Nut Cone Shell, Conus nux

Nut Cone Shell, Conus nux. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, December 2010. Size: 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) x 1.0 cm (0.4 inches).

Nut Cone Shell, Conus nux. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, April 2022. Size: 1.7 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.2 cm (0.5 inches). Collection, photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Nut Cone Shell, Conus nux. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, April 2022. Size: 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.2 cm (0.5 inches). Collection, photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Phylogeny: The Nut Cone, Conus nux (Broderip, 1833), is a member of the Conidae Family of Cone Shells. The genus Conus is one of eight genera in this family, and there are around eight hundred ten species in this genus. They are also known as the Pigmy Cone Shell and in Mexico as Cono Nuez and Cono Pigmea.

Description:  Nut Cones are small solid shells that have a cone-shaped outline. They have a low to moderate spire and a knobby top, leading to coronation on the shoulder. The aperture runs almost the entire length of the shell. The shell has a white exterior with irregular, brown or reddish-brown, banding and blotching. The  aperture is white with a purple tinge at the anterior end. Some individuals show purple banding inside the aperture. They are covered with a  thin  gray periostracum. The living animal is pink. Nut Cones are one of the smaller cones in the region, reaching a maximum of 2.6 cm (1.1 inches) in length and 1.6 cm (0.6 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Nut Cones are found in rock crevasses and under rock ledges  within the intertidal zone to depths up to 49 m (125 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean, including the Revillagigedo Islands, with the exception that they are absent north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula.

Ecology and Behavior: Nut Cones are predators that feed primarily on marine worms. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with external fertilization.  Any types of commensal, parasitic or symbiotic relationship have not been formally documented. Like all cone shells, this species is venomous and should be handled with extreme care, if at all. The venom from this shell contains chemicals that appear to be useful in treating malaria. This cone is one of the most common cones in the region. From a conservation perspective they are considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms:  Conus pusillus and Harmoniconus nux.