Seller mislabeled Conus mercator?

[JackSullivan]

In my study of the Senegal endemic Conidae I resorted my growing collection into separate compartmented plastic boxes by species: C. mercator, C. cacao so far. In the process I gained a familiarity with the different species by size, shape & pigmentation pattern. One shell stuck out as being likely mislabeled by the seller as C. mercator from the Dakar area. On examination, this shell appears instead to be a small example of C. cacao, which is found 80 kms south of Dakar in the Thies region of the country. I'm throwing it out here for comment.

[paul monfils]

Conus cacao is not officially recognized as a species. This specimen does resemble the form called cacao, but there are also intermediate forms known.