Conus (Austroconus) is a taxon of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae. Although formerly described as a distinct subgenus, it is currently considered as an alternative representation of the cone snail genus, Conus. Distinguishing characteristics The Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes Austroconus 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 Austroconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009 Shell characters (living and fossil species) The protoconch is paucispiral with 1.5 whorls, the shoulder is carinate, the body whorl is sulcate, the whorl tops have cords, there are no nodules on the body and no dentiform plait. The shell has an anterior notch which is usually conspicuous and well developed, and a shallow anal notch. The periostracum is smooth, and the operculum is small. Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) The anterior section of the radula is usually shorter than posterior section. The blade is moderately long and covers at least one-half the length of the anterior section of the radular tooth. A basal spur is present, the barb is short. Serrations usually occur in just one or two rows. Geographical distribution These species are endemic to Australia. Feeding habits These species are presumed to be vermivorous (meaning that they prey on marine worms) bases on the aspect of the radular tooth. Species Prior to 2009, all species within the family Conidae were placed in one genus, Conus. In 2009 however, J.K. Tucker and M.J. Tenorio proposed a classification system for the over 600 recognized species that were in the family. Their classification proposed 3 distinct families and 82 genera for the living species