Conus ermineus
{{Short description|Species of sea snail}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Conus ermineus
| image =Conus ermineus 1.jpg
| image_caption =Apertural and abapertural views of shell of Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
| authority = Born, 1778
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| synonyms_ref = {{WRMS species|215538|Conus ermineus Born, 1778||27 March 2010}}
| synonyms =
- Chelyconus ermineus (Born, 1778)
- Conus (Chelyconus) ermineus Born, 1778 · accepted, alternate representation
- Conus aspersus G. B. Sowerby II, 1833
- Conus caerulans Küster, 1838
- Conus coerulescens Schröter, 1803
- Conus eques Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
- Conus grayi Reeve, 1844
- Conus inquinatus Reeve, 1849
- Conus 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, 1798
- Cucullus crucifer Röding, 1798
- Cucullus cutisanguina Röding, 1798
| display_parents = 3
}}
Conus ermineus, common name the turtle cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
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.
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.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}}.
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. Maximum recorded depth is 101 m.
Fresh-dead, crabbed shells are known from traps set at 150 metres depth: West coast Barbados.
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.{{Cite journal|last1=Barbier|first1=Julien|last2=Lamthanh|first2=Hung|last3=Le Gall|first3=Frédéric|last4=Favreau|first4=Philippe|last5=Benoit|first5=Evelyne|last6=Chen|first6=Haijun|last7=Gilles|first7=Nicolas|last8=Ilan|first8=Nitza|last9=Heinemann|first9=Stefan H.|last10=Gordon|first10=Dalia|last11=Ménez|first11=André|date=2004-02-06|title=A delta-conotoxin from Conus ermineus venom inhibits inactivation in vertebrate neuronal Na+ channels but not in skeletal and cardiac muscles|journal=The Journal of Biological Chemistry|volume=279|issue=6|pages=4680–4685|doi=10.1074/jbc.M309576200|issn=0021-9258|pmid=14615484|s2cid=23432288|doi-access=free}}
References
{{Reflist}}
- [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/z02189p218f.pdf Petit, R. E. (2009). George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa. Zootaxa. 2189: 1–218]
- [https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyu055 Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015). One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81: 1–23]
Gallery
File:Conus ermineus 3.jpg|Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
File:Conus ermineus 4.jpg|Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
File:Conus ermineus 5.jpg|Conus ermineus Born, I. von, 1778
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/conus/catalogue/index.php The Conus Biodiversity website]
- [http://www.coneshells-am.ru/ Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea]
- {{Gastropods.com|key=8|id=3948|title=Chelyconus ermineus|access-date=15 January 2019}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1316187}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conus Ermineus}}
Category:Gastropods described in 1778
Category:Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean
Category:Molluscs of the Indian Ocean
Category:Gastropods of Cape Verde
Category:Taxa named by Ignaz von Born
{{conus-stub}}