A New Cone Snail - Attenuiconus marileeae

This new cone snail was discovered by using the front tray of the Curasub to scoop up bottles that had been discarded into the ocean and settled between 130 and 168 meters. The age of the bottles ranged from mid-19th century to modern. Many of the shells had at least one drill hole, and were likely brought into the bottles as food by small octopuses. This new species is named in honor of Marilee McNeilus in recognition of her longstanding interest in mollusks and her support of research. She participated in the submersible dives and assisted with the specimen sorting that led to the discovery of this new species.