Conus felitae

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	MOLLUSCA	GASTROPODA	NEOGASTROPODA	CONIDAE

Scientific Name:	Conus felitae
Species Authority:	Rolán, 1990

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1
Year Published:	2012
Assessor/s:	Tenorio, M.J.
Reviewer/s:	Monnier, E. & Seddon, M.
Contributor/s:	Peters, H.
Justification: This species occupies a highly restricted range of probably less than 4 km² off the coast of Sal in the Cape Verde group of islands and at present has stable populations that are not suffering any decline. As such the current status is Vulnerable D2. However, there is a current plan to develop the northern end of the bay, and as such once the work starts the conservation assessment of the species would change to CR B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v), unless plans are put in place to mitigate the impacts of the development on the species. The level of offtake for specialist collectors are unlikely to impact the species, and provides a method of monitoring the status of the populations.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands where it has only been found on the island of Sal and where it is restricted to just a 4 km stretch of coastline on the western side of the island on the north shore of Baía de Mordeira (Monteiro et al. 2004, M J. Tenorio pers. comm. 2011).
Countries:	Native: Cape Verde
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – eastern central
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The area where this species occurs is at present stable, however the threats of development may impact the species in the future.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species lives under rocks in shallow water to 1 to 2 m in depth (Poppe and Poppe 2011). Adults of the species are one of the smallest of the Conidae and typically grow to just 12 mm in length.
Systems:	Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The Cape Verde islands are experiencing a major increase in tourism which must be considered the major threat. The island of Sal to which this species is restricted is now subject to major development including a 5 bn euro construction of 425 hectares at Mordeira Bay, consisting of 5,000 residential units, 5 star hotels, two golf courses and a marina (http://www.capeverdedevelopment.com). This location is currently planned for future expansion of the resort area with road construction to this headland, with the timescale likely to occur in the next 10 years. This species has a very small shell, typically less than 13 mm, which may make it less attractive; however, it is of interest to specialist shell collectors.

Major Threat(s):

The Cape Verde islands are experiencing a major increase in tourism which must be considered the major threat. The island of Sal to which this species is restricted is now subject to major development including a 5 bn euro construction of 425 hectares at Mordeira Bay, consisting of 5,000 residential units, 5 star hotels, two golf courses and a marina (http://www.capeverdedevelopment.com). This location is currently planned for future expansion of the resort area with road construction to this headland, with the timescale likely to occur in the next 10 years.

This species has a very small shell, typically less than 13 mm, which may make it less attractive; however, it is of interest to specialist shell collectors.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is restricted in its range and would benefit from further research into abundance and threats before any action plan can be formulated. There are no known conservation measures currently in place for this species.

Conservation Actions:

This species is restricted in its range and would benefit from further research into abundance and threats before any action plan can be formulated. There are no known conservation measures currently in place for this species.

Citation:	Tenorio, M.J. 2012. Conus felitae. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 May 2013.
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