Conus villepinii

Conus villepinii
Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus villepinii Fischer, P. & A.C. Bernardi, 1857
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Conidae
Genus: Conus
Species: C. villepinii
Binomial name
Conus villepinii
Fischer & Bernardi, 1857
Synonyms[1]
  • Conasprelloides villepinii (P. Fischer & Bernardi, 1857)
  • Conasprelloides villepinii fosteri (Clench, 1942)
  • Conasprelloides villepinii villepinii (P. Fischer & Bernardi, 1857)
  • Conus (Dauciconus) villepinii P. Fischer & Bernardi, 1857 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conus fosteri Clench, 1942
  • Conus villepinii fosteri Clench, 1942
  • Conus villepinii villepinii P. Fischer & Bernardi, 1857

Conus villepinii 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.

Distribution

This marine species occurs from Florida to Southern Brasil and off Bermuda. The whereabouts of the original type specimen is unknown. The 1857 type locality for this species is the island of Marie Galante, S-East of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles.
The species is better known from the Gulf of Mexico (trawler) sources.
Immature specimens with purpleish background color, dredged off Barbados, may have been described as Conus hunti, Wils & Moolenbeek,1979 (synonym of Conus sanderi Wils & Moolenbeek, 1979).
The coloration of the living animal of these immature Barbados specimens of around 20 mm. in overall length is a dirty-white with flecks of black, and black fringing at the edge of the mantle and siphonal canal.[2]

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 93 mm.[3]

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 25 m.[3] Maximum recorded depth is 475 m.[3]
Cone shells looking very similar in appearance to the shell presented as the type illustration of C.villepinii
have been dredged off West coast of Barbados, Lesser Antilles at depths around 85 fms/510 feet.

References

  1. 1 2 Conus villepinii Fischer & Bernardi, 1857.  Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.
  2. Personal marine bio experience and observation, via dredgings during the 1980's
  3. 1 2 3 Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.

External links

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