Conus balteatus

Conus balteatus, common name the Mauritian cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.[2]

Conus balteatus
Apertural view of a shell of Conus balteatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Conidae
Genus: Conus
Species:
C. balteatus
Binomial name
Conus balteatus
G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 [1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Conus (Floraconus) balteatus G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conus balteatus pigmentatus A. Adams & Reeve, 1848
  • Conus cernicus H. Adams, 1869
  • Conus circumclausus Fenaux, 1942
  • Conus moussoni Crosse, 1865
  • Conus pigmentatus Adams A. and Reeve L.A. 1848 [3]
  • Conus propinquus E. A. Smith, 1877
  • Conus tenuisulcatus G. B. Sowerby II, 1873
  • Nitidoconus balteatus (G. B. Sowerby I, 1833)
  • Rolaniconus balteatus cernicus (f) "Barclay, D.W. MS" Adams, H.G., 1869

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.

The subspecies: Conus balteatus pigmentatus A. Adams & Reeve, 1848 is accepted as Conus balteatus G. B. Sowerby I, 1833

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 13 mm and 33 mm. The shell is olive-brown or brown violaceous, with a more or less irregular white band below the middle, and another one below the tuberculated spire. The interior of the aperture is tinged with violet.[4]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off the Mascarene Basin and in the Western Pacific Ocean (New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea)

Below are several color forms and one subspecies:

  • Conus balteatus Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833
  • Conus balteatus Sowerby, G.B. I, 1833
  • Conus balteatus pigmentatus Adams, A. & L.A. Reeve, 1848
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References
  1. Sowerby (II), G. B. Jr., 1833. The Conchological Illustrations
  2. Conus balteatus G. B. Sowerby II, 1833. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 16 July 2011.
  3. Adams, A., and Reeve, L. A., 1848. 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.. Mollusca, pt. 1
  4. George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology, vol. VI, p. 21; 1879
  • The Conus Biodiversity website
  • "Rolaniconus balteatus". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  • Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
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