Conus balteatus

Conus balteatus, common name the Mauritian cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

The subspecies: Conus balteatus pigmentatus A. Adams & Reeve, 1848 is accepted as Conus balteatus G. B. Sowerby I, 1833

Description
The size of an adult shell varies between 13 mm and 33 mm. The shell is olive-brown or brown violaceous, with a more or less irregular white band below the middle, and another one below the tuberculated spire. The interior of the aperture is tinged with violet.

Distribution
This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off the Mascarene Basin and in the Western Pacific Ocean (New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea)

Gallery
Below are several color forms and one subspecies: