Species IUCN · Least Concern (LC)

Mediterranean Cone Snail

Conus ventricosus, Gmelin, 1791

marine

About Mediterranean Cone Snail

Conus ventricosus, common name the Mediterranean cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Conus ventricosus mediterraneus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792, is a recognized subspecies.

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.

Appearance

The size of the shell varies between 13 mm and 63 mm. The shell is yellowish brown, pink-brown or olivaceous. It is sometimes chocolate-brown, very closely nebulously spotted and reticulated. And sometimes it is interrupted-lined with chestnut, with a narrow, light band below the middle. The spire is elevated, rudely gradate and maculated. The interior of the aperture is light chocolate, with a light band.

The peptide Contryphan-Vn was extracted from the venom of this marine snail. It is part of a complex mixture of poisonous compounds secreted by this cone snailand used in worm hunting.

Habitat

This marine species has a wide distribution found in shallow waters ranging in the Mediterranean Sea.

It was also found as a fossil from the Pliocene and the Miocene.

Where to see it

No dive sites list Mediterranean Cone Snail yet. Explore the map to find sites near you.