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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