About Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791
Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791: The adult shell of this species measures between 35 mm and 100 mm. The shell is bulbous, with a somewhat elevated, lightly striated spire and rounded shoulders. Its body whorl is rounded with convex sides, and sometimes bears granular striae on its lower portion. The shell base color is pale blue, marbled with pinkish or purplish white and olivaceous-brown, and covered by a thin, light brown epidermis. Narrow, close-set brown lines encircle the entire shell, and these lines are usually broken into alternating brown and white segments. Two previously named varieties — Conus achatinus var. infumata Dautzenberg, 1937 and Conus achatinus var. violacea Barros & C.M.I. Cunha, 1933 — are currently accepted as synonyms of Conus achatinus Gmelin, 1791. This species is found in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean’s Mascarene Basin, and across the Indo-West Pacific region. In Australia, it occurs off the coasts of Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia. Individuals of this species show visible variation across its geographic range.
