Asprella is a proposed
genusIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of
sea snailSea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s,
marineMarine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusks in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Conidae, the
cone snailsConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
and their allies. This genus currently (November 2011) is still treated by some experts as an "alternative representation" of this group of species.
When the "alternative representations" are not used, this group of species is instead still placed in the
LinnaeanLinnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts:# the particular form of biological classification set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturæ and subsequent works...
genus
ConusConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
.
Distinguishing characteristics
The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes Asprella from Conus in the following ways:
- Genus Conus, sensu stricto, Linnaeus, 1758
- Shell characters (living and fossil species)
- The basic shell shape is conical to elongated conical, has a deep anal notch on the shoulder, a smooth periostracum
The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
and a small operculumThe operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
. The shoulder of the shell is usually nodulose and the protoconchA protoconch is an embryonic or larval shell of some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod...
is usually multispiral. Markings often include the presence of tents except for black or white color variants, with the absence of spiral lines of minute tents and textile bars.
- Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
- The radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
has an elongated anterior section with serrations and a large exposed terminating cusp, a non-obvious waist, blade is either small or absent and has a short barb, and lacks a basal spur.
- Geographical distribution:
- These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Feeding habits:
- These species eat other gastropods, including cones.
- Genus Asprella, Schaufuss, 1869
- Shell characters (living and fossil species)
- The protoconch
A protoconch is an embryonic or larval shell of some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod...
is multispiral, the body ornamentation reaches the shoulder of the shell or dissipates in the midbody region, and there are nodules on at least the early whorls. The shell has as a deep anal notch. The periostracumThe periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
is smooth however in some species there are minute hairs, and the operculumThe operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
is small.
- Radular tooth (not known for fossil species)
- The anterior section of the radula is approximately the same length as the posterior section but in some species one section may be longer than the other. The blade is long and extends between one-third and two-thirds the length of the anterior section of the radular tooth
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
. A basal spur is present, and the barb is short.
- Geographical distribution:
- These species are found throughout the Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region to and including AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
- Feeding habits:
- These species are vermivorous
-Examples:*Shrews*Tuataras*Hedgehogs*Kiwis*Long-beaked Echidnas*Platypuses*Leeches of the genus Americobdella*Moles-Pests or not Pests?:...
(i.e. they prey on marine worms).
Species list
This list of species is based on the information in the
World Register of Marine SpeciesThe World Register of Marine Species is a database that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the...
(WoRMS) list. Species within the genus Aspella include:
The following species names are recognized as "alternate representations" (see full explanation below) in contrast to the traditional system, which uses the genus
ConusConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
for all species in the family:
- Asprella armadillo (Shikama, 1971) is equivalent to Conus armadillo
Conus armadillo is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Shikama, 1971
- Asprella australis (Holten, 1802) is equivalent to Conus australis
Conus australis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Holten, 1802
- Asprella baeri (Röckel & Korn, 1992) is equivalent to Conus baeri
Conus baeri is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Röckel & Korn, 1992
- Asprella blanfordiana (Crosse, 1867) is equivalent to Conus blanfordianus
Conus blanfordianus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Crosse, 1867
- Asprella broderipii (Reeve, 1844) is equivalent to Conus broderipii
Conus broderipii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Reeve, 1844
- Asprella bruuni (Powell, 1958) is equivalent to Conus bruuni
Conus bruuni is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.-External links:*...
Powell, 1958
- Asprella ciderryi (da Motta, 1985) is equivalent to Conus ciderryi
Conus ciderryi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
da Motta, 1985
- Asprella colmani (Röckel & Korn, 1990) is equivalent to Conus colmani
Conus colmani is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Röckel & Korn, 1990
- Asprella conspersa (Reeve, 1844) is equivalent to Conus conspersus
Conus conspersus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Reeve, 1844
- Asprella erythraeensis (Reeve, 1843) is equivalent to Conus erythraeensis
Conus erythraeensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Reeve, 1843
- Asprella fijisulcata (Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008) is equivalent to Conus fijisulcatus
Conus fijisulcatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008
- Asprella flava (Röckel, 1985) is equivalent to Conus flavus
Conus flavus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Röckel, 1985
- Asprella gigasulcata (Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008) is equivalent to Conus gigasulcatus
Conus gigasulcatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008
- Asprella guidopoppei (Raybaudi Massilia, 2005) is equivalent to Conus guidopoppei
Conus guidopoppei is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Raybaudi Massilia, 2005
- Asprella inscripta (Reeve, 1843) is equivalent to Conus inscriptus
Conus inscriptus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Reeve, 1843
- Asprella iodostoma (Reeve, 1843) is equivalent to Conus iodostoma
Conus iodostoma, common name the violet-mouth cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Reeve, 1843
- Asprella janus (Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) is equivalent to Conus janus
Conus janus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
- Asprella kiicumulus (Azuma, 1982) is equivalent to Conus kiicumulus
Conus kiicumulus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Azuma, 1982)
- Asprella kinoshitai (Kuroda, 1956) is equivalent to Conus kinoshitai
Conus kinoshitai, common name Kinoshita's cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.These snails are predatory and venomous...
(Kuroda, 1956)
- Asprella kuroharai (Habe, 1965) is equivalent to Conus kuroharai
Conus kuroharai is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Habe, 1965)
- Asprella laterculata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1870) is equivalent to Conus laterculatus
Conus laterculata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species with the superfamily Conoidea, these snails are predatory and venomous...
G. B. Sowerby II, 1870
- Asprella lienardi (Bernardi & Crosse, 1861) is equivalent to Conus lienardi Bernardi & Crosse, 1861
- Asprella limpusi (Röckel & Korn, 1990) is equivalent to Conus limpusi
Conus limpusi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Röckel & Korn, 1990
- Asprella lyncea (G.B. Sowerby II, 1858) is equivalent to Conus lynceus
Conus lynceus, common name the lynceus cone, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.-Distribution:...
G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
- Asprella neptunus (Reeve, 1843) is equivalent to Conus neptunus
Conus neptunus, common name the Neptune cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Reeve, 1843
- Asprella nigromaculata (Röckel & Moolenbeek, 1992) is equivalent to Conus nigromaculatus
Conus nigromaculatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Röckel & Moolenbeek, 1992
- Asprella ochroleuca (Gmelin, 1791) is equivalent to Conus ochroleucus
Conus ochroleucus, common name the prefect cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous...
Gmelin, 1791
- Asprella oishii Shikama, 1977 is equivalent to Conus oishii
Conus oishii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Shikama, 1977)
- Asprella pergrandis (Iredale, 1937) is equivalent to Conus pergrandis
Conus pergrandis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Iredale, 1937)
- Asprella petergabrieli (Lorenz, 2006) is equivalent to Conus petergabrieli
Conus petergabrieli is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Lorenz, 2006
- Asprella pretiosa (G. Nevill & H. Nevill, 1874) is equivalent to Conus pretiosus
Conus pretiosus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
G. Nevill & H. Nevill, 1874
- Asprella prima (Röckel & Korn, 1990) is equivalent to Conus primus
Conus primus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Röckel & Korn, 1990
- Asprella pseudokimioi (da Motta & Martin, 1982) is equivalent to Conus pseudokimioi
Conus pseudokimioi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
da Motta & Martin, 1982
- Asprella quiquandoni (Lorenz & Martin, 2008) is equivalent to Conus quiquandoni
Conus quiquandoni is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Lorenz & Barbier, 2008
- Asprella ranongana (da Motta, 1978) is equivalent to Conus ranonganus
Conus ranonganus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
da Motta, 1978
- Asprella richeri (Richard & Moolenbeek, 1988) is equivalent to Conus richeri
Conus richeri is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Richard & Moolenbeek, 1988
- Asprella spectrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is equivalent to Conus spectrum
Conus spectrum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Linnaeus, 1758
- Asprella sulcata (Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) is equivalent to Conus sulcatus
Conus sulcatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
- Asprella sulcocastanea (Kosuge, 1981) is equivalent to Conus sulcocastaneus
Conus sulcocastaneus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Kosuge, 1981
- Asprella tisii (T.C. Lan, 1978) is equivalent to Conus tisii
Conus tisii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
T.C. Lan, 1978
- Asprella traversiana (E.A. Smith, 1875) is equivalent to Conus traversianus
Conus traversianus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies....
E. A. Smith, 1875
- Asprella wittigi (Walls, 1977) is equivalent to Conus wittigi
Conus wittigi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Walls, 1977
The following species were synonymized:
- Asprella alabasteroides Shikama, 1963 was accepted as Conus australis
Conus australis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
Holten, 1802
- Asprella ichinoseana Kuroda, 1956 was accepted as Conus ichinoseanus(Kuroda, 1956)
- Asprella memiae Habe & Kosuge, 1970 was accepted as Conus memiae
Conus memiae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Habe & Kosuge, 1970)
- Asprella prioris Kuroda, 1956 was accepted as Conus ichinoseanus (Kuroda, 1956)
- Asprella tannaensis Cotton, 1945 was accepted as Conus excelsus
Conus excelsus, common name the excelsior cone, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails.-Shell description:...
G. B. Sowerby III, 1908
- Asprella teramachii Kuroda, 1956 was accepted as Conus teramachii
Conus teramachii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Kuroda, 1956)
- Asprella wakayamaensis Kuroda, 1956 was accepted as Conus wakayamaensis
Conus wakayamaensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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...
(Kuroda, 1956)
Significance of "alternative representation"
Prior to 2009, all species within the family Conidae were placed in one genus
ConusConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
. In 2009 however, J.K. Tucker and M.J. Tenorio proposed a classification system for the over 600 recognized
speciesIn biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
that were in the family. Their classification proposed 3 distinct families and 82 genera for the living species of cone snails. This classification was based upon
shellThe gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
morphologyIn biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
,
radularThe radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
differences,
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
,
physiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
,
cladisticsCladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
, with comparisons to molecular (DNA) studies. Published accounts of genera within the Conidae that include the genus Asprella include J.K. Tucker & M.J. Tenorio (2009), and Bouchet et al. (2011).
Testing in order to try to understand the
molecular phylogenyMolecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...
of the Conidae was initially begun by Christopher Meyer and Alan Kohn, and is continuing, particularly with the advent of nuclear DNA testing in addition to mDNA testing.
However, in 2011, some experts still prefer to use the traditional classification, where all species are placed in
ConusConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
within the single family Conidae: for example, according to the current November 2011 version of the
World Register of Marine SpeciesThe World Register of Marine Species is a database that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the...
, all species within the family Conidae are in the genus
ConusConus is a large genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs, with the common names of cone snails, cone shells or cones. This genus is placed in the subfamily Coninae within the family Conidae. Geologically speaking, the genus is known from the Eocene to the Recent ...
. The binomial names of species in the 82 cone snail genera listed in Tucker & Tenorio 2009 are recognized by the
World Register of Marine SpeciesThe World Register of Marine Species is a database that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the...
as "alternative representations." Debate within the scientific community regarding this issue continues, and additional
molecular phylogenyMolecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...
studies are being carried out in an attempt to clarify the issue.
Further reading
- Kohn A. A. (1992). Chronological Taxonomy of Conus, 1758-1840". Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.
- Monteiro A. (ed.) (2007). The Cone Collector 1: 1-28.
- Berschauer D. (2010). Technology and the Fall of the Mono-Generic Family The Cone Collector 15: pp. 51-54
- Puillandre N., Meyer C.P., Bouchet P., and Olivera B.M. (2011), Genetic divergence and geographical variation in the deep-water Conus orbignyi complex (Mollusca: Conoidea), Zoologica Scripta 40(4) 350-363.
External links