''Conus ventricosus mediterraneus'' is a subspecies of

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. Like all species within the genus ''Conus'', these snails are

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which 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 ...

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 sti ...

. They are capable of

stinging Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Description

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

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. Spire ...

is rudely gradate and maculated. The interior of the shell is light chocolate, with a light band.

George Washington Tryon George Washington Tryon Jr. (20 May 1838 – 5 February 1888) was an American malacologist who worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Biography George Washington Tryon was the son of Edward K. Tryon and Adeline Savidt. ...

, Manual of Conchyology vol. VI, p. 66; 1879.

Distribution

This subspecies occurs 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, but not in the Eastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

off Senegal.

Synonyms

* ''Conus adriaticus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus alticonica'' Pallary, 1904 * ''Conus amazonicus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus ammiralis var. americanus'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Conus caffer'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus caillaudi'' Jay, 1846 * ''Conus chersoideus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cinctus'' Bosc, 1801 * ''Conus cinereus'' Delle Chiaje & Poli, 1826 * ''Conus clodianus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus cretheus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus elpus'' De Gregorio, 1885 * ''Conus epaphus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus erosus'' Renier, 1804 * ''Conus franciscanus'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus galloprovincialis'' Locard, 1886 * ''Conus galloprovincialis var. lineolata'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 * ''Conus galloprovincialis var. minor'' Locard & Caziot, 1900 * ''Conus glaucescens'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1834 * ''Conus grossii'' Maravigna, 1853 * ''Conus guestieri'' Lorois, 1860 * ''Conus hanleyi'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1857Conus hanley

Conus hanley
* ''Conus herillus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus humilis'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus ignobilis'' Olivi, 1792 * ''Conus ignobilis var. rufa'' Scacchi, 1836 * ''Conus inaequalis'' Reeve, 1849 * ''Conus intermedius'' Lamarck, 1810 * ''Conus istriensis'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus jamaicensis'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus jaspis'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus madurensis'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 * ''Conus mediterraneus f. gaudiosus'' Nicolay, 1978 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. acuta'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alalmus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alba'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. albina'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. alticonica'' Pallary, 1904 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. amigus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. arenaria'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. ater'' Philippi, 1836 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. caerulescens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. carinata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1884 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. castanea'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. debilis'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. elongata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. emisus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. fasciata'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. flammulata'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1886 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. flavescens'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus var. fusca'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1887 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''interrupta'' Coen, 1933 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''lutea'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1888 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''major'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1889 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''marmoratus'' Philippi, 1836 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''minor'' Monterosato, 1878 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''oblonga'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1890 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''obtusa'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pallida'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1891 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''persistens'' Kobelt, 1906 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''pretunculus'' Monterosato, 1917 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rubens'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''rufatra'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalare'' Dautzenberg, 1911 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''scalaris'' Pallary, 1912 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subconcolor'' Requien, 1848 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''subviridis'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus mediterraneus'' var. ''vayssierei'' Kobelt, 1906 * ''Conus olivaceus'' von Salis Marschlins, 1793 * ''Conus olivaceus'' Kiener, 1845 * ''Conus pallans'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus phegeus'' Nardo, 1847 * ''Conus postdiluvianus'' Risso, 1826 * ''Conus rusticus'' Poli, 1826 * ''Conus siculus'' DelleChiaje, 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'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''elpus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Conus ventricosus'' var. ''empismus'' DeGregorio, 1885 * ''Lautoconus noeformis'' Monterosato, 1923

References

* 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''. September 4, 2009 Edition.

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conus Mediterraneus mediterraneus