Conasprella

Conasprella is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. This genus was formerly (February 2015) treated by some experts as a member of the family Conilithidae and as an "alternative representation" of this group of species.

==Distinguishing characteristics== The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes Conasprella from Conus in the following ways: Genus Conus sensu stricto Linnaeus, 1758 Shell characters (living and fossil species) The basic shell shape is conical to elongated conical, has a deep anal notch on the shoulder, a smooth periostracum and a small operculum. The shoulder of the shell is usually nodulose and the protoconch is usually multispiral. Markings often include the presence of tents except for black or white color variants, with the absence of spiral lines of minute tents and textile bars. Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) The radula has an elongated anterior section with serrations and a large exposed terminating cusp, a non-obvious waist, blade is either small or absent and has a short barb, and lacks a basal spur. Geographical distribution These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Feeding habits These species eat other gastropods including cones. Genus Conasprella Thiele, 1929 Shell characters (living and fossil species) The protoconch is multispiral with 2.5 whorls, the shell is conical in shape, the spire is elevated, the early whorls have nodules at the periphery. The body whorl has evenly spaced cords or sulci that reach the midbody to the shoulder, and the whorls may have cords on top. The anterior notch is absent and the anal notch is deep. The periostracum is smooth, and the operculum is small. Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) The blade is short and covers one-third of the anterior section of the radular tooth. The posterior blade is absent, a basal spur is present, and the barb is short. A shaft fold and interior posterior fold is present, however the shaft fold is difficult to detect. Geographical distribution These species are found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Feeding habits These species are presumed to be vermivorous (meaning that they prey on marine worms) based upon their radular morphology.