Kingdom Animalia Class Gastropoda Clade Hypsogastropoda Scientific name Conus coffeae | Phylum Mollusca Clade Caenogastropoda Clade Neogastropoda Rank Species | |
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Similar Conus corallinus, Conus boeticus, Conus cinereus, Conus balteatus, Conus cylindraceus | ||
Conus coffeae, common name the coffee cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
Contents
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 shell varies between 18 mm and 51 mm. The yellowish brown shell is white-banded in the middle and less distinctly so at the shoulder and the base of the body whorl. These bands are sometimes maculated, like the spire, with chestnut, and there are, on the darker portions, occasional faint chestnut revolving lines.
Distribution
This marine species occurs in the Central and Western Pacific; off Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)