The Hawaiian Species of Conus (Mollusca: Gastropoda)^ 
Alan J. Kohn^ 
In the course of a comparative ecological 
study of gastropod mollusks of the genus 
Conns in Hawaii (Kohn, 1959), some 2,400 
specimens of 25 species were examined. Un- 
certainty of the correct names to be applied to 
some of these species prompted the taxo- 
nomic study reported here. Many workers 
have contributed to the systematics of the 
genus Conns; nevertheless, both nomencla- 
torial and biological questions have persisted 
concerning the correct names of a number of 
species that occur in the Hawaiian archi- 
pelago, here considered to extend from Kure 
(Ocean) Island (28.25° N., 178.26° W.) to the 
island of Hawaii (20.00° N., 155.30° W.). 
FAUNAL AFFINITY 
As is characteristic of the marine fauna of 
the Hawaiian Islands, the affinities of Conus 
are with the Indo-Pacific center of distribu- 
tion. The Hawaiian Islands mark the north- 
eastern limit of most of the species that occur 
there. Eastern Pacific species of Conns are en- 
tirely absent from the Hawaiian fauna. 
Most of the species present in Hawaii range 
widely throughout the central and western 
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea. 
The chief mode of distribution is the pelagic 
veliger larval stage. Drifting while attached 
to floating material may be a secondary 
mechanism. Despite the extensive distribu- 
tion of most of the species occurring in 
Hawaii, the geographic position of the archi- 
pelago and the prevailing westerly surface 
^ Contribution No. 117, Hawaii Marine Laboratory. 
Manuscript received July 30, 1957. 
2 Osborn Zoological Laboratory, Yale University, 
and Hawaii Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii. 
Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, 
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. 
currents are factors which could plausibly 
effect the isolation necessary for geographic 
speciation. 
Of the 33 species of Conns considered in 
this paper to be valid constituents of the 
Hawaiian fauna, about 20 occur in shallow 
water on marine benches and coral reefs and 
in bays. Of these, only one species, C. ah- 
hreviatns Reeve, is considered to be endemic to 
the Hawaiian archipelago. Less is known of 
the species more characteristic of deeper water 
habitats. Some, known at present only from 
dredgings about the Hawaiian Islands, may 
in the future prove to occur elsewhere as 
well, when adequate sampling methods are 
extended to other parts of the Indo-West 
Pacific region. 
ECOLOGY 
Since the ecology of Conns has been dis- 
cussed in detail elsewhere (Kohn, 1959), 
ecological data are restricted to notes in this 
report. 
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the con- 
stant stimulation and willing assistance of 
Karl W. Greene, director. Children’s Museum 
of Honolulu, and Edwin H. Bryan, Jr., cu- 
rator of collections, Bernice P. Bishop Mu- 
seum, Honolulu. The collections and libraries 
of the following institutions were also visited, 
and gratitude is expressed to the persons in 
charge: U. S. National Museum (H. A. 
Rehder, J. P. E. Morrison), Academy of Nat- 
ural Sciences of Philadelphia (R. T. Abbott), 
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 
University (W. J. Clench, R. D. Turner), and 
Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Y. Kondo). In 
addition, specimens were loaned to the writer 
for study by C. A. Allen, Mrs. Jean Bromley, 
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