Conus thomae
Appearance
Conus thomae | |
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Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus thomae Gmelin, J.F., 1791 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Superfamily: | Conoidea |
Family: | Conidae |
Genus: | Conus |
Species: | C. thomae
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Binomial name | |
Conus thomae Gmelin, 1791
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Synonyms[1] | |
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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
- 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
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