Conus zonatus, common name the zoned 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 the shell varies between 35 mm and 88 mm. The ground color of the shell is purple ash, with narrow chestnut revolving lines and white spots, the latter frequently irregularly coalescing.G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
Distribution This marine species occurs off the Seychelles, in the Mascarene Bassin, and off India, Thailand and Sumatra.
References
Bruguière, J. G., and Hwass, C. H., 1792. Cone. Encyclopédie Méthodique: Histoire Naturelle des Vers, 1: 586–757 Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2013) Illustrated catalog of the living cone shells. 517 pp. Wellington, Florida: MdM Publishing.
External links The Conus Biodiversity website Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea