Conus pennaceus

Conus pennaceus, common name the feathered cone or the episcopal cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[2]

Conus pennaceus
Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus pennaceus Born, I. von, 1778
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. pennaceus
Binomial name
Conus pennaceus Born, 1778[1]
Synonyms[2]
Conus (Darioconus) pennaceus Born, 1778 · accepted, alternate representation Conus aureus Röding, P.F., 1798 (invalid, junior homonym of Conus aureus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) Conus colubrinus Lamarck, 1810 Conus elisae Kiener, 1850 Conus episcopus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus episcopus mauritiensis Lauer, 1992 Conus omaria var. marmoricolor Melvill, 1900 Conus pennaceus bazarutensis Fernandes & Monteiro, 1988 Conus pennaceus corbieri Blöcher, 1994 Conus pennaceus ganensis Delsaerdt, 1988 Conus pennaceus tsara Korn, Niederhöfer & Blöcher, 2000 Conus praelatus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus purus Pease, W.H., 1863, "1862" Conus quasimagnificus Reeve, 1843 Conus racemosus G. B. Sowerby II, 1874 Conus rubiginosus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus rubropennatus Da Motta, 1982 Conus stellatus Kiener, 1845 Cucullus aureus Röding, 1798 (junior secondary homonym of Conus aureus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) Cucullus gentilis Röding, 1798 Darioconus pennaceus (Born, 1778) Gastridium episcopus Salvat, B. & Rives, C. 1975

A Conus pennaceus attacking one of a cluster of three Cymatium nicobaricum in Hawaii

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.

Subspecies

• Conus pennaceus pennaceus Born, 1778
• Conus pennaceus pseudoecho (Bozzetti, 2013)
• Conus pennaceus vezoi Korn, Niederhöfer & Blöcher, 2000
• Conus pennaceus behelokensis Lauer, 1989:^[3] now considered to be a synonym of Conus behelokensis Lauer, 1989
• Conus pennaceus echo Lauer, 1988:^[4] now considered to be a synonym of Conus echo Lauer, 1989

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 35 mm and 88 mm. The color of the shell varies from orange-brown to chocolate, covered by minute white spots, and overlaid by larger white triangular spots, sometimes forming bands at the shoulder, middle and base.^[5]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique and Kenya. The nominal species is found along the shores of the tropical Eastern Africa. The shells vary greatly in shape and colour. They often have a background with bluish or greyish hues and an orange to red brown pattern. The holotype of D. pennaceus is a stocky shell with an extremely wide shoulder that is rarely found in its range. The form elisae (Kiener, 1846) has an axially crowded pattern of tents that gives to the shells a darker aspect.