Mahogany Cone Shell, Conasprella mahogani
Mahogany Cone Shell, Conasprella mahogani. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, January 2023. Size: 3.3 cm (1.3 inches) x 1.6 cm (0.6 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.
Mahogany Cone Shell, Conasprella mahogani. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, January 2023. Size: 4.3 cm (1.7 inches) x 1.9 cm (0.8 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.
The Mahogany Cone, Conasprella mahogani (Reeve, 1843), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cones. The shell has a rounded shoulder and a fairly high, sharply pointed, spire. The shell is slender in profile and the aperture is narrow. The exterior of the shell is white with numerous, encircling, rows of mahogany or brown dots on the body whorl. The body whorl and spire also have mahogany or brown streaks or blotches. The interior is white. Mahogany Cones reach a maximum of 4.8 cm (1.9 inches) in length and 2.4 cm (1.0 inch) in height.
The Mahogany Cone historically was considered to be a subspecies of the similar looking Fine-spot Cone, Conasprella ximenes (Gray, 1839). Mahogany Cone shells tend to be slenderer and darker than Fine-spot Cones. Also, the whorls on the Mahogany Cone’s spire are more convex. The Fine-spot Cone has a purple interior at the aperture. Because the separation of the two species occurred somewhat recently, much of the depth and range data for this shell is confused with the historic data for the Fine-spot Cone.
Mahogany Cones are found on sand from the intertidal zone to depths of 80 m (262 feet). They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez, and range south to Ecuador. They have not been documented from the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula.
Synonyms include: Conasprella (Ximeniconus) mahogani, Conus mahogani, Conasprella ximenes, Ximeniconus mahogani.