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.

Phylogeny: The Purple Cone Shell, Conus purpurascens (G. B. Sowerby I, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cone Shells. The genus Conus is one of eight genera in this family, and there are eight hundred ten species in this genus.  They are known in Mexico as Cono Morado.

Description: Purple Cone Shells are wider than most cone shells in the region and have a moderately elevated, blunt spire. Individuals can vary widely in color pattern within the species. The exterior of the shell is light to dark purple, 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 Cone Shells reach a maximum of 8.0 cm (3.1 inches) in length and 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Purple Cones are found in tide pools, on rocks, under ledges, and in sandy substrates. They live in the intertidal zone, and at depths up to 15 m (50 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 from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula.

Ecology and Behavior: Purple Cones are predators that feed primarily on fish. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in protective capsules. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Purple Cone Shell is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable, widely distributed populations. Cone Shells are venomous and capable of stinging human and should be handled with great care if live organisms are present.

Synonyms: Chelyconus purpurascens, Conus (Chelyconus) purpurascens, Conus comptus, Conus luzonicus, Conus purpurascens var. rejectus, and Conus regalitatis.