Recurved Cone Shell, Conus recurvus

Recurved Cone Shell, Conus recurvus. Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, February 2011. Size: 7.1 cm (2.8 inches) x 3.8 cm (1.5 inches).

Phylogeny: The Recurved Cone Shell, Conus recurvus (Broderip, 1823), 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. In Mexico they are known as Cono Recurvado.

Description: Recurved Cone Shells have a moderately high spire, the sides of which are concave and stepped. These shells are thin in structure and often marked with fracture scars. The anterior end of the shell narrows with a “pinched-in” look. The shell is white with dark brown, irregular stripes running along the length of the body. These lines may break into blotches or spots. The aperture is white. They are covered with a thin, smooth, gray periostracum.  Recurved Cones reach a maximum length of 10.0 cm (3.9 inches) and 5.4 cm (2.1 inches) in height. This species is difficult to distinguish from the Regular Cone Shell, Conus regularis. They overlap in range and habitat however Recurved Cones are generally found in deeper water and have a radular tooth with a significantly different shape.

Habitat and Distribution: Recurved Cones are found on  mud and sand substrates. They live at depths between 10 m (35 feet) and 84 m (475 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific  Ocean 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: Recurved Cones are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in the Conidae Family are predators that feed primarily on fish, mollusks and worms. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. The Recurved Cone has not been formally evaluated from a conservation perspective. Cone Shells are venomous and capable of stinging human and should be handled with great care if live organisms are present.

Synonyms: Conus (Dauciconus) recurvus, Conus gradatus thaanumii, and Gradiconus recurvus.