Conus magus

Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of a shell of Conus magus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Conidae
Genus:	Conus
Species:	C. magus
Binomial name
*Conus magus* Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms^[2]
Conus (Pionoconus) magus Linnaeus, 1758 · accepted, alternate representation Conus adansoni sensu G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 (misidentification) Conus ambaroides Shikama, 1977 Conus assimilis A. Adams, 1855 Conus borneensis G. B. Sowerby II, 1866 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus borneensis A. Adams & Reeve, 1848) Conus carinatus Swainson, 1822 Conus cernohorskyi da Motta, 1983 Conus circae G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 Conus consul Boivin, 1864 Conus epistomioides Weinkauff, 1875 Conus epistomium Reeve, 1844 Conus frauenfeldi Crosse, 1865 Conus fucatus Reeve, 1849 Conus fulvobullatus da Motta, 1982 Conus melancholicus Lamarck, 1810 Conus metcalfii Reeve, 1843 Conus raphanus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus rollandi Bernardi, 1860 Conus signifer Crosse, 1865 Conus tasmaniae G. B. Sowerby II, 1866 Conus ustulatus Reeve, 1844 Conus worcesteri Brazier, 1891 Cucullus caesius Röding, 1798 Pionoconus magus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Conus magus, common name the magical cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.^[2]

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. Their venom contains conotoxins which have powerful neurotoxic effects. Given that they are capable of "stinging" humans, live cone shells should be handled with great care or preferably not at all.

The variety Conus magus var. decurtatus Dautzenberg, 1910 is a synonym of Conus striolatus Kiener, 1848

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 16 mm and 94 mm. This common species is very variable in pattern and shade of coloring and embraces a large synonymy. The moderate spire is striate. The body whorl is long and rather cylindrical, closely striate below. The color of the shell is white, clouded with bluish ash, orange-brown, chestnut or chocolate, everywhere encircled by narrow chocolate interrupted lines, often separated into somewhat distant dots The middle of the body whorl is usually irregularly fasciate with white. The spire is tessellated with chestnut or chocolate.^[3]

Venom use

Ziconotide is a chemical derived from the Conus magus toxin that acts as a painkiller with a potency 1000 times that of morphine. Discovered by Dr. Baldomero Olivera at University of Utah, it was developed for treatment of chronic and intractable pain caused by AIDS, cancer, neurological disorders and other maladies, and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2004 under the name Prialt.

Ziconotide works by blocking calcium channels in pain-transmitting nerve cells, rendering them unable to transmit pain signals to the brain. It is administered through injection into the spinal fluid.^[4]

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar and the Mascarene Basin. It is also found over a wide area of the Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Japan and to the Marshall Islands, Wallis and Futuna and Fiji, but mainly centered on the Philippines; off Australia (Queensland).

References

^ Duda, T. (2013). "Conus magus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T192549A2113422. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T192549A2113422.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b Conus magus Linnaeus, 1758. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 18 July 2011.
^ George Washington Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VI, p. 53; 1879
^ "Sea Snail Venom Yields Powerful New Painkiller, March 1, 2005 NIH Record - National Institutes of Health (NIH)". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.

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Bernardi, A. B., 1860. Description d'une espèce nouvelle. Journal de Conchyliologie 8: 331–332
Bruguière, M. 1792. Encyclopédie Méthodique ou par ordre de matières. Histoire naturelle des vers. Paris : Panckoucke Vol. 1 i–xviii, 757 pp.
Röding, P.F. 1798. Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturae quae olim collegerat Joa. Hamburg : Trappii 199 pp.
Swainson, W. 1822. Zoological Illustrations; or Original Figures and Descriptions of new, rare, or interesting Animals, selected chiefly from the classes of Ornithology, Entomology, and Conchology, and arranged on the principles of Cuvier and other modern zoologists. Series 1. London : Baldwin, Cradock & Joy Vol. 3 pls 84–134.
Reeve, L.A. 1843. Descriptions of new species of shells figured in the 'Conchologia Iconica'. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 11: 169–197
Reeve, L.A. 1849. Monograph of the genus Conus. pls 4–9 in Reeve, L.A. (ed). Conchologia Iconica. London : L. Reeve & Co. Vol. 1.
Adams, A. 1854. Descriptions of new species of the Genus Conus, from the collection of Hugh Cuming, Esq. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1853(21): 116–119
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Crosse, H. 1865. Description de cones nouveaux provenant de la collection Cuming. Journal de Conchyliologie 13: 299–315
Sowerby, G.B. 1866. Monograph of the genus Conus. pp. 328–329 in Thesaurus Conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells. London : Sowerby, G.B. Vol. 3.
Weinkauff, H.C. 1875. Conus. pp. 311–316 in Küster, H.C., Martini, F.W. & Chemnitz, J.H. (eds). Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe Vol. 4.
Smith, E.A. 1876. A list of marine shells, chiefly from the Solomon Islands, with descriptions of several new species. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 12: 535–562, pl. 30
Oostingh, C.H. 1925. Report on a collection of recent shells from Obi and Halmahera, Molluccas. Mededeelingen van de Landbouwhoogeschool te Wageningen 29(1): 1–362
Demond, J. 1957. Micronesian reef associated gastropods. Pacific Science 11(3): 275–341, fig. 2, pl. 1
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Wilson, B.R. & Gillett, K. 1971. Australian Shells: illustrating and describing 600 species of marine gastropods found in Australian waters. Sydney : Reed Books 168 pp.
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Shikama, T. 1977. Descriptions of new and noteworthy [sic] Gastropoda from Western Oceans. Science Reports of the Yokohama National University 24(2): 9–23
Cernohorsky, W.O. 1978. Tropical Pacific Marine Shells. Sydney : Pacific Publications 352 pp., 68 pls.
Motta, A.J. da 1982. Seventeen new cone shell names (Gastropoda: Conidae). Publicaçoes Ocasionais da Sociedade Portuguesa de Malacologia 1: 1–26
Motta, A.J. da 1983. Two new species of the genus Conus (Gastropoda: Conidae). Publicaçoes Ocasionais da Sociedade Portuguesa de Malacologia 2: 1–9
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-Röckel, D., Korn, W. & Kohn, A.J. 1995. Manual of the Living Conidae. Volume 1: Indo-Pacific Region. Wiesbaden : Hemmen 517 pp.
Filmer R.M. (2001). A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758–1998. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. 388pp
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Gallery

External links

Taxon identifiers

Taxon identifiers	Wikidata: Q148438 AFD: Conus_(Pionoconus)_magus BOLD: 303561 CoL: XXSK EoL: 4821625 Fossilworks: 115615 GBIF: 5728208 iNaturalist: 369824 IUCN: 192549 NCBI: 6492 OBIS: 215429 SeaLifeBase: 106230 WoRMS: 215429 ZooBank: 5956924B-FB2C-4C27-A515-E74066677146