Conus aulicus

Conus aulicus, common name the princely cone, is a species of a predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.^[2]

Conus aulicus
Apertural view of a shell of Conus aulicus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. aulicus
Binomial name
Conus aulicus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms[2]
Conus (Darioconus) aulicus Linnaeus, 1758 accepted, alternate representation Conus amadis var. aurantia Dautzenberg, 1937 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus aurantius Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) Conus aulicus var. propenudus Melvill, 1900 Conus aulicus var. roseus G. B. Sowerby II, 1834 Conus auratus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus aurifer Röding, P.F., 1798 Conus gracianus da Motta, 1982 Conus particolor Perry, 1810 Cucullus aurifer Röding, 1798 Darioconus aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Darioconus auratus Hwass, C.H. in Bruguière, J.G., 1792

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 65 mm and 163 mm. The shell is rather narrow and has an elevated spire. The color of the shell is chocolate-brown, covered by elevated close revolving lines of darker color. The surface is irregularly overlaid by subtriangular white spots, some of which are very large. The operculum is a very minute square on the dorsal surface of the hinder part of the foot.

The proboscis of Conus aulicus is varied with red and white.^[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Chagos^[2] and Mauritius;^[2] in the Indo-Pacific Region (excl. Hawaii).