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Phyla Molluska: The Venom Apparatus of Cone Snails

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Marine and Freshwater Toxins

Part of the book series: Toxinology ((TOXI))

Abstract

Predatory marine gastropods of the genus Conus comprise ~700 species that have evolved a highly specialized envenomation apparatus. This recently evolved genus has developed potent venoms separately for prey capture and defense. Both strategies utilize a complex but different cocktail of venom peptides that is injected through a hollow harpoon to rapidly immobilize prey or deter predators. Many of the anatomical, histological, and functional aspects of the envenomation process have been elucidated. However, the role of several interconnected organs and the processes that allow the deployment of separate predatory and defensive stings require further study.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, Université Montpellier – CNRS, UMR 5247, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Cedex 5, Montpellier, France

    Sébastien Dutertre

  2. Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    John Griffin & Richard J. Lewis

Authors
  1. Sébastien Dutertre
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  2. John Griffin
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  3. Richard J. Lewis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sébastien Dutertre .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anatomy, Natl Univ of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    P. Gopalakrishnakone

  2. Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

    Vidal Haddad Jr.

  3. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Aurelia Tubaro

  4. College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea (Republic of)

    Euikyung Kim

  5. College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    William R. Kem

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Dutertre, S., Griffin, J., Lewis, R.J. (2016). Phyla Molluska: The Venom Apparatus of Cone Snails. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P., Haddad Jr., V., Tubaro, A., Kim, E., Kem, W. (eds) Marine and Freshwater Toxins. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6419-4_8

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