2250
Author
Franklin, J. Benjamin
Author
Subramanian, K. A.
Author
Fernando, S. Antony
Author
Krishnan, K. S.
text
Zootaxa
2009
2009-10-08
2250
1
63
journal article
11755334
27.
Conus hyaena
Hwass
in
Bruguière, 1792
(Figure 28)
Conus hyaena
Hwass
in
Bruguière, 1792: 656–657
, no. 55 (
lectotype
, MHNG (61 x 33.5 mm) (Kohn 1968); "la côte ouest de 1’ Arique").
Conus unicolor
Sowerby I, 1834
: pl. 54, fig. 59 (
lectotype
, BMNH (46 x 23.5 mm) (
Kohn 1992
); locality unknown).
Conus concolor
Sowerby II, 1841
: pls. 177–184 ("
Solomon Islands
").
Conus mutablis
Reeve, 1844
: pl. 45, nos. 249 (
syntype
, BMNH (29 x 16.5 mm) (
Röckel
et al.
1995
); locality unknown).
Conus tribunus
Crosse, 1865: 312–313
, pl. 10, fig. 2 ("
California
").
Conus kobelti
Löbbecke, 1882: 189–190
, pl. 10, figs. 4, 5 (
holotype
, LMD (42 x
23 mm
) (
Röckel
et al.
1995
); locality unknown).
Conus halli
da
Motta, 1983: 3
, figs. 2, 6 (
holotype
, MHNG (53 x
28 mm
) (
Röckel
et al.
1995
); "Pasir Putih, about 180 kilometers east of Surabaya,
Java
,
Indonesia
").
Material examined:
MBMCS 127
,
16 specimens
, SL
36–68 mm
; SW
17–32 mm
.
Description.
Shell medium to moderately large, moderately solid-to-solid. Body whorl conical, upper sides convex near shoulder, less so or conical below, left side concave near base; shoulder angulate to rounded. Spire of low to moderate height, outline straight to slightly convex. Aperture uniformly wide; outer lip sharp evenly convex.
Body whorl dull white to yellow, heavily covered with broad reddish brown to dark brown streaks, usually a paler mid-body area visible through streaks; spire and shoulder dirty white to brown, heavily covered with curved light brown lines and blotches, about the same colour as the body whorl. Aperture bluish white. Periostracum thick, brown to dark brown in colour.
Distribution.
Abercrombie (1893)
and
Melvill & Abercrombie (1893)
first reported
C. hyaena
(as ‘
C. mutablis
Reeve’) from
Bombay
along the west coast. Subsequent records are from Madras (
Melvill & Standen 1898
) on the east coast and from Goa and Panjim on the west coast (
Melvill & Standen 1901
).
Röckel
et al.
(1995)
reported specimens from the east (Madras & Keelakarai) and west coasts (
Bombay
).
The specimens reported herein were collected from Keelakarai (
Table 6
) by trawling in
20–50 m
. We have also collected
42 specimens
from
Colaba
,
Bombay
, in sandy intertidal regions and buried in sand around rock boulders and in rock crevices.
Kohn (1978)
has also made similar observations of this species from
Bombay
.
Remarks.
The specimens classified as
C. mutablis
Reeve (
Kohn 1978
)
is now considered a junior synonym of
C. hyaena
Hwass (
Kohn 2001
)
. A large population of this species was found in
Bombay
. A detailed study of the population attributes of
C. hyaena
would be of interest given that the habitats of these two populations are different and also for their discontinuous distribution between the west and east coasts of
India
.