Conus kirkandersi

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

Conus kirkandersi
Shell and protoconch of Conus kirkandersi (holotype at the Smithsonian Institution)
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. kirkandersi
Binomial name
Conus kirkandersi Petuch, 1987
Synonyms[2]
Conus (Dauciconus) kirkandersi Petuch, 1987 · accepted, alternate representation Purpuriconus kirkandersi (Petuch, 1987)

These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of stinging humans.

Description

Original description: "Shell small for genus, thick, heavy, squat; spire low, almost flattened; shoulder rounded smooth, without coronations; body whorl sculptured with 12-15 large, raised spiral cords and numerous fine spiral threads, giving shell rough appearance; lip of adults thickened; shell color pure white with 2 broad bands, one above mid-body and one below mid-body; bands often break up into large brown blotches and flammules; anterior tip of shell brown; several rows of dark brown spots often superimposed upon brown bands; spire white with evenly-spaced, dark brown, crescent-shaped flammules; protoconch and early whorls yellow; interior of aperture white with 2 brown bands, corresponding to external color bands; periostracum thick, brown, tufted along shoulder; animal bright red."^[3]

The size of the shell varies between 14 mm and 26 mm.

Distribution

Locus typicus: "North end of Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, Mexico."^[4]

This marine species of Cone snail occurs in the Caribbean Sea off Mexico.