Conus (Darioconus)

Conus (Darioconus)
Apertural and abapertural views of a shell of Conus bengalensis Okutani, 1968.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Conidae
Genus: Conus
Subgenus: Darioconus
Iredale, 1930
Type species
Conus omaria
Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
Synonyms
  • Darioconus Iredale, 1930
  • Erythroconus da Motta, 1991
  • Regiconus Iredale, 1930

Darioconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

In the new classification of the family Conidae by Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015), Darioconus has become a subgenus of Conus: Conus (Darioconus) Tucker & Tenorio, 2013 represented as Conus Thiele, 1929

Distinguishing characteristics

The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes Darioconus from Conus in the following ways:

Shell characters (living and fossil species)
The basic shell shape is conical to elongated conical, has a deep anal notch on the shoulder, a smooth periostracum and a small operculum. The shoulder of the shell is usually nodulose and the protoconch is usually multispiral. Markings often include the presence of tents except for black or white color variants, with the absence of spiral lines of minute tents and textile bars.
Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
The radula has an elongated anterior section with serrations and a large exposed terminating cusp, a non-obvious waist, blade is either small or absent and has a short barb, and lacks a basal spur.
Geographical distribution
These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Feeding habits
These species eat other gastropods including cones.
Shell characters (living and fossil species)
The shell is ovate in shape. The protoconch can be paucispiral or multispiral, poorly developed nodules die out in the early postnuclear whorls, and the sides of the body whole are convex. The anal notch is moderate to shallow. The shell does not have textile bars, but is ornamented with spiral lines of minute tents. The periostracum is smooth, and the operculum is small.
Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
The anterior section of the radula is substantially more elongated than the posterior section. The waist is not obvious. A basal spur is absent, and the blade and barb is short. A terminating cusp is present.
Geographical distribution
These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Feeding habits
These species are molluscivorous (meaning that they prey on other mollusks).

Species list

This list of species is based on the information in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) list. Species within the genus Darioconus include:

References

  1. 1 2 Darioconus Iredale, 1930. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 06/24/11.
  2. ↑ 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
  3. 1 2 3 Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009), Systematic Classification of Recent and Fossil Conoidean Gastropods, ConchBooks, Hankenheim, Germany, 295 pp.
  4. ↑ Tucker J.K., Tenorio M.J. & Chaney H.W. (2011) A revision of the status of several conoid taxa from the Hawaiian Islands: Description of Darioconus levieni n. sp., Pionoconus striatus oahuensis n. ssp. and Harmoniconus paukstisi n. sp. (Gastropoda, Conidae). In: Severns M., Shells of the Hawaiian Islands - The Sea Shells: 501-514.

Further reading