Gladiator Cone Shell, Conus gladiator

Gladiator Cone, Conus gladiator. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, April 2010. Size: 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) x 1.5 cm (0.6 inches).

Gladiator Cone, Conus gladiator. hell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2011. Size: 4.1 cm (1.6 inches) x 2.5 cm (1.0 inch).

The Gladiator Cone, Conus gladiator (Broderip, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cones. They are known in Mexico as cono gladiador. The shell has a low spire and a top with some coronation at the shoulder. The shell is brown, with darker, fine, revolving lines, a white body band, and white blotches with a white aperture with brown showing through. They are covered with a thick and rough dark brown periostracum, almost to the point of being “hairy”. Gladiator Cones reach a maximum of 4.8 cm (1.9 inches) in length and 2.9 cm (1.2 inches) in height.

Gladiator Cones are found under rocks and ledges in the intertidal zone to depths up to 20 m (65 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. They have not been documented as residents of the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Conus cibielii, Conus evelynae, Conus gloynei, and Gladiconus gladiator.