Conus lienardi or Lienard's cone is a species of sophisticated predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk 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.
Distribution This is an Indo-Pacific species, occurring in Melanesia and off New Caledonia.
Shell description The size of the shell varies between 24 mm and 63 mm . The spire is raised, carinated and slightly striate. The body whorl is distantly grooved below. The color of the shell is yellowish brown, variously longitudinally covered with zigzag chestnut or chocolate markings; sometimes almost or quite covered with chocolate.G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences
Etymology The specific name honours the French-Mauritian naturalist François Liénard de la Mivoye.
References Notes
Bibliography Sowerby, G.B. III (1881). Descriptions of eight new species of shells. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1881): 635-639 Filmer R.M. (2001). A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758 - 1998. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. 388pp Tucker J.K. (2009). Recent cone species database. September 4, 2009 Edition Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 pp. Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015). One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81: 1-23
External links
Conus lienardi image - a picture of the shell that this snail produces. Cone Shells - Knights of the Sea