David,

Since the location of the holotype of Conus couderti Bernardi, 1860 is not
known,  it is hard to identify this species with certainty.  Collecting
locality for the type is also not known.  Coomans, Moolenbeek and Wils
provided a black and white reproduction of the original drawing in their
discussion of this species in Basteria, Vol. 48, No. 6 (1985).   Coomans et
al. provisionally considered  Conus couderti to be nomen dubium.  Most
collectors I know who have studied the type illustration believe the shell
is Conus erythraeensis Reeve, 1843, a species found in the vicinity of the
Red Sea, not a caribbean shell at all.

The shells usually illustrated and identified as Conus couderti are Conus
archetypus beddomei Sowerby, 1901 according to Danker Vink.  This is the
name I place on specimens of the shell illustrated in the web site link that
Bruce Livett sent you.  It is found in the Grenedines and has a wide range
of pattern (from solid brown to mottled white/brown zig-zags) that sometimes
make it hard to believe you are looking at shells of the same species.

Since application of the name C. couderti to this shell was made by Petuch
and Anders in 1979 this name has been confused.  On at least one dealer list
I have seen both C. couderti and C. beddomei listed simultaneously.  Despite
a good article in Hawaiian Shell News in 1980 and a subsequent discussion of
this issue a few years later in La Conchiglia - both by Danker Vink, the
name C. couderti is still sometimes applied to C. archetypus beddomei.

Hope this information helps.

William J. Fenzan
401 Sinclair St.
Norfolk, VA  23505-4359
USA

wjf401(at)earthlink.net

Phone: (757) 489-4736

----- Original Message -----
From: david touitou <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 8:41 AM
Subject: Looking for Conus couderti picture


Hi all !!
I am looking for a picture of a C. couderi (Caribbean).
For identification.

Thanks,
David
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