and two barbs on the topside, with one located near the blade, and the other near the shaft. A blunt shaft fold is located just posterior to the waist. The radular tooth does not have an accessory process. Geographical distribution There is one species in this genus, and it is found only in the Eastern-Pacific region. Feeding habits These cones are generalists. They are: molluscivorous (they prey on gastropods and bivalves); vermivorous (they prey on polychaete marine worms); and piscivorous (the also prey on fish). Species list This list of species is based on the information in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) list. Species within the genus Californiconus include only: Californiconus californicus Reeve, 1844 Significance of "alternative representation" Prior to 2009, all cone species were placed within the family Conidae and 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 of cone snails, including the family Conilithidae. This classification was based upon shell morphology, radular differences, anatomy, physiology, cladistics, with comparisons to molecular (DNA) studies. Published accounts of genera within the Conidae (or Conilithidae) that include the genus Californiconus include J.K. Tucker & M.J. Tenorio (2009), and Bouchet et al. (2011). Testing in order to try to understand the molecular phylogeny of the Conidae was initially begun by Christopher Meyer and Alan Kohn, and is continuing, particularly with the advent of nuclear DNA testing in addition to mDNA testing. However, in 2011, some experts still prefer to use the traditional classification, where all species are placed in Conus within the single family Conidae: for example, according to the 2011 version of the World Register of Marine Species, all species within the family Conidae are placed within the genus Conus. The binomial names of species in the 82 cone snail genera listed in Tucker & Tenorio 2009 are recognized by the World Register of Marine Species as "alternative representations." Debate within the scientific community regarding this issue continues, and additional molecular phylogeny studies are being carried out in an attempt to clarify the issue. This alternative representation for Californiconus californicus is no longer necessary, as in 2015 it was placed in its own genus. References Further reading Kohn A. A. (1992). Chronological Taxonomy of Conus, 1758-1840".