Abstract
Lakshadweep, the northernmost region of the Chagos-Maldives-Lakshadweep group of islands located southwest of the Malabar coast of India in the Arabian Sea, is the only chain of coral atolls in India. This paper documents the diversity of the molluscan family Conidae from the seas around all ten inhabited islands of Lakshadweep. Of the 78 species of cone snails now reported from Lakshadweep, 49 were recorded in this study. Three of these had not previously been reported from India, and four are newly reported from Lakshadweep. The results increase the number of Conidae species known from Lakshadweep by 10%.
References
Appukuttan, K.K., Chellam, A., Ramdoss, A.K., Victor, A.C.C. & Meiyappan, M.M. (1989) Molluscan resources. In: Suseelan, C. (Ed.), Marine Living Resources of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep: An Indicative Survey with Suggestions for Development, Bulletin 43. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, Kerala, pp. 77–92.
Apte, D.A. (1998) The Book of Indian Shells. Oxford University Press, Mumbai, 115 pp.
Apte, D.A. (2012) Field Guide to the Marine Life of India. Stusa Mudra Private Limited, Mumbai, 502 pp.
Apte, D.A. (2014) Sea Shells of India, an Illustrated Guide to Common Gastropods. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 197 pp.
Bergh, R. (1895) Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Coniden. Nova Acta der Kaiserlichen Leopoldischen-Carolinischen Deutschen Akademie der Naturforscher, 65 (2), 67–214.
Bozzetti, L. (2014) Graphiconus indomaris (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Conidae: Puncticuliinae) a new species from Central Indian Ocean. Malacologia Mostra Mondiale, 85, 12–13.
Cernohorsky, W.O. (1964) The Conidae of Fiji (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Veliger, 7, 61–94.
Cernohorsky, W.O. (1978) Tropical Pacific Marine Shells. Pacific Publications, Sydney, 352 pp.
Coomans, H.E. & de Visser, J.S. (1987) Studies on Conidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) 10. The holotype and identity of Conus coffeae Gmelin. Veliger, 29, 437–441.
Coomans, H.E., Moolenbeek, R.G. & Wils, E. (1981) Alphabetical revision of the (sub) species in recent Conidae, 4. aphrodite to azona with description of Conus arenatus bizona, nov. subspecies. Basteria, 45, 3–55.
Craig, A.G., Bandyopadhyay, P & Olivera, B.M (1999) Post-translationally modified neuropeptides from Conus venoms. European Journal of Biochemistry, 264, 271–275.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1432-1327.1999.00624.xDuda, T.F. Jr., Kohn, A.J. & Matheny, A.M. (2009) Cryptic species differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a widespread tropical marine gastropod. Biological Bulletin, 217, 292–305.
https://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv217n3p292Fernando, A.S. & Fernando, O.J. (2002) A Field Guide to the Common Invertebrates of The East Coast of India. Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, 258 pp.
Filmer, R.M. (2001) A catalogue of nomenclature and taxonomy in the living Conidae 1758–1998. Backhuys, Leiden, 388 pp.
Franklin, J.B., Fernando, S.A., Chalke, B.A. & Krishnan, K.S. (2007) Radular morphology of Conus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Conidae) from India. Molluscan Research, 273, 111–122.
Franklin J.B., Subramanian, K.A., Fernando, S.A. & Krishnan K.S. (2009) Diversity and distribution of Conidae from the Tamil Nadu coast of India (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Conidae). Zootaxa, 2250, 1–63.
Franklin, J.B., Venkateshwaran, P., Vinithkumar, N.V. & Kirubagaran, R. (2013) Four new records of Conidae Mollusca: Caenogastropoda from the Andaman Islands, India. Zootaxa, 3635 (1), 81–86.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3635.1.8Frauenfeld, G.R. von. (1869) Beiträge zur Fauna der Nicobaren. III. Wien Zool. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 19, 853–900.
Garber, K (2005). Peptide leads new class of chronic pain drugs. Nature Biotechnology, 23, 399.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0405-399Hornell, J. (1921) Common molluscs of South India; Appendix Molluscan fauna of the Laccadive Islands. Madras Fisheries Bulletin, 14, 213–215.
Hylleberg, J. & Kilburn, R.N. (2002) Annotated inventory of molluscs from the Gulf of Mannar and vicinity. In: Nateewathana A. (Ed.), Zoogeography and inventory of marine molluscs encountered in southern India, Tropical Marine Mollusc Program TMMP. Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Special Publication, 26, pp. 19–79.
Kench, P.S., Smithers, S.G., McLean, R.F. & Nichol, S.I. (2009) Holocene reef growth in the Maldives: Evidence of mid-Holocene sea-level highstand in the central Indian Ocean. Geology, 37, 455–458.
https://doi.org/10.1130/G25590A.1Kilburn, R.N. & Rippey, E. (1982) Sea Shells of Southern Africa. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg, 249 pp.
Kohn, A.J. (1978) The Conidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of India. Journal of Natural History, 12, 295–335.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00222937800770171Kohn, A.J. (1992) A Chronological Taxonomy of Conus, 1758–1840. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, 315 pp.
Kohn, A.J. (2001) The Conidae of India revisited. Phuket Marine Biological Center Special Publication, 25, 357–362.
Kohn, A.J. & Robertson, R. (1968) The Conidae (Gastropoda) of the Maldive and Chagos Archipelagoes. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 8, 273–277.
KSCSTE (2013) State of Environment Report for Lakshadweep. Kerala State Council for Science; Technology and Environment, Thiruvananthapuram, 400 pp.
Nagabhushanam, A.K. & Rao, G.C. (1972) An ecological survey of the marine fauna of Minicoy Atoll (Laccadive Archipelago, Arabian Sea. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 48, 265–324.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.19720480203Namboodiri, P.N. & Sivadas, P. (1979) Zonation of molluscan assemblage at Kavaratti Atoll Laccadives. Mahasagar, 12, 239–246.
Peters, H., O’Leary, B.C., Bethan, C.O.L., Hawkins, J.P, Carpenter, K.E. & Roberts, C.M. (2013) Conus: First comprehensive conservation red list assessment of a marine gastropod mollusc genus. Plos One, 8 (e83353), 1–12.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0083353Puillandre, N., Bouchet, P., Duda, T.F. Jr., Kauferstein, S., Kohn, A.J., Olivera, B.M. Watkins, M. & Meyer, C.P. (2014) Molecular phylogeny and evolution of the cone snails (Gastropoda, Conoidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 78, 290–303.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.05.023Puillandre, N., Duda, T.F., Meyer, Christopher P., Olivera, B.M. & Bouchet, P. (2015) One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 81, 1–23.
https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyu055Puillandre, N. & Tenorio, M.J. (2017) A question of rank: DNA sequences and radula characters reveal a new genus of cone snails (Gastropoda: Conidae). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 83, 200–210.
https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyx011Quoy, J.R. & Gaimard, J.P. (1834) Voyage de découvertes de la corvette L’Astrolabe exécuté par order du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1828–1829, sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont d’Urville. Zoologie. 3 (1). J. Tastu, Paris, 400 pp.
Rajagopal, S., Khan, S.A., Srinivasan, M. & Shanmugam, A. (1998) Gastropods of Parangipettai coast. Center of Advanced study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, India, 38 pp.
Rao, K.V. & Rao, N.V. (1991) Mollusca. In: Ghosh, A.K. & Kumar, A. (Eds.), State Fauna Series 2. Fauna of Lakshadweep. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 273–362.
Rao, N.V. (2003) Indian Sea Shells (Part I). Polyplacophora and Gastropoda. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 416 pp.
Ravinesh, R. & Kumar, A.B. (2015) A Checklist of the marine molluscs of Lakshadweep, India. Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, 3, 15–55.
Rice, T. (2007) A Catalogue of Dealers Prices for Shells: Marine, Land and Freshwater. 23rd Edition. Of Sea and Shore Publications, 2007, 1–275.
Röckel, D., Korn, W. & Kohn, A.J. (1995) Manual of the living Conidae. Vol. 1. Indo-Pacific region. Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden, 517 pp.
Smith, E.A. (1906) Marine Mollusca. In: Gardiner, S.J. (Ed.), Fauna and Geography of the Maldive and Laccadive Archipelagoes. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 119–222 + 589–630.
Sundaram, K.S. (1969) Catalogue of molluscs in the reference collections of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.1. Molluscs excluding cephalopods. Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 9, 1–22.
Susan, V.D., Pillai, N.G.K. & Satheeshkumar, P. (2012) A checklist and spatial distribution of molluscan fauna in Minicoy Island; Lakshadweep; India. World Journal of Fish and Marine Sciences, 4, 449–453.
Terlau, H. & Olivera, B.M. (2004) Conus venoms: a rich source of novel ion channel targeted peptides. Physiological Reviews, 84, 41–68.
https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00020.2003
Tucker, J.K. & Tenorio, M.J. (2013) Illustrated Catalogue of the Living Cone Shells. MDM Publishing, Florida, 517 pp.
Venkataraman, K., Jeyabaskaran, R., Raghuram, K.P. & Alfred, J.R.B. (2004) Bibliography and Checklist of Corals and Coral Reef Associated Organisms of India, Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 226, 1–468.
Venkataraman, K., Rajan, R., Satyanarayana, C.H., Raghunathan, C. & Venkatraman, C. (2012) Marine Ecosystems and Marine Protected Areas of India. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 296 pp.
Walls, J.G. (1979) Three new Indian Ocean cones (Mollusca: Conidae). The Pariah, 5, 1–6.
Woodroffe, C., McLean, R., Polach, H. & Wallensky, E. (1990) Sea level and coral atolls: Late Holocene emergence in the Indian Ocean. Geology, 18, 62–66.
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018%3C0062:SLACAL%3E2.3.CO;2
WoRMS (World Register of Marine Species) (2018) Available from: http://www.marinespecies.org (accessed 29 April 2018)