Conus rufimaculosus explained

Conus rufimaculosus, also known as the red-stained 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 is typically between 30-45 millimeters, though reaching up to 58 millimeters. The shell is typically a medium to heavy weight. The shell has a white base color with orange-brown blotches and aerial zigzag streaks covering it. In the deep interior, the aperture is pink, at the lip, it is white.^[1]

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales and Queensland.

References

• Macpherson, J.H. 1959. New gastropods from North Australia. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 24: 51–57, 1 pl.
• Wilson, B.R. & Gillett, K. 1971. Australian Shells: illustrating and describing 600 species of marine gastropods found in Australian waters. Sydney : Reed Books 168 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.
• 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

• The Conus Biodiversity website
• Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea

Notes and References

1. Web site: Conus rufimaculosus . 2024-03-29 . seashellsofnsw.org.au.