My shell looks like a Conus Pulcher but smaller. Identification help?

[snickeroni]

I'm working (conservation) on an African necklace which has four shells at the end. A quick flip through Harasewych and Moretzsohn's Book of shells and the Butterfly Cone/ Conus Pulcher pattern is identical to that on my shells. But these range between 50 and 226 mm. Mine are smaller - the smallest one is 21 mm and the longest is 30 mm.

What I'm also noticing when trying to find a match in shell catalogues is that mine have a very flat top, while a lot of similar looking cones have pointed tops.

Photo:
http://imgur.com/a/fyfZ9
http://imgur.com/a/7dUP3

Does anyone know what I'm looking at here?

Thank you.
Di

[PaulMonfils]

Hello Di,
Do you know what part of Africa these came from? I'm guessing the lower half of the west coast? If so, then I am confident that these are Conus pulcher, because there are no other species in that geographic area that resemble these specimens at all. If they are from the eastern coast, then they are not likely to be pulcher, since it is not endemic to that area. There are a couple of Indo-Pacific species that range into that area, like Conus tessulatus, that may have some similarities to your specimens, but nothing convincing. The size difference is not an issue. All Conus species (actually just about all molluscan species) hatch from eggs only a few millimeters in size, and then gradually grow to the adult size of their particular species. So yours would be fairly young specimens. Also, the spire height is rather variable in some species, including pulcher.

Regards,
Paul M.

[snickeroni]

Hello Di,
Do you know what part of Africa these came from? I'm guessing the lower half of the west coast? If so, then I am confident that these are Conus pulcher, because there are no other species in that geographic area that resemble these specimens at all. If they are from the eastern coast, then they are not likely to be pulcher, since it is not endemic to that area. There are a couple of Indo-Pacific species that range into that area, like Conus tessulatus, that may have some similarities to your specimens, but nothing convincing. The size difference is not an issue. All Conus species (actually just about all molluscan species) hatch from eggs only a few millimeters in size, and then gradually grow to the adult size of their particular species. So yours would be fairly young specimens. Also, the spire height is rather variable in some species, including pulcher.

Regards,
Paul M.

Hello Paul,

Thanks so much for your reply! You guessed right - although I can't pinpoint exactly where the necklace is from, it was thought to be worn by women of the Fulani people, who were then in senegal, Guinea, Nigeria and Cameroon (among other places). It did not occur to me that they would simply have been young specimens, thanks! This helps me very much indeed!

Di