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Aruba has cemented itself as an “evolutionary hot-spot” in the Southern Caribbean as researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the University of California recently discovered a new species of cone snail off the island’s coast.
Researchers said the new snail is one of over 180 species of molluscs found during a recent field survey.
The researchers noted that Aruba’s “species richness is actually so high in the shallow neritic environments around the island that levels of endemism of several gastropod families approach or exceed 50 per cent.”
David Berschauer, a researcher from the University of California, found the cone snail in the shallow waters of Malmok Beach on the northern tip of Aruba.
He named the cone snail “Jaspidiconus hendrikae” in honour of Hendrika Wendriks, who is the mother of well-known Aruban diver and amateur malacologist, Jordy Wendricks.
This new species averages around 14 millimetres in length and is tapered at both ends. It bears a similar appearance to the species J. vantwoudti, but J. hendrikae has a vivid yellow colour and tiny rows of brown dots.
J. hendrikae lives in fine sand pockets at a depth of seven metres.
Cone snails are predatory and they prey on worms, other molluscs and fish.
Their venom is prized in the pharmacological community as it is used to make a number of drugs including pain blockers.
Habitat loss and over collection for the shell trade have are major threats to cone snails globally.
September 25, 2021 12:20 PM
December 3, 2021 08:26 AM
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