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).

The Recurved Cone, Conus recurvus (Broderip, 1823), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cones. The shell has a moderately high spire the sides of which are concave and stepped and is thin in structure and often marked with fracture scars. 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. This species is difficult to distinguish from the Regular Cone, Conus regularis as they overlap in range and habitat however the Recurved Cones are generally found in deeper water and have a radular tooth with a significantly different shape. Recurved Cones reach a maximum length of 10.0 cm (3.9 inches) and 5.4 cm (2.1 inches) in height.

Recurved Cones live on and within mud and sand substrate from depths between 10 m (35 feet) and 84 m (475 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands, and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Conus gradatus thaanumii and Gradiconus recurvus.