Conus textile, the textile cone or the cloth of gold cone is a venomousspecies of sea snail, a marinegastropodmollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones. Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Several human deaths have been attributed to this species of snail.
Cylindrus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932
Cylindrus tigrinus G. B. Sowerby II, 1858
Cylindrus verriculum Reeve, 1843
Cylindrus aurelius Röding, 1798
Cylindrus auriger Röding, 1798
Cylindrus gloriamaris Röding, 1798
Cylindrus textilis osullivani Iredale, 1931
Cylindrus textilis
Cylinder textile
Darioconus textilis
Darioconus textilis osullivani Iredale, 1931
Subspecies
Conus textile neovicarius da Motta, 1982
Conus textile vaulberti Lorenz, 2012
Conus textile archiepiscopus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile dahlakensis da Motta, 1982 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile var. abbreviata Dautzenberg, 1937: synonym of Conus ammiralis Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile var. euetrios G. B. Sowerby III : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile var. loman Dautzenberg, 1937 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile var. ponderosa Dautzenberg, 1932 : synonym of Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Conus textile var. sulcata G. B. Sowerby I, 1834 : synonym of Conus retifer Menke, 1829
Shell description
Typical length of adults is about 9 cm to 10 cm. The maximum shell length for this species is 15 cm. The color pattern of its shell resembles a cellular automaton named Rule 30. The color of the shell is yellowish brown, with undulating longitudinal lines of chocolate, interrupted by triangular white spaces. These last are irregularly disposed, but crowded at the shoulder, base and middle so as to form bands. The spire is similarly marked. The aperture is white.
The female lays several hundred eggs at a time, which hatch after about 16 or 17 days. After hatching, the larvae float around in the current for approximately 16 days. Afterward, they settle at the bottom of the ocean. By this point their length is about 1.5 mm.
Feeding habits
C. textile is a carnivorous species, and uses a radula to inject a conotoxin to kill its prey. C. textile eats snails. The proboscis, the tip of which holds the harpoon-like radular tooth, is capable of being extended to any part of its own shell. The living animal is a risk to any person handling it who has not taken proper care to protect exposed skin. Several human deaths have been attributed to this species.
In Season Four, Episode Twenty, of Hawaii Five-O, entitled Cloth of Gold, this creature featured when it was used to poison a gangland figure at his birthday party.
