''Conus thalassiarchus'', common name the bough cone, 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 co ...

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 35 mm and 115 mm. The spire is depressed and nearly smooth, with a sharp angle. The color of the shell is white, longitudinally and angularly reticulated with chestnut lines, chocolate-tinted at the base. It shows sometimes an irregular central white band covered by revolving lines of spots, and occasionally with yellowish bands above and below the latter and similarly spotted.G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
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Distribution

This marine species occurs off the Southern Philippines. File:Conus thalassiarchus 1.jpg, ''Conus thalassiarchus'' Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833 File:Conus thalassiarchus 2.jpg, ''Conus thalassiarchus'' Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833 File:Conus thalassiarchus 3.jpg, ''Conus thalassiarchus'' Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833 File:Conus thalassiarchus 4.jpg, ''Conus thalassiarchus'' Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833 File:Conus thalassiarchus 5.jpg, ''Conus thalassiarchus'' Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833

References

* Jousseaume, F., 1899. ''Description de coquilles nouvelles''. Le Naturaliste 13(2): 91 * Röckel, D., Korn, W. & Kohn, A.J., 1995. ''Manual of the living Conidae. Volume 1: Indo-Pacific region''. Hemmen: 517 pp * *

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website

Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
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Syntype in MNHN, Paris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conus Thalassiarchus thalassiarchus Gastropods described in 1834