Conus luteus

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

Conus luteus
Apertural view of a shell of Conus luteus
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (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. luteus
Binomial name
Conus luteus Sowerby I, 1833
Synonyms[2]
Conus (Leporiconus) luteus G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 · accepted, alternate representation Conus daucus var. luteus Krebs, 1864 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus luteus G.B. Sowerby I, 1833) Isoconus luteus (G. B. Sowerby I, 1833) Leporiconus luteus (G.B. Sowerby I, 1833)

The subspecies Conus luteus richardsae Röckel & Korn, 1992 has been raised to species level as Conus richardsae Röckel & Korn, 1992

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 18 mm and 54 mm. The color of the shell is yellow, pink or purplish, encircled by chestnut lines which are mostly broken up into chestnut and white articulations, an irregular white band below the middle. The aperture is purplish, with a central white band.^[3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the demersal zone of the Pacific Ocean from the Philippines to Northern Australia; off the Tuamotus.