Cones

Hello!

    Well, its the start of the one-month holiday! Yipee! Well, to kick it off, lets have the first blog post on CONES. Well, these are the current ones in my collection, of which most of them come from the Indo-Pacific Region. Thes are also found in the intertidaol region so you would probably come across them while beach combing or snorkelling. Oh! BUT BE VERY CAREFUL, some of them are highly poisonous and you would rather chose not to place it in your pocket while shelling. Hmm...most of the larger ones are bought from shell dealers but the majority of the smaller ones are from the shores of Asia.
(Hi Pam! :) )

 So here's my collection. Apologies for the poor photo quality. Err...it isn't alot of them too. :) All together, there are 23 species represented here. Majority of them come from the "pearl of the orient', philippines and more specifically, Cebu.

 This is the first five, in a clockwise direction, we have:
1) Fig Cone, Conus figulinus. This guy's from Bohol in the Philippines.
2) Textile Cone, Conus textile. Shenzhen, China. This is one of the most venomous species around, beware :). These shells are usually found amongst coral rubble, reefs and sometimes sand bars. According to the shell dealer, most of the seashells come from Hainan Island so i guess it would be a better choice for shelling.
3) Beech Cone, Conus betulinus. Shenzhen, China. This species is similar to the flea-bitten cone.
4) Lettered Cone, Conus literatus. Sabah, Malaysia. These shells are usually found corals.
Btw, most cones are found along sandy shores, coral rubble and corals so finding one in a mangrove is usually just someone playing a trick on you. :P
5) Banded Marble Cone, Conus marmoreus bandanus. This species is one of the most diverse, with numerous subspecies so it is better to have a guidebook beside you while identifying them.

Three Filipinos, One Malaysian and One Chinese...
Similarly, in clockwise direction:
1) Geography Cone, Conus geographus. Shenzhen, China.
2) Rayed Cone, Conus radiatus. Purchased at Shoemart, Philippines. The approximate size of this shell is probably 3/4 fist long... :)
3) Striated Cone, Conus striatus. Another Filipino shell. This species is usually harder to find along the shoreline. (Actually, all these are hard to find on an average beach :P)
4) Imperial Cone, Conus imperialis. This species is a highly variable species so do look up the internet for the widest range of varieties!
5) Virgin Cone, Conus virgo. This is the Malaysian from Sabah. There is a similar looking species that is whiter and larger. :)

 Boomz...here is the next seven...
1) Tesselate Cone, Conus tessulatus. similar to the ivory cone, this species distinguished by it's orange hue. Filipino
2) Ivory Cone, Conus eburneus. This species is strikingly similar to the beech cone and sometimes, have the same colour! However, this guy has more spots than the other.
3) Err, this one I'm not really sure... but i guess it is a magus cone? Conus magus. I looks similar but I will need to check this thing out.
4) Omaria Cone, Conus omaria. This species is similar to the Princely Cone. Filipino... Geez :)
5) Marble Cone, Conus marmoreus. Ah Ha! this is the one that i've been talking about. This cone is the representative subspecies of the marmoreus family. It is also highly poisonous. Oh, but he's Thai. Got him from the Weekend market in Bangkok.
6) Err...frankly speaking, i have no idea what this species is but i suspect it's a Striated Cone variant.  Oops... :P  He Is Malaysian.
7) General Cone, Conus generalis. Another Filipino. I have not polished this guy yet but the shells are usually more colourful and bright.

 And the last five...
1) Glaucous Cone, Conus glaucous. Found him in a basket of seashells in Cebu. Certain books rate this shell as a category 3 shell (relatively rare) but i guess it's not. It seems pretty common...
2) Noble Cone, Conus nobilis. This is my fave. He was COLLECTED along the shores of Bohol on the early morning. Another subspecies of this one would be the Victor Cone, or Conus nobilis victor which is the "handsomer" of the two
3) Oops again... my apologies but i guess this is yet to be identified by me yet even though it has followed me for 6 YEARS!
4) Hebrew Cone, Conus ebraeus. This species is one of the most commonly collected cones. Found him in Cebu (or is it Bohol?)
5) and 6) I am seriously pai seh (embarrassed) right now. I have not found out the names of these cones. No. 5 is from the Philippines and No. 6 is from Vietnam...

WOW... i have finished it! :) Err...appealing to all viewers out there! :) If you do know the names of the unidentified cones, please feel free to drop a comment in my "comments box". 
Hee hee, felt as is i was writing an essay or publishing a book on Cones. Haha :) :)
(Hi Pam, here's the cones that I have. So sorry for the numerous unidentified cones. :) I will try my best to help you identify as many shells as possible and do feel free to email/blogpost your seashells! Have a great day!) :)