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Common Name

"Abbas Cone"

Status

Regarded as a valid species.

Type Locality

"Grandes Indes"

Distribution

S. India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia (Java, Bali)

Maximum Reported Size

91,5 mm

Description

Medium-sized to large, moderately solid to solid; relative weight of similarly sized specimens may vary by 40 %. Last whorl ventricosely conical to ovate or slightly pyriform; outline convex at adapical third, less so below, and straight to slightly concave at base. Shoulder subangulate to angulate. Spire of low to moderate height, outline concave to nearly straight. Larval shell with a maximum diameter of 0.8-0.9 mm. First 3-6 postnuclear whorls tuberculate. Teleoconch sutural ramps flat to slightly concave, with 1-2 increasing to 6-12 (or more) weak spiral grooves. Last whorl with variably prominent spiral ribs near base; sometimes additional spiral striae from base to shoulder.

Ground colour white to bluish grey, with axial blue streaks or flames on last whorl. Last whorl with a fine brown to violet- brown reticulate pattern, forming many small rhomboid and tentlike ground colour markings and sparse larger tents. Yellowish brown to brown blotches usually grouped in 2 or occasionally 3-4 spiral bands, interspersed with broad dark brown axial lines and sometimes also with finer spiral lines. Apex pinkish orange. Postnuclear sutural ramps matching last whorl in colour pattern; pattern often only of marginal dots in early whorls. Aperture white, occasionally bluish-white or cream deep within.

Periostracum yellowish brown, thin, translucent, smooth.

Foot pale tan, sparsely mottled with brown; anterior side orangish pink. Siphon white, grading to red distally, with a rather broad black ring centrally (Kohn, unpubl. observ.).

Shell Morphometry

L	40-84 mm
RW	0.16-0.50 g/mm (L 40-76 mm)
RD	0.56-0.68
PMD	0.72-0.85
RSH	0.11-0.15

Habitat & Habits

Shallow water to about 50 m; on coral reefs, often beneath coral boulders.

Discussion

C. abbas resembles C. canonicus, C. textile and C. dalli. For comparison with C. textile, see the Discussion of that species; for the distinctions from C. dalli see the Discussion of that species in Vol. 2. C. canonicus can be distinguished by its more straight-sided and usually conoid-cylindrical last whorl, its pink aperture, and by the small round instead of rhomboid markings of the last whorl pattern. In addition, C. canonicus lacks prominent marginal dots in its early postnuclear whorls.

Related Taxon

ssp. grisea

References

• Bruguière, J. G., and Hwass, C. H., 1792. Encyc. Méth. Hist. Nat. des Vers., 1.
• Röckel, Korn & Kohn, 1995. Manual of the Living Conidae Vol. 1: Indo-Pacific Region.