Conus magus

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Conus magus
Conus magus 001.jpg
Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of a shell of Conus magus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Conidae
Genus: Conus
Species:
C. magus
Binomial name
Conus magus
Synonyms [2]
  • Conus (Pionoconus) magusLinnaeus, 1758 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conus adansonisensu G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 (misidentification)
  • Conus ambaroidesShikama, 1977
  • Conus assimilisA. Adams, 1855
  • Conus borneensis G. B. Sowerby II, 1866 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus borneensis A. Adams & Reeve, 1848)
  • Conus carinatusSwainson, 1822
  • Conus cernohorskyida Motta, 1983
  • Conus circaeG. B. Sowerby II, 1858
  • Conus consulBoivin, 1864
  • Conus epistomioidesWeinkauff, 1875
  • Conus epistomiumReeve, 1844
  • Conus frauenfeldiCrosse, 1865
  • Conus fucatusReeve, 1849
  • Conus fulvobullatusda Motta, 1982
  • Conus melancholicusLamarck, 1810
  • Conus metcalfiiReeve, 1843
  • Conus raphanusHwass in Bruguière, 1792
  • Conus rollandiBernardi, 1860
  • Conus signiferCrosse, 1865
  • Conus tasmaniaeG. B. Sowerby II, 1866
  • Conus ustulatusReeve, 1844
  • Conus worcesteriBrazier, 1891
  • Cucullus caesiusRöding, 1798
  • Pionoconus magus(Linnaeus, 1758)

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

Contents

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. Their venom contains conotoxins which have powerful neurotoxic effects. Given that they are capable of "stinging" humans, live cone shells should be handled with great care or preferably not at all.

The variety Conus magus var. decurtatusDautzenberg, 1910 is a synonym of Conus striolatus Kiener, 1848

Description

Conus magus (syn.:Conus fulvobullatus) shows the variability in pattern and color of this species Conus magus 002.jpg
Conus magus (syn.:Conus fulvobullatus) shows the variability in pattern and color of this species

The size of an adult shell varies between 16 mm and 94 mm. This common species is very variable in pattern and shade of coloring and embraces a large synonymy. The moderate spire is striate. The body whorl is long and rather cylindrical, closely striate below. The color of the shell is white, clouded with bluish ash, orange-brown, chestnut or chocolate, everywhere encircled by narrow chocolate interrupted lines, often separated into somewhat distant dots The middle of the body whorl is usually irregularly fasciate with white. The spire is tessellated with chestnut or chocolate. [3]

Venom use

Ziconotide is a chemical derived from the Conus magus toxin that acts as a painkiller with a potency 1000 times that of morphine. Discovered by Dr. Baldomero Olivera at University of Utah, it was developed for treatment of chronic and intractable pain caused by AIDS, cancer, neurological disorders and other maladies, and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2004 under the name Prialt.

Ziconotide works by blocking calcium channels in pain-transmitting nerve cells, rendering them unable to transmit pain signals to the brain. It is administered through injection into the spinal fluid. [4]

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar and the Mascarene Basin. It is also found over a wide area of the Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Japan and to the Marshall Islands, Wallis and Futuna and Fiji, but mainly centered on the Philippines; off Australia (Queensland).

Related Research Articles

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<i>Conus textile</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus anemone</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus artoptus</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus betulinus</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus boeticus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus boeticus, common name the boeticus cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus capitaneus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus capitaneus, common name the captain cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus catus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus catus, common name the cat cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus coccineus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus coccineus, common name the berry cone or the scarlet cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus consors</i> Species of sea snail

Conus consors, common name the singed cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus floccatus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus floccatus, common name the snowflake cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus omaria</i> Species of sea snail

Conus omaria, common name the Omaria cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus praecellens</i> Species of sea snail

Conus praecellens, common name the admirable cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus rattus</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus spectrum</i> Species of sea snail

Conus spectrum, common name the spectre cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus stercusmuscarum</i> Species of sea snail

Conus stercusmuscarum, common name the fly-specked cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus striatus</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus suturatus</i> Species of sea snail

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<i>Conus tulipa</i> Species of sea snail

Conus tulipa, common name the tulip cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Conus virgo</i> Species of sea snail

Conus virgo is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

References

  1. ↑ Duda, T. (2013). "Conus magus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T192549A2113422. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T192549A2113422.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Conus magus Linnaeus, 1758 . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 18 July 2011.
  3. ↑ George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 53; 1879
  4. ↑ "Sea Snail Venom Yields Powerful New Painkiller, March 1, 2005 NIH Record - National Institutes of Health (NIH)". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
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