Conus thomae

Conus thomae
Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus thomae Gmelin, J.F., 1791
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Clade:	Caenogastropoda
Clade:	Hypsogastropoda
Clade:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. thomae
Binomial name
Conus thomae Gmelin, 1791
Synonyms[1]
Conus (Darioconus) thomae Gmelin, 1791 · accepted, alternate representation Conus jousseaumei Couturier, 1891 Conus omaicus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Strategoconus thomae (Gmelin, 1791) Thalassiconus thomae (Gmelin, 1791)

Conus thomae, common name St. Thomas cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[1]

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 55 mm and 97 mm. The narrow shell is whitish, encircled by numerous hues of square spots and dashes of orange-brown, often forming two or three broad bands by their approximation.^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Indian Ocean and off the Moluccas.

References

1. Conus thomae Gmelin, 1791.  Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.
2. G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences

• 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. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyu055.

External links

• The Conus Biodiversity website
• Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea
• Gastropods.com: Strategoconus thomae