''Floraconus'' is a
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...
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 ...
s, 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 ...
s in the genus ''Conus'', family
Conidae, the
cone snails and their allies.
In the latest classification of the family Conidae by Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015), ''Eugeniconus'' has become a subgenus of ''Conus'' as ''Conus (Eugeniconus)'' represented as ''
Conus
''Conus'' is a genus of venomous and predatory cone snails.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&i ...
''
Linnaeus, 1758[ 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](_blank)
/ref>
Distinguishing characteristics
The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes ''Floraconus'' from ''Conus'' in the following ways:[Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009), Systematic Classification of Recent and Fossil Conoidean Gastropods, ConchBooks, Hankenheim, Germany, 295 pp.]
* Genus ''Conus'' ''sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
'' Linnaeus, 1758
:: Shell characters (living and fossil species)
:::The basic shell shape is conical to elongated conical, has a deep anal notch on the shoulder, a smooth periostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods an ...
and a small operculum. The shoulder of the shell is usually nodulose and the protoconch
A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...
is usually multispiral. Markings often include the presence of tents except for black or white color variants, with the absence of spiral lines of minute tents and textile bars.
::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
:::The radula
The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...
has an elongated anterior section with serrations and a large exposed terminating cusp, a non-obvious waist, blade is either small or absent and has a short barb, and lacks a basal spur.
::Geographical distribution
:::These species are found in the Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
region.
::Feeding habits
:::These species eat other 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 ...
s including cones
In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...
.protoconch
A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...
is paucispiral, and the spire whorl tops have cords. Nodules are either absent or die out in early whorls. The dentiform plait may be small or absent. The anal notch is shallow, and the anterior notch is slight or absent. The periostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods an ...
may be smooth or tufted, and the operculum is moderate to small.
::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
:::The anterior section of the radular tooth may be equal to or slightly longer than the posterior section. The blade is short to moderate extending about one-third to one-half the length of the anterior section. The basal spur is present, and the barb is short. The radular tooth has a single row of serrations.
::Geographical distribution
:::The species in this genus are endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
::Feeding habits
:::These cone snails are vermivorous (meaning that the cones prey on marine worms) feeding upon polychaete
Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine Annelid, annelid worms, common name, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called c ...
worms.
Species list
This list of species is based on the information in the World Register of Marine Species
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms.
Content
The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
(WoRMS
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms.
Content
The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
) list. Species within the genus ''Floraconus'' include:Conus tinianus
''Conus tinianus'', common name the variable cone, is a species 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 veno ...
'' Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
References
Further reading
* Kohn A. A. (1992). "Chronological Taxonomy of ''Conus'', 1758-1840". Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.
* Monteiro A. (ed.) (2007)
The Cone Collector 1
1-28.
* Berschauer D. (2010). ''Technology and the Fall of the Mono-Generic Family'
The Cone Collector 15
pp. 51-54
* Puillandre N., Meyer C.P., Bouchet P., and Olivera B.M. (2011), ''Genetic divergence and geographical variation in the deep-water Conus orbignyi complex (Mollusca: Conoidea)'', Zoologica Scripta 40(4) 350–363.
External links
To World Register of Marine Species
Gastropods.com: ''Conidae'' setting forth the genera recognized therein.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5460455
Conidae
Gastropod subgenera