Conus purus

Conus purus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.

Conus purus
Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus purus Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. purus
Binomial name
Conus purus Pease, 1863
Synonyms
Conus (Darioconus) leviteni (Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011) · accepted, alternate representation Conus (Darioconus) purus Pease, 1863 · alternate representation Conus leviteni (J. K. Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011) Conus racemosus G. B. Sowerby III, 1874 · unaccepted* Conus stellatus Kiener, 1847 Darioconus leviteni Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011 Darioconus purus (Pease, 1863) ·

These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans.

Description

The size of the shell varies between 44 and 68 mm (1.7 and 2.7 in). Conus purus is white with a tented pattern tinged with reddish brown. The spire of the shell can range from flat to conical. Each individual cone shell has a different shell form, color, and pattern. The spire of the cone comes to spire or a point. Additionally, the animal has brown mottling and is tan, with distinct black, white, and red tips on the siphon.

Behavior

Cone snails possess venom that is so strong that it may rapidly paralyze and ultimately kill victims. Conus purus venom is a complicated mixture of substances that blocks various neuromuscular pathways, ultimately resulting in paralysis. It is estimated that the number of bioactive chemicals in each snail's venom is over 100,000. The development of a potent antitoxin has been hampered by the venom's intricacy and the several target routes.

Unlike most cones, juveniles settle where they hatch.

It feeds on other mollusks.

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Hawaii. The cone inhabits shallow water, no deeper than 15 ft (4.6 m).

Gallery

• 
  Conus purus Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011
• 
  Conus purus Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011
• 
  Conus purus Tucker, Tenorio & Chaney, 2011

Further reading

• Tucker J.K., Tenorio M.J. & Chaney H.W. (2011) A revision of the status of several conoid taxa from the Hawaiian Islands: Description of Darioconus levieni n. sp., Pionoconus striatus oahuensis n. ssp. and Harmoniconus paukstisi n. sp. (Gastropoda, Conidae). In: Severns M., Shells of the Hawaiian Islands - The Sea Shells: 501-514. Conchbooks, Hackenheim.
• Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2013) Illustrated catalog of the living cone shells. 517 pp. Wellington, Florida: MdM Publishing.

External links

• Jiménez-Tenorio, A Revision of the Status of Several Conoid Taxa from the Hawaiian Islands
• Sowerby, G. B. III. (1874). Descriptions of twelve new species of shells. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1873: 718–722, pl. 59.
• Kiener, L.C. (1844-1850). Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes. Vol. 2. Famille des Enroulées. Genre Cone (Conus, Lin.), pp. 1-379, pl. 1-111 [pp. 1-48 (1846); 49-160 (1847); 161-192 (1848); 193-240 (1849); 241-[379 (assumed to be 1850); plates 4,6 (1844); 2-3, 5, 7-32, 34-36, 38, 40-50 (1845); 33, 37, 39, 51-52, 54-56, 57-68, 74-77 (1846); 1, 69-73, 78-103 (1847); 104-106 (1848); 107 (1849); 108-111 (1850)]. Paris, Rousseau & J.B. Baillière]
• Johnson R.I. (1994). Types of shelled Indo-Pacific mollusks described by William Harper Pease. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 154(1): 1-61
• 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
• Pease, W. H. (1863). Description of new species of marine shells from the Pacific Islands. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1862): 278-280, pl. 11
• "Darioconus leviteni". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.