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Conus ateralbus

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA MOLLUSCA GASTROPODA NEOGASTROPODA CONIDAE

Scientific Name: Conus ateralbus
Species Authority: Kiener, 1845
Taxonomic Notes: There is a population on another island (Maio) that is currently known as C. ateralbus, however, at present this has been discounted from the conservation assessment until better data is available on the status of the population (Manuel J Tenorio, pers. comm. 2011).
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Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered B1ab(iii,iv)+2ab(iii,iv) ver 3.1
Year Published: 2012
Date Assessed: 2011-10-26
Assessor(s): Tenorio, M.J.
Reviewer(s): Monnier, E. & Seddon, M.
Facilitator/Compiler(s): Peters, H. & Seddon, M.
Justification:
This species is assessed as Endangered B1ab(iii,iv)+2ab(iii,iv), as it is endemic to two strips of coast on the southern part of the island of Sal, Cape Verde including Baía da Mordeira, a coast of a projected 30 km length.  The island of Sal where this species lives is now subject to major development including a 5 bn euro development 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 development coincides with the location of the species and must be considered the major threat to the populations, especially at the type locality. There are no known conservation measures currently in place for this species. Long-term development plans should incorporate some conservation actions to protect the type locality of this species, as disturbance of the habitats may impact the species.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species is endemic to the south-west of the island of Sal, Cape Verde in the Calheta region from and including Baía da Mordeira to Baía do Algodoeiro (Monteiro et al. 2004), a coast of a projected length of 30 km. The second population (formerly known as Conus venulatus) is on the south-eastern coast of the island.
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: There are no records of population levels for this species in the literature. It is common within the range during the breeding season, and is usually found at exposed sites, so the population is easy to estimate. Over the last 10 years the populations have remained stable, however future trends in the western habitats may be declining (M. J. Tenorio, pers. comm. 2011).
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Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: This species has been found among rubble and sand at depths of between 2 and 15 m (Poppe and Poppe 2011). Adults grow to approximately 45 mm in length.
Systems: Marine

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade:

In common with all Conus spp. and other molluscs, the shells of this species are traded for the collector market.  There are no quantitative data available on the number of shells removed, so it is mainly selective collecting for the shell collectors. Shells for sale on the mollusc shell market as reported through specialist websites and dealer catalogues (Rice 2007) indicate reasonable occurrences of this species in the wild.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

The Cape Verde islands are experiencing a major increase in tourism.  The island of Sal where this species lives is now subject to major development including a 5 bn euro development 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 development coincides with the location of the species and must be considered the major threat to the populations. 

This species is endemic to the island of Sal, Cape Verde where it is restricted to a 30 km stretch of coastline. In common with many species of marine mollusc of restricted range there maybe a long-term interest in gathering specimen shells, but at present it is not viewed as impacting the population levels of the species, and it is currently providing data for long-term monitoring of the populations.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: There is a long-term interest in gathering specimen shells, but at present it is not viewed as impacting the population levels of the species, and it is currently providing data for long-term monitoring of the populations.

There are no known conservation measures currently in place for this species. Long-term development plans should incorporate some conservation actions to protect the type locality of this species, as disturbance of the habitats may impact the species.

Bibliography [top]

IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2012.1). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 19 June 2012).

Monteiro, A., Tenorio, M.J. and Poppe, G.T. 2004. The Family Conidae, The West African and Mediterranean species of Conus. In: Poppe, G.T and Groh, K. (eds), A Conchological Iconography, pp. 270. ConchBooks, Hackenheim.

Poppe, G. T. and Poppe, P. 1996-2011. Conchology, Inc. Mactan Available at: http://www.conchology.be/. (Accessed: March 2011).

Rice, T. 2007. A Catalog of Dealers' Prices for Shells: Marine, Land and Freshwater. Sea and Shore Publications.
Citation: Tenorio, M.J. 2012. Conus ateralbus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2015.
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