Conus textile, the textile cone or the cloth of gold cone[3] is a venomous species of sea snail, a marinegastropodmollusk 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]
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] In 2021, a Queensland teen nearly died after picking up a live textile cone.[6]
Conus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus quercinus var. ponderosa G.B. Sowerby, 1858)
Conus textilinusKiener, 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
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).[7] The color pattern of its shell resembles a cellular automaton[8] named Rule 30.[9] The color of the shell is yellowish brown, with undulating longitudinal lines of brownness, 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.[10]
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.[12]
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).[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
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Röding, P.F. 1798. Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturae quae olim collegerat Joa. Hamburg : Trappii 199 pp.
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