Rank Species | Clade Hypsogastropoda | |
 | ||
Similar Conus striatus, Conus radiatus, Conus magus, Conus ermineus, Conus | ||
Conus purpurascens milking
Conus purpurascens, common name the purple 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. Conantokin-P is a toxin derived from the venom of Conus purpurascens.
Description
The size of the shell varies between 33 mm and 80 mm. The shell is broad-shouldered, with a rude, striate spire. It is striate below, and the string sometimes is slightly granular. The shell is clouded with white or violaceous and brown or olive, with close lines of chestnut and white minute articulations. Sometimes it is irregularly white-banded in the middle.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Central Pacific, off the Galapagos Islands and in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
