Conus fergusoni

Conus fergusoni, common name the Ferguson's cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[3]

Conus fergusoni
Apertural view of shell of Conus fergusoni G.B.Sowerby III, 1873, with operculum, measuring 65.3 mm in height, collected at low tide at Venudo Island, in Panama.
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. fergusoni
Binomial name
Conus fergusoni G. B. Sowerby II, 1873[2]
Synonyms[3]
Conus (Pyruconus) fergusoni G. B. Sowerby II, 1873 · accepted, alternate representation Conus consanguineus E. A. Smith, 1880 Conus fulvocinctus Crosse, 1872 (ruled by ICZN Opinion 1502 not to have precedence over C. fergusoni) Pyruconus fergusoni G. B. Sowerby II, 1873

Specimen of Conus fergusoni with periostracum still intact.

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of stinging humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 60 mm and 150 mm. The heavy shell has a slightly channeled spire. The white shell is lightly striolate transversely and is covered under a brown epidermis.^[4]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off the Galapagos Islands and from the Gulf of California to Peru.