Conus gloriamaris | |
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Conus gloriamaris | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Superfamily: | Conoidea |
Family: | Conidae |
Genus: | Conus |
Species: | C. gloriamaris |
Binomial name | |
Conus gloriamaris | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Conus gloriamaris, common name the Glory of the Sea Cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones. It is commonly found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The shell can reach 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in length, but typically measures between 8 and 12 centimetres (3.1 and 4.7 in). Compared with other cones, C. gloriamaris is relatively large, slender, with a tall spire. It is finely reticulated with orange-brown lines, enclosing triangular spaces similar to other textile cones, and two or three bands of chestnut hieroglyphic markings across its body. It is sometimes confused with the common Textile cone, and there is a similarity to the Bengal cone. The tan coloration can vary from a lighter, golden color to a deeper dark brown, with intricate detailing. [3]
The shell of this mollusc species has special significance to shell collectors because it was once regarded as the rarest shell in the world. For about two centuries between its initial discovery and the discovery of its habitat in 1969, specimens were valued in the thousands of U.S. dollars and generally only owned by museums and wealthy private collectors. Furthermore, the shell's popularity among collectors spawned urban legends, most notably the story of a collector purchasing one at auction in 1792 only to destroy it, to maintain the value of another one already in his collection. Improvements in diving technology such as the advent of scuba led to their discovery in larger numbers, and today shells can often be found from retailers or online auction sites for less than $100 U.S. Nonetheless, the legacy of this shell in addition to its pleasing shape and patterns makes it popular and desirable among shell collectors today. [4]
This is one of the many Indo-Pacific species of cone snail. It is found principally off the Solomon Islands but with a habitat ranging from the Philippines and eastern Indonesia, through New Guinea, and as far east as Samoa and Fiji. [5]
Cone snails, or cones, are highly venomous sea snails of the family Conidae.
Conus lischkeanus, the Lischke's cone, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.
Conus biliosus, common name the bilious cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus ferrugineus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus frigidus, common name the frigid cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus moluccensis, common name the Molucca cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus rufimaculosus, common name the red-stained cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus sulcatus, common name the grooved shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Profundiconus teramachii, common name Teramachi's cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus varius, common name the freckled cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Conus ziczac is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Calamiconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Californiconus is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. The experts at WoRMS place this group of species in the family Conidae, the cone snails, but some other experts placed previously the genus in a proposed family, the Conilithidae. This is a monotypic genus.
Conasprelloides is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Cylinder is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
The taxonomy of the cone snails and their allies as proposed by John K. Tucker and Manuel J. Tenorio in 2009 was a biological classification system for a large group of predatory sea snails. This system was an attempt to make taxonomic sense of the large and diverse group which contains the family Conidae, the cone snails. The authors proposed extensive changes to the family Conidae in contrast to the way the group was treated in the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005. Bouchet and Rocroi included in the family Conidae several other groups of toxoglossan snails which had previously been placed in the Turridae.
Endemoconus is subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Gradiconus is a synonym of a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. T
Kohniconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conilithidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Profundiconus neotorquatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.