Conidae
Family of sea snails / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Conidae, with the current common name of "cone snails", is a taxonomic family (previously subfamily) of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Conoidea.
Conidae | |
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A group of shells of various species of cone snails | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Superfamily: | Conoidea |
Family: | Conidae Fleming, 1822[1] |
Subfamilies and genera | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Cone snail. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2023. |
The 2014 classification of the superfamily Conoidea groups only cone snails in the family Conidae. Some previous classifications grouped the cone snails in a subfamily, Coninae.
As of March 2015 Conidae contained over 800 recognized species, varying widely in size from lengths of 1.3 cm to 21.6 cm. Working in 18th-century Europe, Carl Linnaeus knew of only 30 species that are still considered valid.
The snails within this family are sophisticated predatory animals.[2] They hunt and immobilize prey using a modified radular tooth along with a venom gland containing neurotoxins; the tooth is launched out of the snail's mouth in a harpoon-like action.
Because all cone snails are venomous and capable of "stinging" humans, live ones should be handled with great care or preferably not at all.