On the oviposition and egg masses of Conus regius (Neogastropoda: Conidae) from northeastern Brazil

Pricila Bento Gonçalves,Geraldo Semer Pomponet Oliveira,Rudá Amorim Lucena,Silvio Felipe Barbosa Lima

doi:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2017-0434

Pricila Bento Gonçalves, Geraldo Semer Pomponet Oliveira + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2017-0434

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Abstract

Abstract Characteristics of the egg masses of Conus regius Gmelin, 1791 are described and figured for the first time for the coast of Brazil based on a female specimen found in the process of oviposition during the day in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Two clusters of egg masses were found in the subtidal zone of Itapuã beach attached to rocky substrate in a completely unprotected site. Oviposition likely began at least one day earlier, since the specimen had already affixed an entire egg mass and was ovipositing a second cluster at the time it was found. The egg masses were arranged in short, irregular rows of three to nine closely spaced capsules in parallel and facing the same direction. One egg mass cluster consisted of 34 capsules. Conus regius capsules are semi-transparent, vasiform in side view, higher than broad and have flattened to slightly convex sides with slight wrinkles constituted by transversal ridges. Conus regius is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but is still intensively collected in the study area and surrounding coastal environment by fishermen for the purposes of selling shells and as a food source.

Highlights

Conus Linnaeus, 1758 is a highly diversified genus of predatory marine neogastropods, with approximately 770 recent species worldwide (Bouchet & Gofas 2015)
This study was conducted in the shallow subtidal zone of Itapuã beach (12°57’27”S, 38°21’21”W), which is located approximately 20 km from the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil (Silva et al 2009)
Conus regius is one of the about 10 conid species widely distributed in the western Atlantic (Rosenberg 2009) and is found in a considerable variety of coastal habitats on rocks (Diaz & Puyana 1994), rocky reefs (Warmke & Abbott 1962) or similar reef structures (Abbott 1974), calcareous environments (Tunnell et al 2010) and sediments as well as under rocks (Bandel 1976, Redfern 2013), gravel and calcareous algae bottoms (Rios 1994) associated with coral reefs (Bandel 1976), coral fragments (D’Asaro 1970a), dead corals and cavities under semispherical coral colonies, sea-grass bottoms or even buried in the sand (Bandel 1976)

Summary

Introduction

Conus Linnaeus, 1758 is a highly diversified genus of predatory marine neogastropods, with approximately 770 recent species worldwide (Bouchet & Gofas 2015) They live predominantly in shallow tropical habitats Species of Conus are among the most well‐known mollusks due to the beautiful color patterns of the typically heavy, obconical or biconical shells (Terlau & Olivera 2004, Kohn 1998). Most species forage actively at night (Kohn 1998, Terlau & Olivera 2004, Flores-Garza et al 2014) preying on a diversity of worms (e.g., polychaetes), hemichordates, echiurans, crustaceans, fishes and other mollusks (e.g., bivalves and gastropods) (Olivera et al 1990, Kohn 1966, Cruz et al 1978, Zehra & Perveen 1991, Kohn 1959, 1998, Duda et al 2001, Terlau & Olivera 2004, Gowd et al 2005, Haddad et al 2006, 2009, Flores-Garza et al 2014)

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