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.[1]
| Conus ermineus | |
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| Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Conoidea |
| Family: | Conidae |
| Genus: | Conus |
| Species: | C. ermineus
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| Binomial name | |
| Conus ermineus Born, 1778
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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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 edit
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 edit
The maximum recorded shell length is 103 mm.[2]
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 edit
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[2] Maximum recorded depth is 101 m.[2]
Venom edit
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.[3]
References edit
- ^ 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 edit
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Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778 -
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778 -
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
External links edit
- The Conus Biodiversity website
- Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea
- "Chelyconus ermineus". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
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