Conus textile

Conus textile, the textile cone or the cloth of gold cone^[3] is a venomous species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones. Textile cone snails live mostly in the Indian Ocean, along the eastern coast of Africa and around Australia.^[4]

Conus textile
A live individual of Conus textile, head end towards the right
Conservation status
Least Concern  (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. textile
Binomial name
Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms[2]
See "List of synonyms"

Apertural view of Conus textile textile forma archiepiscopus

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. Based on a report in 2004, about 30 human deaths have been attributed to cone snails.^[5]

List of synonyms

• Conus (Cylinder) textile Linnaeus, 1758 · accepted, alternate representation
• Conus cholmondeleyi Melvill, 1900
• Conus communis Swainson, 1840
• Cylinder concatenatus Kiener, 1845
• Conus corbula G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
• Conus dilectus Gould, 1850
• Conus euetrios G. B. Sowerby III, 1882
• Conus eumitus Tomlin, 1926
• Conus panniculus Lamarck, 1810
• Conus reteaureum Perry, 1811
• Conus sirventi Fenaux, 1943
• Conus suzannae van Rossum, 1990
• Conus textile dahlakensis da Motta, 1982
• Conus textile var. euetrios G. B. Sowerby III
• Conus textile var. loman Dautzenberg, 1937
• Conus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus quercinus var. ponderosa G.B. Sowerby, 1858)
• Conus textilinus Kiener, 1847 (synonym of Conus textile archiepiscopus)
• Conus tigrinus G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
• Conus undulatus [Lightfoot], 1786
• Conus verriculum Reeve, 1843
• Cucullus auratus Röding, 1798
• Cucullus auriger Röding, 1798
• Cucullus gloriamaris Röding, 1798
• Cylinder gloriamaris Perry, 1810
• Cylindrus panniculus Lamarck, 1810
• Cylindrus scriptus G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
• Cylindrus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932
• Cylindrus tigrinus G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
• Cylindrus verriculum Reeve, 1843
• Cylindrus aurelius Röding, 1798
• Cylindrus auriger Röding, 1798
• Cylindrus gloriamaris Röding, 1798
• Cylindrus textilis osullivani Iredale, 1931
• Cylindrus textilis
• Cylinder textile (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Darioconus textilis
• Darioconus textilis osullivani Iredale, 1931

Subspecies

• Conus textile neovicarius da Motta, 1982
• Conus textile vaulberti Lorenz, 2012 (Mauritius)
• Conus textile dahlakensis da Motta, 1982 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
• Conus textile var. abbreviata Dautzenberg, 1937: synonym of Conus ammiralis Linnaeus, 1758
• Conus textile var. euetrios G. B. Sowerby III : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
• Conus textile var. loman Dautzenberg, 1937 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
• Conus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
• Conus textile var. sulcata G. B. Sowerby I, 1834 : synonym of Conus retifer Menke, 1829

Shell description

Conus textile, holotype of Conus dilectus at the Smithsonian Institution

Typical length of adults is about 9 cm to 10 cm (3.5 in to 3.9 in).^[2] The maximum shell length for this species is 15 cm (5.9 in).^[6] The color of the shell is yellowish brown, with undulating longitudinal lines of brown, interrupted by triangular white spaces. These last are irregularly disposed, but crowded at the shoulder, base and middle so as to form bands. The spire is similarly marked. The aperture is white.^[7]

Distribution

C. textile lives in the waters of the Red Sea, the tropical Indo-Pacific, off Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia), New Zealand, the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa to Hawaii, and French Polynesia.^[8] In Australia, C. textile is more commonly found in northern Queensland, but sightings are increasingly found further south into New South Wales due to warmer ocean temperatures associated with climate change.^[9]

Ecology

Habitat

C. textile may be found in estuaries, on rocky shores and in rockpools. During the day they are usually buried in sand, and emerge to feed at night.^[9]

Life cycle

The female lays several hundred eggs at a time, which hatch after about 16 or 17 days. After hatching, the larvae float around in the current for approximately 16 days. Afterward, they settle at the bottom of the ocean. By this point their length is about 1.5 mm (0.06 in).^[10]

Feeding habits

C. textile is a carnivorous species, and uses a radula (a biological microscopic needle) to inject a conotoxin to kill its prey. Its venom contains the neurotoxin RPRFamide. C. textile eats snails.^[11] The proboscis, the tip of which holds the harpoon-like radular tooth, is capable of being extended to any part of its own shell. The living animal is a risk to any person handling it who has not taken proper care to protect exposed skin. Several human deaths have been attributed to this species.^[12]