sloping, raised somewhat above one another, concentrically three-grooved, separated by a deepish suture. 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 ...

is subacutely angled above, then a trifle convex at the sides, and being much attenuated anteriorly has a somewhat piriform appearance. It is sculptured with fine lines of growth and transverse indistinct striae or shallow grooves, which around the base are much deeper. The aperture is very narrow. The outer lip is thin and moderately sinuated above the angle. The spire is short, graduated, with rectilinear outlines. The species is distinguished by the narrowness of the aperture, its somewhat pyriform shape, and the uniform orange tint of its colouring. The spire is paler, except at the deepish suture, which is likewise orange. E.A. SMith (1884), Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean; British Museum (Natural History)
/ref>

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean in the Mozambique Channel and from

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

to Oman; off

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

and the Mascarenes; also off

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, the Philippines, East Indonesia,

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, Hawaii and in the Western Pacific.

References

* Shikama, T., 1970. ''On Some Noteworthy Marine Gastropoda from Southwestern Japan (II).'' Science Reports of the Yokohama National University, sect. 2. no. 16: 19 -27 * Severns, M. (2011). ''Shells of the Hawaiian Islands - The Sea Shells''. Conchbooks, Hackenheim. 564 pp * Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) ''Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods''. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 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

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conus Martensi martensi Gastropods described in 1884