Conus insculptus (Kiener, 1847)

Conus insculptus Kiener, 1850. Iconographie des coquilles vivant.e.s, Conus, p. 309, pl. 49, fig. 2;

Martin, 1891, Die Fos.siliEn von Java, Bd. 1, Gaskopoda, p. 14, pl. 1, fig.18;

Cernohorsky, 1964, Veliger, v. 7, no. 2, p. 76, pl. 17, figs. 55, 55a

A small slender shell with a high, slightly concave spire; the attenuated body whorl is slightly recurved anteriorly; shoulder of all whorls with an inconspicuous carination, above which are several weak spiral ribs. Surface of body whorl with shallow cancellated grooves. On the figured specimen, the spiral grooves are present almost to the shoulder, but on most fossils from Palau, they become obsolete over the upper two~thirds of the whorl. On fossils from Java, the grooves persist almost to the shoulder, as in the figured Palauan fossil ⁽³⁾.

Measurements of the figured specimen, USNM 175125: length 19.7 mm, diameter 8.1 mm.

C. insculptus is closely related to C. aculeiformis Reeve, but that species is not recurved anteriorly, has stronger spirals above the shoulder, and is grooved over the entire body whorl ⁽³⁾.

Occurrence.-Abundant in marls at the base of the Palau Limestone (stations 21301, 21304, 21308) on the Goikul Peninsula, Babelthaup, Palau; age, late Miocene (Tertiary g). Martin reported it from the upper Miocene of Java. The species was described originally from the China Sea and is now known to live also in the Philippines and Fiji ⁽³⁾.

Epoca: Upper Miocene – Recent (Martin)

Località: Central Java

It seems related with Conus spolongensis.

Conus insculptus is hardly distinguishable from Conus sondeianus. It’s the same specie?