Conus marchionatus

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Conus marchionatus, or the Marquesas cone, is a venomous sea snail found in the Pacific Ocean around the Marquesas Islands. It belongs to the cone snail family, Conidae, and like other Conus species it is predatory and uses venom to catch prey. Because they can sting humans, live snails should be handled with great care or avoided.

The shell size ranges from about 12 to 68 mm. It has a depressed spire with spiral grooves and is yellowish or light brown with large white rounded triangular spots. Its coloring is similar to Conus marmoreus but usually lighter. It is distinguished by the absence of a coronal row of tubercles and by its relatively small size within the genus.

Taxonomy: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Mollusca; Class Gastropoda; Family Conidae; Genus Conus; Species marchionatus. Binomial name: Conus marchionatus.