Conus praecellens A. Adams, 1854

Franklin, J. Benjamin, Subramanian, K. A., Fernando, S. Antony & Krishnan, K. S., 2009, 2250, Zootaxa 2250, pp. 1-63 : 42-43

45. Conus praecellens A. Adams, 1854 (Figure 46)

Conus praecellens A. Adams, 1854: 119 (type, BMNH (35 x 15 mm); " China Seas ").

Conus bicolor Sowerby I, 1833 : pt. 24, fig. 2 (representation of lectotype, Sowerby I 1833: pt. 37, fig. 56 (36 x 18 mm) ( Kohn 1992); " China ").

Conus sinensis Sowerby II, 1841: 174–188 .

Conus sowerbii Reeve, 1849: 2 (type, BMNH (36 x 15 mm); locality unknown).

Conus sowerbyi Sowerby II, 1857: 12 ("Feejee Islands").

Conus sowerbyi var. subaequalis Sowerby III, 1870: 257 , pl. 22, fig. 5 (" China Seas").

Materials examined: MBMCS145 , 1 specimen, SL 38 mm; SW 16 mm .

Description. Shell moderately small, solid and bi-conic. Body whorl conical, outline convex adapically, slightly concave below. Shoulder carinate, with a moderately deep exhalent notch. Spire high, over 1/3 of the entire length, sharply pointed, stepped, outline slightly concave. Body whorl with punctuates or axially striate, spiral grooves of variable width separated by strong ribbons. Aperture narrow, uniformly wide; outer lip thin and straight.

Ground colour dull white. Body whorl with spiral rows of dark brown dots and bars on ribbons and fusing into two to three spiral bands, below shoulder and on both sides of the centre. Aperture white.

Distribution. Röckel et al. (1995) reported a specimen from Madras.

We collected a specimen from Cuddalore ( Table 6) by trawling in 20–40 m mainly on sandy-mud bottom.

Remarks. This is the second record from India; C. praecellens appears to be an extremely rare species along the TamilNadu Coast.