EDITORIAL

The family Conidae Rafinesque, 1815 (Mollusca, Gastropoda) has always been one of the most popular among collectors, along with others such as Cypraeidae, Volutidae, Muricidae, Pectinidae, etc. It comprises a large number of species that so far have been usually included in the single genus Conus Linnaeus, 1758, despite several attempts to separate it into a system of different genera and subgenera, whichhowever have not been universally accepted.

It should also be noted that in a recent (2005) work, Classification and Nomenclator (sp?) of Gastropod Families, Bouchet and Rocroi included the subfamilies of Claturellinae, Conorbinae, Mangeliinae, Oenopotinae and Raphitominae in the Conidae. These subfamilies were previously included in the family Turridae. Nevertheless, most collectors of Cones will most probably restrict their collections to those species so far attributed to the genus Conus alone. Many such collectors are in touch with one another, either in person, through correspondence or, more recently – and ever more frequently – through e-mail. The large number of species of Cones and the continuous publication of new papers, either describing new taxa or discussing existing ones, makes it some times hard to follow everything that is pertinent to the study and collection of the group. For this reason, it was felt that an informal newsletter exclusively dedicated to Cones, to be distributed among all interested parties – collectors, researchers and dealers – could have some utility as a means of circulating news and information among all. With this is mind, we present to you the first issue of The Cone Collector. This is to be thought of as a trial issue, sent to a number of friends and collectors around the world, mainly to give everybody a general idea of our aim.

Any suggestions as to form and content will obviously be very welcome
António Monteiro