Range: Central and S. Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and N. Somalia.

Description: Medium-sized to moderately large, moderately solid to solid. Last whorl usually conical; outline either almost straight or convex at adapical third. Shoulder angulate to slightly carinate. Spire of low to moderate height; stepped; outline concave to straight. Early postnuclear whorls appear weakly tuberculate. Teleoconch sutural ramps flat to concave towards shoulder; later ramps with 2-3 often faint spiral grooves changing into a varying number of weak to obsolete striae. Last whorl with variably broad, weak spiral ribbons, often posteriorly edged with a fine spiral rib, on basal third.

Ground colour white, occasionally tinged with blue. Last whorl with usually fine yellowish to blackish brown reticulations bordering white tents that vary widely in size. Reticulate pattern often concentrated in 2 or more darker spiral bands of variable width, solidity and colour. Within dark bands, reticulated lines may turn into wavy axial lines. Postnuclear sutural ramps with reddish to blackish brown radial streaks and blotches that cross the outer margins. Aperture white, violet-brown deep within.

Animal bright yellow, with a cream to light brown foot; siphon with red longitudinal lines and a white and a black band at the tip (Ehrenberg, 1828).

Radular teeth with 2 opposite adapical barbs and a long serration, terminating in a cusp beyond the centre of the shaft (Kohn, unpubl. observ.).

Habitat and Habits: In 2-10 m; under seaweed, on sand and mud.

Discussion: C. locumtenens closely resembles C. textile and related species in colour pattern and is also similar to C. amadis and C. hamanni. For the distinctions from these species, see the DISCUSSIONS of them. The list of synonyms refers to intergrading colour forms.

C. locumtenens range map

This section contains verbatim reproductions of the accounts of 316 species of Conus from the Indo-Pacific region, from Manual of the Living Conidae, by Röckel, Korn and Kohn (1995). They are reproduced with the kind permission of the present publisher, Conchbooks.

All plates and figures referred to in the text are also in Röckel, Korn & Kohn, 1995. Manual of the Living Conidae Vol. 1: Indo-Pacific Region.

The range maps have been modified so that each species account has it own map, rather than one map that showed the ranges of several species in the original work. This was necessary because each species account is on a separate page on the website and not confined to the order of accounts in the book.