''Conus ventricosus'', common name the Mediterranean cone, 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. * ''

Conus ventricosus mediterraneus ''Conus ventricosus mediterraneus'' is a subspecies 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 a ...

'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792, is a recognized subspecies. 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

The size of the shell varies between 13 mm and 63 mm. The shell is yellowish brown, pink-brown or olivaceous. It is sometimes chocolate-brown, very closely nebulously spotted and reticulated. And sometimes it is interrupted-lined with chestnut, with a narrow, light band below the middle. The

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 elevated, rudely gradate and maculated. The interior of the

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

is light chocolate, with a light band. The

peptide Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. ...

Contryphan The contryphans (conus + tryptophan) are a family of peptides that are active constituents of the potent venom produced by cone snail (genus ''Conus''). The two amino acid cysteine residues in contryphans are linked by a disulfide bond. In addit ...

-Vn was extracted from the venom of this marine snail. It is part of a complex mixture of poisonous compounds secreted by this cone snailand used in worm hunting.

Distribution

This marine species has a wide distribution found in shallow waters ranging 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 ...

. It was also found as a fossil from the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

.Glibert (1958). Bull.Inst.R.Sci.Nat.Belg.34 #32

List of synonyms

* ''Conus (Lautoconus) ventricosus'' Gmelin, 1791 · accepted, alternate representation * ''Conus adansonii'' Lamarck, 1810 * ''Conus adriaticus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus amazonicus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus caillaudi'' Jay, 1846 * ''Conus chersoideus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cinctus'' Bosc, 1801 * ''Conus clodianus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cretheus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus epaphus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus epaticus'' Renier, 1804 (unavailable name: published in a work placed on the Official Index of Invalid and Rejected Specific Names in Zoology by ICZN Opinion 316) * ''Conus errosus'' Renier, 1804 (unavailable name: published in a work placed on the Official Index of Invalid and Rejected Specific Names in Zoology by ICZN Opinion 316) * ''Conus fortis'' Renier, 1804 (unavailable name: published in a work placed on the Official Index of Invalid and Rejected Specific Names in Zoology by ICZN Opinion 316) * ''Conus franciscanus'' Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' Locard, 1886 * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' var. ''lineolata'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus lineolatus'' Valenciennes, 1832) * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' var. ''minor'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''minor'' Monterosato, 1878) * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' var. ''producta'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' var. ''turrita'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus glaucescens'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1834 * ''Conus grossii'' Maravigna, 1853 (synonym) * ''Conus guestieri'' Lorois, 1860 * ''Conus hanleyi'' G. B. Sowerby II, 185
Conus hanley AZRC 547-34aConus hanley AZRC 548-34b
* ''Conus herillus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus humilis'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus ignobilis'' Olivi, 1792 (synonym) * ''Conus ignobilis'' var. ''rufa'' Scacchi, 1836 * ''Conus inaequalis'' Reeve, 1849 * ''Conus intermedius'' Lamarck, 1810 - fossil * ''Conus istriensis'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus jamaicensi''s Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus jaspis'' Salis Marschlins, 1793 (synonym) * ''Conus listeri'' Renier, 1804 (unavailable name: published in a work placed on the Official Index of Invalid and Rejected Specific Names in Zoology by ICZN Opinion 316) * ''Conus madurensis'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' f. ''gaudiosus'' Nicolay, 1978 (unavailable name: established as a "form" after 1960) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''acuta'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''alalmus'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''alba'' Coen, 1933 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus virgo alba'' Spalowsky, 1795) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''albina'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''alticonica'' Pallary, 1904 (synonym) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''amigus'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''arenaria'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''ater'' Philippi, 1836 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''atra'' Philippi, 1844 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''caerulescens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''carinata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1884 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus carinatus Swainson, 1822) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''castanea'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''debilis'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''elongata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''emisus'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''fasciata'' Requien, 1848 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus fasciatus'' Schröter, 1803, and several others) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''flammulata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''flavescens'' Coen, 1933 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus flavescens'' G.B. Sowerby I, 1834) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''fusca'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''interrupta'' Coen, 1933 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus interruptus'' Wood, 1828) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''lutea'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus luteus'' G.B. Sowerby I, 1833) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''major'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''marmoratus'' Philippi, 1836 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus marmoratus'' Holten, 1802) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''minor'' Monterosato, 1878 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''oblonga'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''obtusa'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pallida'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''persistens'' Kobelt, 1906 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pretunculus'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rubens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rufatra'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalare'' Dautzenberg, 1911 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus scalaris Valenciennes, 1832) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalaris'' Pallary, 1912 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus scalaris Valenciennes, 1832) * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subconcolor'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subviridis'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus olivaceus'' Salis Marschlins, 1793 (synonym) * ''Conus olivaceus'' Kiener, 1850 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus olivaceus'' Salis, 1793) * ''Conus pallans'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus phegeus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus postdiluvianus'' Risso, 1826 * ''Conus rusticus'' Poli, 1826 (invalid: junior homonym of ''Conus rusticus'' Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Conus siculus'' Delle Chiaje, 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 mediterraneus'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''elpus'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''empismus'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''pereirae'' de Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus zealandicus'' Hutton, 1873 * ''Cucullus annulas'' Noodt, 1819 * ''Cucullus glaucus'' Röding, 1798 * ''Lautoconus mediterraneus'' (Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) * ''Lautoconus mediterraneus'' var. ''noeformis'' Monterosato, 1923 * ''Lautoconus ventricosus'' (Gmelin, 1791)

References

Gmelin, J.F. (1791) Vermes. In Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Editio Decima Tertia, Aucta Reformata. Tome 1, Pars 6 (Vermes). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig], pp. 3021-3910
* Olivi G., 1792: ''Zoologia Adriatica, ossia catalogo ragionato degli animali del golfo e della lagune di Venezia'' Bassano, Venecia x+ 334 + xxxii pp., 9 pls * Bruguière J.G., 1789–1792: ''Encyclopédie méthodique. Histoire naturelle des vers.''; Panckoucke, Paris Vol. 1: 1–344 une 1789 Vol. 2: 345–758 3 feb 1792 dates after N. EVENHUIS, 2003, Zootaxa, 166: 37; Zootaxa, 207]. Atlas pl. 1–189

791 __NOTOC__ Year 791 ( DCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 791 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

pl. 190–286

797 __NOTOC__ Year 797 (Roman numerals, DCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 797 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Dom ...

pl. 287–390

798 __NOTOC__ Year 798 ( DCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 798 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

pl. 391–488 816: tavole curate da Deshayes * Salis Marschlins C. U. von, 1793 : ''Reisen in verschieden Provinzen den Königreischs Neapel''; Zurich and Leipzig, Ziegler Vol. I: pp. 442 + 10 pl. * Philippi R. A., 1844: ''Enumeratio molluscorum Siciliae cum viventium tum in tellure tertiaria fossilium, quae in itinere suo observavit. Vol. 2''; Eduard Anton, Halle

alis Saxorum Alis may refer to: People * Alis (given name) * Román Alís (1931–2006), Spanish composer * Abdulla Aliş (1908–1944), Soviet writer Places * Alis, Greece * Alis District, Yauyos, Lima, Peru Other uses * Alternate lighting of surfaces ...

iv + 303 p., pl. 13–28 * Maravigna C., 1853: ''Descrizione di alcune nuove o poco conosciute specie di conchiglie siciliane''; Atti dell'Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali (2) 8: 121–140 * Locard A., 1886 : ''Prodrome de malacologie française. Catalogue général des mollusques vivants de France. Mollusque marins''; Lyon, H. Georg & Paris, Baillière pp. X + 778 * Monterosato T. A. (di), 1899 (26 dicembre): ''Coquilles marines de Chypre'' ; Journal de Conchyliologie 47 (4): 392–401 * Pallary P., 1904–1906: ''Addition à la faune malacologique du Golfe de Gabès''; Journal de Conchyliologie 52: 212–248, pl. 7; 54: 77–124, pl. 4 * Pallary P., 1912c : ''Sur la faune de l'ancienne lagune de Tunis''; Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord 4(9): 215–228 * 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''. 4 September 2009 Edition. *
Le Granché Philippe, Damerval Marc, in : Doris, 11/2/2013 : Conus ventricosus Gmelin, 1791
*

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
*
Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea

Lectotype in MNHN, Paris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conus ventricosus ventricosus Gastropods described in 1791 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin