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Conus
hybridus (lamarkii
hybridus ?)
This
cone is quite common in the north and west part of the Cap Vert
peninsula where it is less numerous than c.tabidus and c.
mercator. At low depth you can find it by free diving . I discovered
a special one near 12 meters deep at the foot of the Ouakam cliffs.
It is special by its elongate form and its special drawing (but
is it an hybridus ?) . I have found some species bigger
than 50 mm, maximum length as Pin says.
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Typical
form of C. hybridus L : 51.5mm I
: 25.8mm
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L
: 44.7mm I : 21.2mm
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Almadies
(-1.5 metres)
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Ouakam
(-12 metres).
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Three beautiful
specimen of c. hybridus. >From left to right :
L : 51.5
. l : 25.8
L :
50.4 . l : 24.1
L :
51.4 . l : 25.7
Drawing are
very variable. It may be all blue grey
with always
present two clear bands at the lower third and at the shoulders
level on the back.
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Conus guinaicus
I only find two beached
species on the " petite côte ". That is true, I never
investigate the Popomguine area which is its birthing area as M.Pin
says. I nevertheless received few specimens from local fishermen.
It is quite easy to make the difference with C. hybridus because
it is more thicker with a lower spire and a more regular drawing,
the two white bands are absent or quite obsolete. |
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Beautiful
specimen L: 53mm , l : 29mm
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L
: 46mm I : 27mm
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Conus
mercator
This
kind small shell is present all long the north and west coast of
the Cap vert peninsula. Very easy to find it lives in very little
deep water. I never find it south of the N’Gor area while Pin says
it was present nee Dakar city . It may be that is the result of
the invading pollution ? It is easily recognisable despite
a very varying drawing.
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Typical
form. L : 39.2 mm , l :22.2 mm.
Sector de N’Gor (-0.5 metres).
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Two
beautiful species . d= 39 and 38 mm
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Different
drawings. The juveniles have often very special drawings that become
more classic when they become older.
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Conus cacao
This
cone which have been sometimes confused with C. mercator
in the past is obviously very different with a general light brown
pattern colour, more heavy, and presence of two clear bands at the
first third and on the shoulders levels, even if the netting drawing
and its general shape looks like this one. It is usually found on
the petite côte area near N’Gaparou where the C mercator
is absent. It is numerous at some period of the year (breeding
time ?) half buried in the sand, close to the rocks.
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Large
specimen L : 45.1 mm , l : 258
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Series
with different patterns, but not as various as on c. mercator
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Conus
cloveri
I
have find this species at only one place, at the foot of the Ouakam
cliff in a large natural pool at low tide. In this very restricted
area there were numerous pieces to gather with some big C. ermineus
in very bad state. This little cone is quite easily recognisable
and cannot be confuse with any other cone. It can be considered
as quite rare. Very nice species in GEM condition are very rare.
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Typical
C. cloveri L : 30.5 mm, l : 16.4 mm.
Ouakam
(-0.5 metres).
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Serial.
The drawing is quite constant but may obsolete on some specimens
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Conus unifasciatus
I
have some trouble identifying this species. Those I collected are
quite typical of the description by M.Pin. However the places where
I found them are quite different . Pin says they are from the northern
area of the peninsula, but mine comes from and area spread from
the Ouakam village and Goree island where they do not inhabit with
the other species that Pin says. On an other hand their maximum
length exceeds largely the 40 mm that Pin quotes.( 47 and 48 for
the biggest).
I
have found a colony quite homogeneous both by its black brown colour
an its light weight aspect in regard to the other, in a very narrow
area in Goree island.
In
fact it seems to me, that apart its colour and for some specimens
its more thick appearance, this species looks like closely to C.
hybridus : same shape and density, same length range, and
presence of two white bands… ?
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C.unifasciatus
Fann area,( -0.5 metres).
L :
47.1 mm , l : 25 mm . White bands quite obsolete
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C .
unifasciatus from Gorée ,( -1.5 metres).
L :
48.3 mm , l : 27 mm. White bands more visible with some white
spots at the bands level.
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Serial
of C. unifasciatus from Goree. The white spots are
more numerous on the small specimens.
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Serial
of C. unifasciatus from the Ouakam/ Fann area. Some
specimens are grey and finely reticulated.
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Conus
genuanus
Here is a very beautiful
cone with no identification problem. Its shape and drawing are very
constant. I only found one by diving at about 6 meters on a sandy
bottom in Goree island. This is quite normal because it is usually
found deeper. My other specimens come from fishermen on the "
petite côte ". |
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C.
genuanus, dredged in Hann bay . L :57.6 mm . l :
35.5 mm .
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Serial.
Constant drawing.
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Conus ambiguus
I did not found
this species by myself. The specimen I have come from fishermen of
the " petite côte " area. There are two forms. The
small one have a smooth shell lightly coloured of pink brown. The
big form has a white background with some brown longitudinal flames.
On the two forms there are brown radial markings on the shoulders.
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Big
form specimen dredged. L : 66 mm l :
35.5 mm.
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Small
form specimen dredged. L : 36.2 mm,L : 20 mm
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Conus tabidus
This small
cone is quite common at small depth on all the Dakar peninsula except
its southern part. It lives often with C. mercator and C.
hybridus. Small sized it is covered with a quite thick brownish
periostractum ; There not any identification problem apart
with the small specimen of C. ambiguus.
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C.
tabidus
have rounded shoulders. The brown flames drawings are less numerous
on the spire area.
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c. tabidus.
L : 31.8 mm,
l : 17.4
mm. Pointe des Almadies (0.5 meters)
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c.
ambiguus might be confuse with C. tabidus
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Conus ermineus
This
beautiful cone is present on all the Cap Vert peninsula area and
in the islands so called where I had the opportunity to go and dive.
Its birthing area is probably wider and transatlantic. C. ermineus
() is also present in the Caribian area. It has a wide range of
length, colour and drawings ; Its biotop is also very variable.
You can found it in very few depth waters at low tide as well as
at depth closing 20 to 30 meters (off the petite côte). However
its shape is always the same and it can be identified easily.
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Beautiful
specimen dredged in the petite côte area.
L : 71.8 mm , l : 38.6 mm.
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Low
depth specimen from the N’Gor area
L :
62.3 mm , l : 37 mm .
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Specimens
without drawing, yellow pattern ; dredged off petite côte.
L : 52.7 mm , l : 29 mm.
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Two
species from Sal island ( Cabo Verde islands ). normal colour:
46 X 25.8 . red colour :
46 X 25.7
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Conus
pinaui
Recently
described by Marcel Pin, it was named in honour of doctor Pinau, M.
Pin’s friend, french radiologist from Dakar and great shells collector.
They are both died recently. I had the opportunity to receive some
rare species of this fine cone from the Dakar diving club director.
Unfortunately only one remains in my collection, this explains the
poor iconography. Collected by scuba diving off Goree at 20 meters,
it is exactly identical to the M.Pin description. It do not looks
like strictly to any other cone except, may be, to a C. ambiguus
(the small form), witch had lost the drawings. |
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C.
pinaui from the Hann bay ( 15 to 20 metres).
L : 34.7 mm ; l : 20.4 mm. Typical form
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C.
pinaui and C. ambiguus side by side. Questioning ?
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Conus pulcher
Probably the world
biggest cone , C. pulcher is present every where in Senegal,
where it do not reach the huge size that you can find southerly in
the west Africa area. Juveniles specimens are more attractive because
of their more brighter colours and drawings. The specimens I have
collected by free diving between 0.5 and 12 meters in the Cap Vert
area, are broader and heavier than the dredged specimens. |
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C.
pulcher typical from the Cap Vert peninsula, broad and heavy.
Collected at Bel Air, outside the pier.
L :
133 mm . l : 92 mm
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C.
pulcher dredged off the petite côte, Narrow
and lighter.
L :
116 mm. L : 69 mm
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Conus
equinophylus
This cone is illustrated
here but I had some difficulties due to its very short size to take
pictures. I have found 4 specimens of this tiny cone at the pointe
des Almadies area, in little depth water. The shells are strictly
identical to the description of M. Pin. |
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