The
Tucker & Tenorio 2009 taxonomy distinguishes
Dendroconus from
Conus in the following ways: • Genus
Conus 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. • Subgenus
Dendroconus Swainson, 1840 ::Shell characters (living and fossil species) :::The shell is large, thick, and turgid to conical in shape. The
protoconch is multispiral and nodules are either absent or die out in later whorls. The shoulders are rounded and the shell is ornamented with cords which become numerous and very small in the outer whorls. The anal notch is shallow. The
periostracum may be smooth but is often thick and ridged, and the operculum is small. ::Radular tooth (not known for fossil species) :::The anterior section of the
radula is equal to or slightly longer than the posterior section. The blade is fairly long and covers at least half the length of the anterior section of the
radular tooth. A basal spur is present, and the barb is short. The radular tooth has serrations and the terminating cusp is exposed along the shaft. ::Geographical distribution :::These species are found in the Indo-Pacific region. ::Feeding habits :::These species are
vermivorous (meaning that they prey on marine worms). ==Species list==