DUDA LAB

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PolyCone Project

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PolyCone - Integrated and sustainable regulation of cones in Eastern Polynesia. The principal goals of the PolyCone project are to establish sustainable practices for the utilization of cone snails in French Polynesia. Funds from the Belmont Forum and the National Science Foundation are supporting this work. The PolyCone Project is authorized by French Polynesia and French Polynesia is the supplier of resources used. A short video overview of the project can be seen below.

PROJECT PUBLICATIONS

Tröndlé, Jean, Rabiller, Michaël, Richard, Georges, Salvat, Bernard. 2020. Inventaire des Conidae de Polynésie française de la zone côtière à l’étage bathyal. Novapex 21(2-3): 93-96.

Richard, Georges, Rabiller, Michaël. 2021. Panorama sur la diversité des Conidae en Polynesié française. Tahiti Graphic, Papeete, Tahiti, 162 p.

Mazé, Camille, Raymond, Valentin. 2021. En Polynésie française, la recherche et les populations locales font cause commune pour préserver les cônes marins. The Conversation, 10 October 2021.

Probyn, Elspeth. 2021. Trash fish, sand, sea snails. Why little things matter. Griffith Review.

Mazé, Camille, Mawyer, Alexander, Burelli, Thomas, Raymond, Valentin, Fertil, Julia, Pires da Cruz, Tiago, Probyn, Elspeth, Bambridge, Tamatoa. 2022. Chantier n°2 Le cône marin : un coquillage hors du commun ? Les communautés locales de Polynésie française : un terreau fertile pour une solidarité écologique en actes. VertigO : La Revue Électronique en Sciences de l’Environnement.

Souf, Yazid Mohamed, Lokaj, Gonxhe, Kuruva, Veeresh, Saed, Yakop, Raviglione, Delphine, Brik, Ashraf, Nicke, Annette, Inguimbert, Nicolas, Dutertre, Sébastien. 2023. Synthesis and biological activity of novel α-conotoxins derived from endemic Polynesian cone snails. Marine Drugs 21, 356.

Dutertre, Sébastien, Inguimbert, Nicolas, Bambridge, Tamatoa. 2024. Les cônes : objets de collection, venin mortel et source de médicaments. Etonnants récifs.

Teillard, Valentin, Gache, Camille, Dutertre, Sébastien, Bambridge, Tamatoa, Salvat, Bernard, Planes, Serge. 2024. Description of the feeding rhythm of cone snails in French Polynesia. Journal of Molluscan Studies, Volume 90, Issue 2, eyae013.

Duda, Thomas Franklin, Jr., Vergara-Florez, Diana Carolina. 2025. Variation in body size of Conus species (family Conidae) from seaward and lagoonal reefs of atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia). Malacologia 67(1/2):215-227.

Duda, Thomas Frankin, Jr., Vergara-Florez, Diana Carolina 2025. Geographic variation in diet and genetic connectivity of populations of the widespread predatory cone snail Conus miliaris. Ecology and Evolution 15:e72434.

Other products:

Compiled information on Conidae of French Polynesia (last revised 24 May 2025)

DUDA LAB CONTRIBUTIONS

To achieve some of the aims of the PolyCone project, members of the Duda Lab are characterizing diets, evaluating reproduction seasonality, and determining presence of cryptic species of cone snail species in French Polynesia. This work includes field studies and collections at locations throughout French Polynesia and laboratory investigations at the University of Michigan.

Field studies were conducted at Huahine in the Society Islands (September 2022), Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Islands (November 2022), Rurutu in the Austral Islands (May/June 2023), and Makemo in the Tuamotu Islands (October/November 2023). Laboratory investigations are nearly complete. See recent publications from this work in list above.

Field reports:

• Huahine, Society Islands [Tahitian] [French] [English]

• Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands [Tahitian] [French] [English]

• Rurutu, Austral Islands [Tahitian (coming soon)] [French] [English]

• Makemo, Tuamotu Islands [Tahitian] [French] [English]

Takurua Parent provided Tahitian translations and Diana Vergara and Matthieu Pittavino provided French translations of field reports.

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