''Conus parascalaris'' is a species of
sea snail, a marine
gastropod 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 es ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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, group ...
, 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
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 t ...
and
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...
. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.
Description
Original description: "Shell thin, fragile, elongated; spire elevated, protracted, scalariform; shoulder sharply angled; body whorl smooth, polished; anterior end with numerous fine, incised sulci; color white, overlaid with closely-packed, thin, vertical, pale tan flammules; spire with scattered tan, crescent-shaped flammules; interior of aperture white; periostracum thin, pale tan, with tufts along shoulder."
The maximum recorded
shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
** Thin-shell structure
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard o ...
length is 23 mm.
[Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLoS ONE'' 5(1): e8776. .]
Distribution
Locus typicus: "Gulf of Venezuela,
off Punto Fijo, Falcon, Venezuela."
[Petuch, E.J. 1987-''New Caribbean Molluscan Faunas'', page 112. Publ: CERF]
This species occurs in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
off Venezuela at a depth of 35 m.
Habitat
Minimum recorded depth is 35 m. Maximum recorded depth is 35 m.
References
* Petuch, E. J. 1987. ''New Caribbean Molluscan Faunas''. 112, plate 25, figure 14-15
* 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*
parascalaris
Gastropods described in 1987
{{conus-stub