Conus gladiator, common name the gladiator 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. They are capable of stinging humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.
Description The size of an adult shell varies between 26 mm and 48 mm. The spire is rather depressed, tuberculate and striate. The color of the shell is chocolate-brown, variegated with white, disposed in longitudinal streaks, with an irregular white band, and more or less distinct revolving lines of darker brown. The interior is white or tinged with chocolate. The epidermis is fibrous.George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 28-29; 1879
Distribution This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off the Galapagos Islands and from the Gulf of California to Peru.
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. 4 September 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 Kiener L.C. 1844–1850. Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes. Vol. 2. Famille des Enroulées. Genre Cone (Conus, Lam.), pp. 1–379, pl. 1-111 [pp. 1–48 (1846); 49–160 (1847); 161–192 (1848); 193–240 (1849); 241-(assumed to be 1850); plates 4,6 (1844); 2–3, 5, 7–32, 34–36, 38, 40–50 (1845); 33, 37, 39, 51–52, 54–56, 57–68, 74–77 (1846); 1, 69–73, 78–103 (1847); 104–106 (1848); 107 (1849); 108–111 (1850)]. Paris, Rousseau & J.B. Baillière The Conus Biodiversity website
Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
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