Identification

[paul monfils]

This is easy to narrow down to 2 species, but a little more difficult to say for sure which one it is.  It is either Conus litteratus, or a young Conus leopardus.  The two are both rather variable in markings.  The brownish color of the spots is unusual for either species, but if this was a beach collected shell, that could be due to fading from sun exposure.  I lean toward a young Conus leopardus, but I am not certain. I say "young" because Conus leopardus grows much larger than this specimen.

http://www.conchology.be/?t=66&family=&k...on_species=

http://www.conchology.be/?t=66&family=&k...on_species=

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