''Conus ventricosus mediterraneus'' is a subspecies 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 Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

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 13 mm and 63 mm. The color of the shell is yellowish brown, pink-brown or olivaceous ; sometimes chocolate-brown, very closely nebulously spotted and reticulated ; and sometimes interrupted-lined with chestnut, with a narrow, light band below the middle. The elevated

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

is rudely gradate and maculated. The interior of the shell is light chocolate, with a light band. George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchyology vol. VI, p. 66; 1879.

Distribution

This subspecies occurs in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, but not in the Eastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

off Senegal.

Synonyms

* ''Conus adriaticus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus alticonica'' Pallary, 1904 * ''Conus amazonicus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus ammiralis var. americanus'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Conus caffer'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus caillaudi'' Jay, 1846 * ''Conus chersoideus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cinctus'' Bosc, 1801 * ''Conus cinereus'' Delle Chiaje & Poli, 1826 * ''Conus clodianus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cretheus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus elpus'' De Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus epaphus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus erosus'' Renier, 1804 * ''Conus franciscanus'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' Locard, 1886 * ''Conus galloprovincialis var. lineolata'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 * ''Conus galloprovincialis var. minor'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 * ''Conus glaucescens'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1834 * ''Conus grossii'' Maravigna, 1853 * ''Conus guestieri'' Lorois, 1860 * ''Conus hanleyi'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1857Conus hanley

Conus hanley
* ''Conus herillus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus humilis'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus ignobilis'' Olivi, 1792 * ''Conus ignobilis var. rufa'' Scacchi, 1836 * ''Conus inaequalis'' Reeve, 1849 * ''Conus intermedius'' Lamarck, 1810 * ''Conus istriensis'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus jamaicensis'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus jaspis'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus madurensis'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus mediterraneus f. gaudiosus'' Nicolay, 1978 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. acuta'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alalmus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alba'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. albina'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alticonica'' Pallary, 1904 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. amigus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. arenaria'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. ater'' Philippi, 1836 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. caerulescens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. carinata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1884 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. castanea'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. debilis'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. elongata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. emisus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. fasciata'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. flammulata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1886 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. flavescens'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. fusca'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1887 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''interrupta'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''lutea'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1888 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''major'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1889 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''marmoratus'' Philippi, 1836 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''minor'' Monterosato, 1878 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''oblonga'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1890 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''obtusa'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pallida'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1891 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''persistens'' Kobelt, 1906 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pretunculus'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rubens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rufatra'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalare'' Dautzenberg, 1911 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalaris'' Pallary, 1912 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subconcolor'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subviridis'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''vayssierei'' Kobelt, 1906 * ''Conus olivaceus'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus olivaceus'' Kiener, 1845 * ''Conus pallans'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus phegeus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus postdiluvianus'' Risso, 1826 * ''Conus rusticus'' Poli, 1826 * ''Conus siculus'' DelleChiaje, 1828 * ''Conus stercutius'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus submediterraneus'' Locard, 1886 * ''Conus thuscus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus trunculus'' Monterosato, 1899 * ''Conus vayssierei'' var. ''ossea'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus ventricosus'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''elpus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''empismus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Lautoconus noeformis'' Monterosato, 1923

References

* 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 4, 2009 Edition.

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conus Mediterraneus mediterraneus