teleoconch

English

Etymology

From teleo- +‎ conch.

Noun

teleoconch (plural teleoconchs or teleoconches)

1. (zoology) The portion of a shell of a conchiferan mollusc formed immediately after the larval stage of the life cycle of the organism.
   • 1995, Haszprunar, G., Salvini-Plawen, L. von, & Rieger, R. M. (1995). Larval planktotrophy—a primative trait in the Bilateria? Acta Zoologica, 76(2), 141–154., page 143:

     the shell produced after metamorphosis is referred to as adult shell or teleoconch.

   • 2014, Alan J. Kohn, "Conus" of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean, page 48:

     Teleoconch: The postlarval, postmetamorphic, or postnuclear whorls of the shell. Because Conus shells continue to grow throughout life, the number of teleoconch whorls varies considerably within as well as among species.

Coordinate terms

• protoconch