''Leptoconus'' is a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: 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 betw ...

of sea snails,

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 * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

s in the genus ''Conus'',

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. In the latest classification of the family Conidae by Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015), ''Leptoconus'' has become a subgenus of ''Conus'' as ''Conus (Leptoconus)'' Swainson, 1840 (type species: ''Conus amadis'' Gmelin, 1791) represented as ''

Conus ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species ...

'' 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
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Distinguishing characteristics

The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes ''Leptoconus'' 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 a ...

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 calle ...

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 (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs 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 ...

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 gastropods including

cones 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 ...

. * Subgenus ''Leptoconus'' Swainson, 1840 ::Shell characters (living and fossil species) :::The shell is turbinate to elongated conical in shape, and the spire is either concave or straight and turriculated in profile. The

has 1.5 whorls. The shell is ornamented with nodules which may persist or die out early. The anal notch is deep. The color pattern includes spiral rows of minute tents, however textile bars are absent. The

is smooth, and the operculum is small. ::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) :::The anterior section of the radular tooth is significantly longer than the length of posterior section. A basal spur is usually absent, and the barb and blade are short. The waist is not obvious. The radular tooth has serrations, and a terminating cusp. ::Geographical distribution :::These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region. ::Feeding habits :::These species are molluscivorus, meaning that these cone snails prey on other mollusks.

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 list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific speciali ...

(

WoRMS Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany, a city ** Worms (electoral district) * Worms, Nebraska, U.S. *Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy Arts and entertai ...

) list. Species within the genus ''Leptoconus'' include: * ''Leptoconus (Phasmoconus) dusaveli'' H. Adams, 1872 accepted as Checked: verified by a taxonomic editorConus dusaveli (H. Adams, 1872) * ''Leptoconus abbotti'' (Clench, 1942): synonym of ''

Conus jucundus ''Conus jucundus'', common name Abbott's 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 venomous. ...

'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1887 * ''Leptoconus amadis'' (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of '' Conus amadis'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Leptoconus ammiralis'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of ''

Conus ammiralis ''Conus ammiralis'', common name the admiral 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 ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Leptoconus biraghii'' G. Raybaudi, 1992: synonym of '' Conus biraghii'' (G. Raybaudi, 1992) * ''Leptoconus dusaveli'' H. Adams, 1872: synonym of ''

Conus dusaveli ''Conus dusaveli'', common name Du Savel's 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 venomo ...

'' (H. Adams, 1872) * ''Leptoconus gernanti'' Petuch, 1975: synonym of '' Conus ambiguus'' Reeve, 1844 * ''Leptoconus hamanni'' (Fainzilber & Mienis, 1986): synonym of '' Conus hamanni'' Fainzilber & Mienis, 1986 * ''Leptoconus illawarra'' Garrard, 1961: synonym of ''

Conus sydneyensis ''Conus sydneyensis'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Conidae, the Conus, cone snails and their allies. Like all species within the genus ''Conus'', these snails are predatory and venomous. ...

'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1887 * ''Leptoconus kawamurai'' (Habe, 1962): synonym of '' Conus kawamurai'' Habe, 1962 * ''Leptoconus locumtenens'' (Blumenbach, 1791): synonym of '' Conus locumtenens'' Blumenbach, 1791 * ''Leptoconus mappa'': synonym of ''

Conus mappa ''Conus mappa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. There are two recognized subspecies: * ''Conus mappa jesusramirezi'' (Cossignani, 2010) * ''Conus mappa trinitarius ...

'' Lightfoot, 1786 * ''Leptoconus milneedwardsi'' (Jousseaume, 1894): synonym of ''

Conus milneedwardsi ''Conus milneedwardsi'', known to collectors as the "Glory of India", 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 ...

'' Jousseaume, 1894 * ''Leptoconus temnes'' Iredale, 1930: synonym of ''

'' Linnaeus, 1758

References

External links

To World Register of Marine Species

Gastropods.com: ''Conidae'' setting forth the genera recognized therein.
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q61447793, from2=Q6528020 Conidae Gastropod subgenera

Distinguishing characteristics

Species list

References

Further reading

External links