cone shell

cone shell
any of numerous, chiefly tropical, marine gastropods of the genus Conus, having a smooth, brightly colored, conical shell with a short, flattened spire. Also called cone snail.

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▪ marine snail
 any of several marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) constituting the genus Conus and the family Conidae (about 500 species). The shell is typically straight-sided, with a tapering body whorl, low spire, and narrow aperture (the opening into the shell's first whorl). Cones inject a paralyzing toxin by means of a dart; a few of the larger species have fatally stung humans. The usual prey are worms and mollusks; a few capture fish. The various cone shell toxins are designed to interfere with a victim's nervous system and work by binding to specific cell surface receptors (glycoproteins) and ion channels. Cone shell toxins are widely used by neurobiologists to study receptor and ion channel functioning in vertebrates. Most cone species occur in the Indo-Pacific region.

      The most valuable shell in the world—fewer than 100 specimens are known—is found on the glory-of-the-seas cone (C. gloriamaris) of the Philippines and Indonesia; 10 to 13 cm long, it is golden brown, with a fine net pattern.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cone shell — n. any of a family (Conidae) of tropical marine snails, most species of which can inflict a very poisonous bite …   English World dictionary

  • cone shell — noun : cone 3 d; also : its shell * * * any of numerous, chiefly tropical, marine gastropods of the genus Conus, having a smooth, brightly colored, conical shell with a short, flattened spire. Also called cone snail. * * * cone shell noun A… …   Useful english dictionary

  • cone shell — noun a predatory marine mollusc with a conical shell. [Genus Conus: numerous species.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • cone shell — /ˈkoʊn ʃɛl/ (say kohn shel) noun any of numerous chiefly tropical marine gastropods of the genus Conus, with a smooth conical shell, many of which are equipped with a poison gland and an injecting mechanism and are highly dangerous to handle …  

  • cone — [kōn] n. [ME < L conus < Gr kōnos, a wedge, peak, cone < IE base kō(n) , to sharpen > HONE1, L cos] 1. a) a flat based, single pointed solid formed by a rotating straight line that traces out a closed curved base from a fixed vertex… …   English World dictionary

  • Cone snail — Taxobox name = Cone snails image width = 250px image caption = Geography cone, Conus geographus regnum = Animalia phylum = Mollusca classis = Gastropoda subclassis = Orthogastropoda superordo = Caenogastropoda ordo = Sorbeoconcha subordo =… …   Wikipedia

  • shell collecting — ▪ hobby       practice of finding and usually identifying the shells of mollusks, a popular avocation, or hobby, in many parts of the world. These shells, because of their bright colours, rich variety of shapes and designs, and abundance along… …   Universalium

  • cone — n. & v. n. 1 a solid figure with a circular (or other curved) plane base, tapering to a point. 2 a thing of a similar shape, solid or hollow, e.g. as used to mark off areas of roads. 3 the dry fruit of a conifer. 4 an ice cream cornet. 5 any of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cone — (k[=o]n?), n. [L. conus cone (in sense 1), Gr. kw^nos; akin to Skr. [,c]ana whetstone, L. cuneus wedge, and prob. to E. hone. See {Hone}, n.] 1. (Geom.) A solid of the form described by the revolution of a right angled triangle about one of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cone of rays — Cone Cone (k[=o]n?), n. [L. conus cone (in sense 1), Gr. kw^nos; akin to Skr. [,c]ana whetstone, L. cuneus wedge, and prob. to E. hone. See {Hone}, n.] 1. (Geom.) A solid of the form described by the revolution of a right angled triangle about… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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