Conus cathyae (Monnier, Limpalaër & Prugnaud, 2020)
Cathy's cone, 132mm

Conus cathyae is rarely seen in the living state in the Marshalls, but a fair number of dead shells have been found. The few living specimens have mostly been on the leeward seaward reef in surge channels at night, usually at depths of 10-20m. Like other tented cones, this is a mollusk eater. One living specimen was collected and placed in an aquarium, where it immediately attacked and ate a Lyncina leviathan. This is the largest, or at least the longest, of the tented cones at Kwajalein, so its typical prey is also probably pretty large. Described in the genus Darioconus, the World Register of Marine Species currently lists it as Conus.

Frequently, the dead ones are broken in the same way, with the central part of the shell apparently bitten out by something with a narrow, sharp mouth (or possibly, a crab's claw?).

Created 4 July 2009
Updated 20 March 2021

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