Conus mappa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conus mappa |
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Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus mappa Lightfoot, J. in Solander, 1786 | |
Scientific classification | |
Synonyms | |
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Conus mappa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
There are two recognized subspecies:
- Conus mappa jesusramirezi (Cossignani, 2010)
- Conus mappa trinitarius Hwass in Bruguière, 1792.
- Conus mappa granarius Kiener, 1845.: synonym of Conus granarius
The junior homonym Conus mappa Crosse, 1858 is a synonym of Conus eldredi Morrison, 1955.
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.
Description
The size of the wide shell varies between 36 mm and 67 mm. The spire contains small nodules and has a smooth shoulder. The body whorl is smooth and has a very variable color pattern of milkish white to pinkish white with two spiral bands of greenish yellow to darker brown. These bands are broken into irregular patches. The spiral whorls show very fine longitudinal grooves. The aperture is whitish.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Caribbean Sea off Venezuela, Trinidad - and Barbados where it occurs only at 85 fathoms/155 metres depth