Purple Cone Shell, Conus purpurascens

Purple Cone Shell, Conus purpurascens. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, January 2015. Size: 3.9 cm (1.5 inches) x 2.3 cm (0.9 inches).

Purple Cone Shell, Conus purpurascens. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, April 2022. Size: 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) x 2.8 cm (1.1 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

The Purple Cone, Conus purpurascens (G. B. Sowerby I, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cones,. They are known in Mexico as cono purpua. The shell is wider that most Cone shells in the region and have a moderately elevated, blunt spire. Individuals can vary widely in color pattern and shape within the species. The shell may be decorated with spiral bands, dashed lines, or blotches that are purplish brown, dark brown, tan or violet. Some individuals are almost unicolor. The aperture is light gray or bluish, with purple tinge along the lip edge. The periostracum is thick and rough or bristly. Purple Cones reach a maximum of 8.0 cm (3.1 inches) in length and 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) in height.

Purple Cones are found in tide pools, on rocks, under ledges, and in sand substrate and are a shallow water species found in the intertidal zone depths up to 2 m (6 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, to Peru, including the Cocos, Clipperton Island, Galapagos and Revillagigedo Islands and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms are Chelyconus purpurascens, Conus comptus, Conus luzonicus, and Conus regalitatis.