Conus ermineus

Conus ermineus, common name the turtle cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[2]

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 species occurs in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to South America; in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa and the Cape Verdes; in the Indian Ocean off Tanzania.

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 103 mm.^[3]

Conantokin-E is a toxin derived from the venom of Conus ermineus.

It is a fishing eating species. Utilizes specialized hollow harpoon like radula tooth to harpoon small fish and paralyze them with venom to facilitate swallowing.

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.^[3] Maximum recorded depth is 101 m.^[3]

Venom

Conus ermineus is a venomous species and capable of stinging humans, so it should be treated with caution. A delta-conotoxin (delta-EVIA) isolated from the venom of C. ermineus inhibits the inactivation of vertebrate Na + neural channels.^[4]

References

^ Petuch, E. (2013). "Conus ermineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T192578A2119510. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T192578A2119510.en. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
^ a b Conus ermineus Born, 1778. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.
^ a b c 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.
^ Barbier, Julien; Lamthanh, Hung; Le Gall, Frédéric; Favreau, Philippe; Benoit, Evelyne; Chen, Haijun; Gilles, Nicolas; Ilan, Nitza; Heinemann, Stefan H.; Gordon, Dalia; Ménez, André (6 February 2004). "A delta-conotoxin from Conus ermineus venom inhibits inactivation in vertebrate neuronal Na+ channels but not in skeletal and cardiac muscles". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279 (6): 4680–4685. doi:10.1074/jbc.M309576200. ISSN 0021-9258. PMID 14615484. S2CID 23432288.

Petit, R. E. (2009). George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa. Zootaxa. 2189: 1–218
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

Gallery

Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conus ermineus.

The Conus Biodiversity website
Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
"Chelyconus ermineus". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.