Conus (Harmoniconus) nux: Conoidea: Conidae

[JackSullivan]

From West Panama, this beautiful 19 mm shell is remarkable for again presenting a markedly blue siphonal canal. But in examining photos of other examples of this species, no blue pigmentation can be seen in this area.

The popular name for this shell is the nut cone.

I bought another larger example of this species (25 mm) from Rick Negus & he told me that the siphonal canal is colored nearly purple. So blue pigmentation in this species may possibly be a constant genetic feature. See pix. The angle that the pix were taken makes it difficult to make out the blue-purple color.