Species of sea snail
Conus ermineus
Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Subclass:
Caenogastropoda
Order:
Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Conoidea
Family:
Conidae
Genus:
Conus
Species:
C. ermineus
Binomial name
Conus ermineus
Synonyms [ 2]
Chelyconus ermineus (Born, 1778) Conus (Chelyconus) ermineus Born, 1778 · accepted, alternate representationConus aspersus G. B. Sowerby II , 1833Conus caerulans Küster , 1838Conus coerulescens Schröter , 1803Conus eques Hwass in Bruguière , 1792Conus grayi Reeve, 1844 Conus inquinatus Reeve , 1849Conus leaeneus Link, 1807 Conus luzonicus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus narcissus Lamarck, 1810 Conus oculatus Gmelin, 1791 Conus perryae Clench, 1942 Conus portoricanus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus rudis Weinkauff, 1873 Conus testudinarius Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus verrucosus piraticus Clench, 1942 Cucullus barathrum Röding , 1798Cucullus crucifer Röding, 1798 Cucullus cutisanguina Röding, 1798
Conus ermineus turtle cone , is a species of sea snail , a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Conidae , the cone snails and their allies.[ 2]
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.
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Distribution
This species occurs in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to South America; in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa and the Cape Verdes ; in the Indian Ocean off Tanzania .
Description
The maximum recorded shell length is 103 mm.[ 3]
Conantokin -E is a toxin derived from the venom of Conus ermineus.
It is a fishing eating species. Utilizes specialized hollow harpoon like radula tooth to harpoon small fish and paralyze them with venom to facilitate swallowing.
Habitat
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[ 3] [ 3]
Venom
Conus ermineus is a venomous species and capable of stinging humans, so it should be treated with caution. A delta-conotoxin (delta-EVIA) isolated from the venom of C. ermineus inhibits the inactivation of vertebrate Na + neural channels .[ 4]
References
^ Petuch, E. (2013). "Conus ermineus " . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013 : e.T192578A2119510. doi :10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T192578A2119510.en . Retrieved 29 April 2024 . ^ a b Conus ermineus Born, 1778World Register of Marine Species on 27 March 2010.^ a b c Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5 (1): e8776. doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0008776 .
^ Barbier, Julien; Lamthanh, Hung; Le Gall, Frédéric; Favreau, Philippe; Benoit, Evelyne; Chen, Haijun; Gilles, Nicolas; Ilan, Nitza; Heinemann, Stefan H.; Gordon, Dalia; Ménez, André (6 February 2004). "A delta-conotoxin from Conus ermineus venom inhibits inactivation in vertebrate neuronal Na+ channels but not in skeletal and cardiac muscles" . The Journal of Biological Chemistry . 279 (6): 4680– 4685. doi :10.1074/jbc.M309576200 ISSN 0021-9258 . PMID 14615484 . S2CID 23432288 .
Gallery
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
External links
