''Gastridium'' is a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

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 ...

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

mollusks in the genus ''Conus'', 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. In the latest classification of the family Conidae by Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015), ''Gastridium'' has become a subgenus of ''Conus'' as ''Conus (Gastridium)'' represented as ''

Conus ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758.

Distinguishing characteristics

The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes ''Gastridium'' from ''Conus'' in the following ways:Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009), Systematic Classification of Recent and Fossil Conoidean Gastropods, ConchBooks, Hankenheim, Germany, 295 pp. * Genus ''Conus'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 :: Shell characters (living and fossil species) :::The basic shell shape is conical to elongated conical, has a deep anal notch on the shoulder, a smooth

periostracum The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...

and a small operculum. The shoulder of the shell is usually nodulose and the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

is usually multispiral. Markings often include the presence of tents except for black or white color variants, with the absence of spiral lines of minute tents and textile bars. ::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) :::The

radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

has an elongated anterior section with serrations and a large exposed terminating cusp, a non-obvious waist, blade is either small or absent and has a short barb, and lacks a basal spur. ::Geographical distribution :::These species are found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. ::Feeding habits :::These species eat other

s including cones. * Subgenus ''

Gastridium ''Gastridium'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family. Species of the genus are found in Africa and Eurasia. These grasses are sometimes called nit grass. ; Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Gastridium'': * ' ...

'' Modeer, 1793 ::Shell characters (living and fossil species) :::The shell is cylindrical to ovately cylindrical in shape. The

is multispiral. The shell has bulging body whorl creating a very wide aperture . The anal notch is shallow. The shell is ornamented with tents, as well as spiral lines of minute tents. Textile bars are absent. The

is tufted or ridged, and the operculum is small. ::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) :::The anterior section of the radular tooth is greatly elongated compared to the posterior section. The waist is not obvious. The basal spur is absent, and the barb and blade are short. Serrations are present. The radular morphology of this genus is unique as it has no terminating cusp or accessory process. ::Geographical distribution :::These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region. ::Feeding habits :::These species are piscivorous, meaning that these cone snails prey on fish.

Species list

This list of species is based on the information in the World Register of Marine Species ( WoRMS) list. Species within the genus ''Gastridium'' include: * ''Gastridium cuvieri'' (Crosse, 1858) synonym of '' Conus cuvieri'' Crosse, 1858 * ''Gastridium eldredi'' (Morrison, 1955) synonym of ''

Conus eldredi ''Conus eldredi'' 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. They are known to sting huma ...

'' Morrison, 1955 * ''Gastridium fragilissimum'' (Petuch, 1979) synonym of '' Conus fragilissimus'' Petuch, 1979 * ''Gastridium geographus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) synonym of ''

Conus geographus ''Conus geographus'', popularly called the geography cone or the geographer cone, is a species of predatory cone snail. It lives in reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific, and hunts small fish. While all cone snails hunt and kill prey using venom, t ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Gastridium tulipa'' (Linnaeus, 1758) synonym of ''

Conus tulipa ''Conus tulipa'', common name the tulip 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. ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758

References

External links

To World Register of Marine Species

Gastropods.com: ''Conidae'' setting forth the genera recognized therein.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5526799 Conidae Gastropod subgenera

Distinguishing characteristics

Species list

References

Further reading

External links