Conus lynceus, the lynceus cone, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.
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 Conantokin-L is a toxin derived from the venom of Conus lynceus.
Distribution This is an Indo-Pacific species found along Taiwan, the Philippines, Java, Solomon Islands, Queensland, Australia.
Shell description The size of an adult shell varies between 50 mm and 89 mm. The shell is somewhat swollen, distantly sulcate below, otherwise smooth. The shell is white with encircled by chestnut spots, clouds, and oblique and triangular markings. It has a very pointed, maculated spire.George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 56; 1879 (described as Conus nisus Chemn.)
References
Hinton, A. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific. Milton : Jacaranda Press xviii 94 pp. Wilson, B. 1994. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp. Röckel, D., Korn, W. & Kohn, A.J. 1995. Manual of the Living Conidae. Volume 1: Indo-Pacific Region. Wiesbaden : Hemmen 517 pp. Petit, R. E. (2009). George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa. Zootaxa. 2189: 1–218 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 Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 pp 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
External links
Conus lynceus - picture of Conus lynceus
Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea