Conus mozambicus, common name the Mozambique cone or the elongate cone, is a
species of medium-sized
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
predatory 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
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* ...
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 ...
mollusc
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 esti ...
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 or cone shells.
[Rosenberg, G.; Bouchet, P. (2015). Conus mozambicus. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225458 on 2015-11-07]
Distribution
''Conus mozambicus'' cone is known off the southern African coast from
Lüderitz Bay to
Mossel Bay, subtidally in shallow water. The species is
endemic to this region.
[Kilburn R. & Rippey E. 1982. ''Sea Shells of Southern Africa'' Macmillan ] It is also found off
Senegal and
Mozambique.
Description
''Conus mozambicus'' has a medium-sized shell which may grow to 65mm in total length. It has a sharply pointed
spire. The shell colour is dull and mottled with brown, and there may be darker blotches at the shoulder. The spire of the shell is stepped.
[Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2005. ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa'' ]
Ecology
''Conus mozambicus'' feeds on
polychaete worms. The egg capsules are vase-shaped and contain 19-23 eggs.
References
Petit, R. E. (2009). ''George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa''. Zootaxa. 2189: 1–218Puillandre 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
Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4330376
mozambicus
Gastropods described in 1792