Conus tulipa
A venomous marine snail that preys on fishes.
Last updated
H. Zell · via Wikipedia: Conus tulipa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Conus tulipa, commonly known as the tulip cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae. Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous, capable of stinging humans, so live ones should be handled carefully. The species is notable for the discovery of a class of conopeptides named rho-TIA in 2001, which targets alpha1-adrenergic receptors, and for the toxin conantokin-T derived from its venom.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- SubclassCaenogastropoda
- OrderNeogastropoda
- FamilyConidae
- GenusConus
- SpeciesConus tulipa
Named by Linnaeus, 1758
Close relatives
Other species of Conus with a Codexery entry.
- Conus abbas Conus abbas
- Conus abrolhosensis Conus abrolhosensis
- Conus achatinus Conus achatinus
- Conus acutangulus Conus acutangulus
- Conus aito Conus aito
- Conus ammiralis Conus ammiralis
- Conus anabathrum Conus anabathrum
- Conus anemone Conus anemone
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Conus tulipa (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 215503 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.1 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Conus tulipa
Where the conus tulipa has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (495 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 41 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Lore & Background
The tulip cone was first described by Linnaeus in 1758 in Systema Naturae. Its shell varies in size from 45 mm to 95 mm and is variegated with violet and white, clouded with chestnut, with numerous revolving rows of minute chestnut and white articulations; the interior of the aperture is violaceous. The species occurs in the Indo-Western Pacific, with records from Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania, India, the Philippines, and Queensland, Australia.
More in Cone Snails
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Conus tulipa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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