Conasprella


Conasprella is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. This genus was formerly treated by some experts as a member of the family Conilithidae and as an "alternative representation" of this group of species.

Distinguishing characteristics

The Tucker & Tenorio [cone snail taxonomy 2009|Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy] distinguishes Conasprella from Conus in the following ways:
  • Genus Conus sensu stricto Linnaeus, 1758
  • Genus Conasprella Thiele, 1929

Species list

This list of species is based on the information in the World Register of Marine Species list. Species within the genus Conasprella include:
According to the 2014 taxonomy, the following species include the following subgenera: Boucheticonus, Coltroconus, Conasprella, Dalliconus, Endemoconus, Fusiconus, Kohniconus, Lilliconus, Parviconus, Pseudoconorbis, and Ximenoconus, as well as Conasprella delessertii, a species "incertae sedes". These subgenera are accepted and are considered alternative representations.


The following species were brought into synonymy:

List of synonyms of the genus ''Conasprella''

  • Bathyconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Boucheticonus Tucker & Tenorio, 2013
  • Coltroconus Petuch, 2013
  • Conasprella Tucker & Tenorio, 2013 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Petuch, 2013 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Thiele, 1929 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Tucker & Tenorio, 2009 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Iredale, 1931 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella da Motta, 1991 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Tucker & Tenorio, 2009 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella G. Raybaudi Massilia, 1994 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Cotton & Godfrey, 1932 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Tucker & Tenorio, 2009 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conasprella Emerson & Old, 1962 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Conus Thiele, 1929
  • Dalliconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Duodenticonus Tucker & Tenorio, 2013
  • Endemoconus Iredale, 1931
  • Fumiconus da Motta, 1991
  • Fusiconus da Motta, 1991
  • Globiconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Jaspidiconus Petuch, 2003
  • Kermasprella Powell, 1958
  • Kohniconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Lilliconus G. Raybaudi Massilia, 1994
  • Mamiconus Cotton & Godfrey, 1932
  • Parviconus Cotton & Godfrey, 1932
  • Perplexiconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Pseudoconorbis Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Viminiconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
  • Ximeniconus Emerson & Old, 1962
  • Yeddoconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009

Significance of "alternative representation"

Prior to 2009, all cone species were placed within the family Conidae and were placed in one genus, Conus. In 2009 however, J.K. Tucker and M.J. Tenorio proposed a classification system for the over 600 recognized species that were in the family. Their classification proposed 3 distinct families and 82 genera for the living species of cone snails, including the family Conilithidae. This classification was based upon shell morphology, radular differences, anatomy, physiology, cladistics, with comparisons to molecular studies. Published accounts of genera within the Conidae that include the genus Conasprella include J.K. Tucker & M.J. Tenorio, and Bouchet et al.,.
Testing in order to try to understand the molecular phylogeny of the Conidae was initially begun by Christopher Meyer and Alan Kohn, and is continuing, particularly with the advent of nuclear DNA testing in addition to mDNA testing.
However, in 2011, some experts preferred to use the traditional classification, where all species are placed in Conus within the single family Conidae: for example, according to the November 2011 version of the World Register of Marine Species, all species within the family Conidae are in the genus Conus. The binomial names of species in the 82 cone snail genera listed in Tucker & Tenorio 2009 are recognized by the World Register of Marine Species as "alternative representations." Debate within the scientific community regarding this issue continues, and additional molecular phylogeny studies are being carried out in an attempt to clarify the issue.
All this has been superseded in 2015 by the new classification of the Conidae