Aloha Don,
I think volume of toxin injected also plays an important part. The times when I saw Conus textile die from the stings of another C. textile, the one that succumbed was smaller. When the cones are of near equal size, I observed what you did where the animals just get "groggy" for some hours or a few days and then recover. It's amazing to watch two large cones "firing salvos" (repeatedly sting) at each other and producing visible little puffs of venom.
Do you have any information on toxins of Cymantium nicobaricum? In aquaria, these appear to be the only non-Conus species that can take out a Conus textile. Even a small specimen of this Cymantium species can kill rather large cowries like Cypraea mauritiana and C. maculifera. I have some good photos of nicobarucum ambushing large cowries. Sometimes a single attack will kill the Cyp.
Be Safe,
Dave
From: Don Barclay <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: conus toxin
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 00:41:55 -0600
>Hi David,
>
>That could be so, there must sure be some mechanism at
>work to cause the potency of the venom to vary. Very
>interesting information about the fish toxins, also. I did
>witness several envenomations of Conus textile by others
>of the same species, however, and none of them died. It
>always had an effect one them, by slowing them or making
>them inactive for a period of hours, but they never failed
>to recover. I witnessed a similar situation when a Conus
>textile envenomated a smaller Conus canonicus in the top
>of the foot. The C. canonicus definitely showed effects
>from having been envenomated, but within several hours
>appeared to have recovered, apparently with no lasting
>effects. Every other species that was envenomated by
>Conus textile in my aquarium died.
>
>Cheers,
>
>
>Don
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "David Lum" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 1:42 AM
>Subject: Re: conus toxin
>
>
>>All,
>>
>> Perhaps the reason why a conotoxin is more potent in the teeth
>>than
>>when it is in the venom sac has to do with a reaction with a
>>component
>>in seawater. While a conotoxin remains in the venom sac of a
>>particular
>>species, it has no effect on the animal carrying it; however, if
>>that
>>animal has the same conotoxin injected into its tissues it can die.
>>I've seen Conus textile envenomize and kill each other in an
>>aquarium.
>>A similar phenomenon may occur with cowfish and boxfish. These
>>fish
>>have glands that can secrete toxins. Under normal conditions, the
>>fish
>>do not suffer from their own toxicity. However, when one of these
>>fishes is stressed, the poisons it releases are very potent and can
>>even
>>kill the fish that secreted them if it does not quickly move away
>>from
>>its chemical cloud. I've observed this from collecting Ostracion
>>meleagris and Lactoria fornasini.
>>
>>Regards,
>>Dave
>
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