Magic cone
| Magic cone snail | ||||||||||||
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Housing from Conus magus |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Conus magus | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The magic cone , also the magic cone snail ( Conus magus , alternatively also Pioconus magus ) is a snail from the family of cone snails (genus Conus ) that lives in the Pacific .
features
The magic cone snail is extraordinarily rich in shape. The body circumference of the snail shell of Conus magus is narrowly conical and slightly convex. In adult snails, it reaches a length of 3.0 to 9.4 cm. The basic color of the housing is white to yellow, sometimes pink or blue. The surface around the body has brown or gray spots, but it can also be monochrome white or multicolored. It is covered with spiral stripes. The thread forms a flat cone. The periostracum is olive green to brown and can be translucent.
The white top of the foot is mottled brown, as is the rostrum, the antennae and the siphon , the edge areas of the foot are often orange to light brown. The sole of the foot is often a solid pink.
The relatively large radula teeth connected to a poison gland have a long shaft in individuals with a housing length of over 1 cm and two short, opposing barbs at the tip, as well as an additional rear barb with a curved tip. The saw and spur at the base are missing. Young animals have comparatively short teeth with a strong shaft without armament. The teeth are about 6% to 10% of the length of the case and are largest in Fiji . They are sawn on the inside, ending in a protruding point next to the middle waist. A strong spur sits at the base.
distribution
The magic cone occurs in the Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Japan , to the Marshall Islands , Wallis Islands and Fiji .
habitat
Magic cones live in the intertidal zone and below in coral reefs on sand, often under rocks.
Life cycle
Like all cone snails, Conus magus is sexually separate and the male mates with the female with his penis . The eggs in the egg capsules have a diameter of about 560 µm. From this it is concluded that the development takes place entirely in the benthos (area of the sea floor). The Veliger larvae develop into finished snails in the egg capsule.
food
Young magic cones, after they have undergone the metamorphosis from the Veliger larva to the finished snail, eat polychaetes . From a case length of 9 mm, the prey of Conus magus consists of fish . The radula teeth, which serve as poisonous harpoons, change their shape to adapt to the changed prey. The cone snail hunts mainly at night.
Importance to humans
Conus magus is a popular collector's item due to its patterned housing, so that humans can be considered a main enemy. However, the magic cone is not included in the red list.
Like other cone snails, the magic cone uses its poisonous harpoon not only to catch prey, but also for defense. Its fang can penetrate gloves and diving suits. There is no antidote , so treatment is aimed at keeping the person alive until the toxins are gone.
Some toxins ( conotoxins ) from cone snails have a strong analgesic effect and are therefore being investigated for medical applicability. The 25 amino acid peptide (ω-conotoxin-MVIIA, UniProt P05484 ) obtained from Conus magus is approved as a synthetic analogue for combating severe chronic pain in adults under the name ziconotide .
literature
- George Washington Tryon: Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species , vol. VI; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 1884. C [onus] magus Linn., P. 53.
- Dieter Röckel, Werner Korn, Alan J. Kohn: Manual of the Living Conidae Vol. 1: Indo-Pacific Region . Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden 1995. The texts on the individual cone snail species of the Indo-Pacific are published on The Conus Biodiversity website with the permission of the authors (see web links).
Web links
- The Conus Biodiversity Website: Conus magus Linnaeus, 1758
- Underwater Kwajalein: Conus magus Linnaeus, 1758
- Conus magus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Duda, T., 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ J. Nybakken, F. Perron (1988): Ontogenetic change in the radula of Conus magus. Marine Biology 98, 239-242.
- ^ Fischhaus Zepkow: Family Conidae - cone snails