Conus magus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Conus magus
Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of a shell of Conus magus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Conus (Pionoconus) magus Linnaeus, 1758 · accepted, alternate representation Conus adansoni sensu G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 (misidentification) Conus ambaroides Shikama, 1977 Conus assimilis A. Adams, 1855 Conus borneensis G. B. Sowerby II, 1866 (invalid: junior homonym of Conus borneensis A. Adams & Reeve, 1848) Conus carinatus Swainson, 1822 Conus cernohorskyi da Motta, 1983 Conus circae G. B. Sowerby II, 1858 Conus consul Boivin, 1864 Conus epistomioides Weinkauff, 1875 Conus epistomium Reeve, 1844 Conus frauenfeldi Crosse, 1865 Conus fucatus Reeve, 1849 Conus fulvobullatus da Motta, 1982 Conus melancholicus Lamarck, 1810 Conus metcalfii Reeve, 1843 Conus raphanus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Conus rollandi Bernardi, 1860 Conus signifer Crosse, 1865 Conus tasmaniae G. B. Sowerby II, 1866 Conus ustulatus Reeve, 1844 Conus worcesteri Brazier, 1891 Cucullus caesius Röding, 1798 Pionoconus magus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Conus magus, common name the magical cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. Their venom contains conotoxins which have powerful neurotoxic effects. Given that they are capable of "stinging" humans, live cone shells should be handled with great care or preferably not at all.

The variety Conus magus var. decurtatus Dautzenberg, 1910 is a synonym of Conus striolatus Kiener, 1848

Description

Conus magus (syn.:Conus fulvobullatus) shows the variability in pattern and color of this species

The size of an adult shell varies between 16 mm and 94 mm. This common species is very variable in pattern and shade of coloring and embraces a large synonymy. The moderate spire is striate. The body whorl is long and rather cylindrical, closely striate below. The color of the shell is white, clouded with bluish ash, orange-brown, chestnut or chocolate, everywhere encircled by narrow chocolate interrupted lines, often separated into somewhat distant dots The middle of the body whorl is usually irregularly fasciate with white. The spire is tessellated with chestnut or chocolate.

Venom use

Ziconotide is a chemical derived from the Conus magus toxin that acts as a strong painkiller. Discovered by Dr. Baldomero Olivera at University of Utah, it was developed for treatment of chronic and intractable pain caused by AIDS, cancer, neurological disorders and other maladies, and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2004 under the name Prialt.

Ziconotide works by blocking calcium channels in pain-transmitting nerve cells, rendering them unable to transmit pain signals to the brain. It is administered through injection into the spinal fluid.

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar and the Mascarene Basin. It is also found over a wide area of the Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Japan and to the Marshall Islands, Wallis and Futuna and Fiji, but mainly centered on the Philippines; off Australia (Queensland).

Gallery

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  Conus magus Linnaeus, C., 1758

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  Conus magus Linnaeus, C., 1758

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  Conus magus Linnaeus, C., 1758

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  Conus magus Linnaeus, C., 1758