Conus pulicarius Hwass in Bruguière, 1792
Salt & Pepper cone, 50mm

Conus pulicarius is abundant in lagoon and seaward reef sand patches from 1 to at least 40m depth. This one laid its egg masses on algae in a Halimeda patch. It can most easily be found by following trails it leaves in the sand and digging up the lump at the end. The shell is white with randomly arranged black spots, overall covered with a thin yellow periostracum. It is similar to Conus eburneus, which lives in the same habitat, but in that species the black dots are arranged in rows and the spire is smooth rather than nodulose. In both of these species, you occasionally see a specimen that lacks spots entirely.

The next two photos show cones with their egg masses, which are usually deposited on algae clumps or under rocks.

Created 4 July 2009
Updated 1 August 2010

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