Conus gradatulus, common name the Agulhas cone shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.[1]
| Conus gradatulus | |
|---|---|
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| Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus gradatulus Weinkauff, H.C., 1875 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Conoidea |
| Family: | Conidae |
| Genus: | Conus |
| Species: | C. gradatulus
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| Binomial name | |
| Conus gradatulus Weinkauff, 1875
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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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
editThe size of the shell varies between 41 mm and 72 mm. The spire is elevated, gradate, with channeled whorls. The body whorl is roseate with three series of longitudinal maculations of chestnut-color, forming interrupted bands. The aperture is rosy.[2]
Distinguishing features
editThe length of the shell attains 80 mm. [3]
The shell is light in weight, with a body whorl that is weakly convex and angular at the shoulder. The spire is broadly tapering to a sharp tip, though spire height may vary, and has a stepped profile due to the angular shoulder. Whorls are concave above the shoulder and nearly smooth. The base of the body whorl has faint spiral threads, while the rest of the surface is marked only by subtle growth lines. The aperture is elongated and narrow, with a thin outer lip. The operculum is very small and oblong-ovate. [3]
The shell's ground color is white, variably marked with orange-brown or reddish-brown, often forming a broad spiral band below the shoulder that commonly breaks into wavy axial stripes, sometimes nearly covering the entire body whorl. The shoulder slope and spire are white, occasionally accented with orange-brown axial flames. Living specimens have a thin, translucent olive-yellow periostracum that partially obscures the underlying color pattern. Specimens from the West Coast, typically form patens, are generally uniformly whitish, lacking color patterns, and often have a chalky appearance. [3]
Distribution
editThis marine species occurs off From Namibia (Walvis Bay) and West Coast to the Agulhas Bank, South Africa, at depths between 30 m and 500 m. [3]
Gallery
edit-
Conus gradatulus patens Sowerby, G.B. III, 1903 -
Conus gradatulus patens Sowerby, G.B. III, 1903
References
edit- ^ a b Conus gradatulus Weinkauff, 1875. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.
- ^ G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
- ^ a b c d Herbert, D.G., Jones, G.J. & Atkinson, L.J. (2018). Phylum Mollusca. In: Atkinson, L.J. and Sink, K.J. (eds) Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa. Pretoria: Malachite Marketing and Media. p. 289. doi:10.15493/SAEON.PUB.10000001. ISBN 978-1-86868-098-6. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
- Sowerby, G.B. Jr. II (1870). Descriptions of Forty-eight new Species of Shells. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1870): 249–259
- 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
- Kilburn, R.N. & Rippey, E. (1982). Sea Shells of Southern Africa. Johannesburg: Macmillan South Africa. p. 121.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Filmer, R.M. (2001). A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758 - 1998. Leyden: Backhuys Publishers. pp. 1–388.
External links
edit- Weinkauff, H.C. (1873–1875). Die Familie der Coneae oder Conidae. Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Nürnberg: v. p. 356.
- Adams, A. & Reeve, L. A. (1848–1850). Mollusca. In A. Adams (ed.), The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, under the command of Captain Sir Edward Belcher, C.B., F.R.A.S., F.G.S., during the years 1843-1846. London: Reeve & Benham. p. 17.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Reeve, L.A. (1848–1849). "Monograph of the genus Conus. Supplementary plates 1-9 and unpaginated text". Conchologia Iconica. suppl. to vol. 1.
- Sowerby, G.B. II (1870). "Descriptions of forty-eight new species of shells". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1870: 249–259.
- Barnard, K.H. (1958). "Contributions to the knowledge of South African marine Mollusca. Part I. Gastropoda: Prosobranchiata: Toxogloss". Annals of the South African Museum. 44 (1): 89.
- The Conus Biodiversity website
- Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
- "Sciteconus gradatulus gradatulus". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
