Conus quercinus Lightfoot, 1786
Oak cone, 75mm
Conus
quercinus is very common in certain areas within the lagoon, on shallow
interisland reefs all the way down to the lagoon bottom at depths exceeding
60m. Usually where you see one, there will be many others. They always live
in or on sand, sometimes in and around patches of Halimeda. The sand
on the top of the shell immediately below is just loose sand resting there from
when the animal was completely buried shortly before. The shell itself is yellow
with fine spiral brown lines, but the thick brown periostracum in adults can
hide the shell color.
This one was found eating a sand-dwelling
terebellid worm.
The shell lined pattern shows up well through the thinner periostracum of a
young specimen.
This is a natural breeding cluster
of Conus quercinus. There were numerous egg masses around attached
to the Halimeda plants.
Created
4 July 2009
Updated 11 November 2020
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