Californiconus californicus

Californiconus californicus, common name the Californian cone, is a species of small, predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Conidae, the cone snails.[1]

Californiconus californicus
Apertural view of shell of Californiconus californicus (Hinds in Reeve, 1844), measuring 29.1 mm in height, collected at low tide in Huntington Beach, California.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Conidae
Genus: Californiconus
Species:
C. californicus
Binomial name
Californiconus californicus
(Hinds in Reeve, 1844)
Synonyms[1]
  • Conus californicus Reeve, 1844
  • † Conus californicus fossilis Oldroyd, 1921
  • Conus ravus Gould, 1853

As both the Latin name and common name suggest, this cone is found in California.

Distribution and habitat

This small cone snail is unusual, in that most cone snail species are tropical, whereas this species lives in the cooler, temperate waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, including most of the coast of California.[2] The range of this species is from the Farallon Islands near San Francisco to Bahia Magdalena, in Baja California, Mexico.

This cone is found in both rocky and sandy areas, in the intertidal zone, and subtidally down to 30 meters depth.

Shell description

This shell is distinguished by its grayish-brown color and thick periostracum. It is round-shouldered with the aperture broader at the base. The spire is flat-sided, and the height of the shell ranges from 25–40 mm.[3]

Feeding habits

The California cone hunts and eats marine worms, fish, and other mollusks. It is also a scavenger.[2]

  • A live individual of the California cone, Californiconus californicus, anterior end towards the right
  • Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844
  • Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844
  • Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844

Fossil record

Fossils of Californiconus californicus have been recovered from the Late Pleistocene strata of Isla Vista, California.[4]

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References
  1. Conus californicus Reeve, 1844. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.
  2. Stewart J. & Gilly W. F. (October 2005). "Piscivorous Behavior of a Temperate Cone Snail, Conus californicus". Biological Bulletin 209: 146–153. full text.
  3. McLean, James H., 1978 Marine Shells of Southern California, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, 51–52.
  4. McMenamin, M. A. S. (1984). "Conus californicus from the Late Pleistocene of Isla Vista, California". Bulletin of the Southern California Paleontological Society. 16 (1&2): 9.
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