Conus marchionatus

Conus marchionatus, commonly known as the Marquesas cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, which includes the cone snails and their allies.^[1]

Conus marchionatus
Apertural and abapertural views of the shell of Conus marchionatus Hinds, 1843
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. marchionatus
Binomial name
Conus marchionatus Hinds, 1843
Synonyms[1]
Conus (Eugeniconus) marchionatus Hinds, 1843 · accepted, alternate representation Conus caelatus A. Adams, 1855 Conus marchionatus var. eudoxus Tryon, 1884 Eugeniconus marchionatus (Hinds, 1843)

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of delivering a venomous sting to humans; therefore, live specimens should be handled with great caution or avoided altogether.

Description

The size of the shell of Conus marchionatus varies between 12 mm and 68 mm. The spire is depressed and features spiral striae. The shell's coloration is yellowish or light brown, adorned with large, white, rounded triangular spots. Its pattern of coloring closely resembles that of Conus marmoreus, though it is generally lighter.

The shell is easily distinguished by the absence of the coronal of tubercles, which is characteristic of some other cone snail species, and its relatively small size compared to other members of the genus.^[2][3]

Distribution

This species is found in the Pacific Ocean, specifically around the waters of the Marquesas Islands.