Conus aureopunctatus

Conus aureopunctatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.^[2] These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of stinging humans.

Conus aureopunctatus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. aureopunctatus
Binomial name
Conus aureopunctatus Petuch, 1987
Synonyms[2]
Conasprella aureopunctatus Petuch, 1987 Conus (Dauciconus) aureopunctatus Petuch, 1987 · accepted, alternate representation Gradiconus aureopunctatus (Petuch, 1987)

Description

Original description: "Shell small for genus, turnip-shaped, with wide body whorl and prominent constriction around anterior one-third, producing distinct anterior canal; shell shiny, polished; shoulder sharply carinated, with bladelike carina; spire elevated, scalariform; anterior third of shell ornamented with 10 thick, raised, spiral cords, each separated from others by deeply-incised sulci; base color of shell white; smooth portion of body whorl with 4 rows of pale yellow-orange dots; spiral cords on anterior end marked with yellow-orange dots; spire whorls smooth, with numerous crescent-shaped orange flammules; interior of aperture white; periostracum brown, thick, and smooth."^[3] The size of the shell attains 20 mm.

Distribution

Locus typicus: Erroneously stated as "Gulf of Venezuela, off Punto Fijo, Falcon state, Venezuela"- but now corrected to Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Honduran-Nicaraguan border

This marine species of cone snail occurs in the Caribbean Sea off Nicaragua and Venezuela.