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Les Gastéropodes Venimeux De La Famille Des Conidés Rencontrés En *£%: h^, ^^j f.'^*.."^- Document Technique No. 144 C-4KV LES GASTEROPODES VENIMEUX DE LA FAMILLE DES CONIDES RENCONTRES EN NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE René Sarrameçna i, COMMISSION DU PACIFIQUE SUD DOCUMENT TECHNIQUE No. 144 LES GASTEROPODES VENIMEUX DE LA FAMILLE DES CONIDES RENCONTRES EN NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE par René SARRAMEGNA Diplômé de l'Ecole Supérieure de Biologie — Paris Assistant à l'Institut PASTEUR de Nouméa VOLUME I APPAREIL VENIMEUX ET VENIN Travaux effectués à l'Institut PASTEUR de Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie COMMISSION DU PACIFIQUE SUD NOUMEA, NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE JUILLET 1964 PREFACE La Commission du Pacifique Sud, dans le programme de sa Section "Santé", possède un chapitre intitulé "Aide à la Recherche". Les crédits en sont destinés à apporter une participation à des recherches appliquées qui auraient une valeur prati­ que pour plusieurs territoires de la région. C'est ainsi qu'en octobre 1962 il fut décidé de satisfaire à une demande reçue de l'Institut PASTEUR de Nouméa. Le Directeur de cet organisme désirait effec­ tuer des études sur des venins de Conidés, mollusques responsables de plusieurs cas de décès en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Le travail fut confié à M. SARRAMEGNA, Assistant au laboratoire de l'Institut PASTEUR. Les insulaires du Pacifique Sud connaissent depuis toujours le danger de mani­ puler certains cônes venimeux. Les nouveaux venus, par contre, doivent être instruits de ce danger; c'est là un des buts de la présente publication. L'auteur y décrit les gastéropodes et leur appareil venimeux. Un second volume, en prépara­ tion, traitera des tests de toxicité effectués sur les venins des Conidés avec, com­ me application pratique, la préparation d'un sérum anti-venimeux. Grâce à un tel sérum, il ne fait pas de doute que des vies humaines seront sauvées. Les îles du Pacifique attirent des touristes du monde entier; parmi eux, de même que parmi les habitants de la région, se trouvent, de plus en plus nombreux, des amateurs de chasse sous marine. Echanges, ventes, confection de colliers, fabrique de souvenirs, c'est une véritable industrie qui s'est désormais créée autour de la collecte des coquillages. Les îles des Mers du Sud sont célèbres aussi bien par l'aménité de leurs popu­ lations que par la rareté des animaux dangereux. La présence de quelques mollusques venimeux ne constitue en réalité aucun péril majeur, et ce péril n'existera plus àa tout si on en est averti. Dans le document que publie aujourd'hui la Commission du Pacifique Sud, tous les cas mortels dus aux Conidés ne sont certainement pas décrits. De nom­ breuses îles n'ont pas de médecins, et, par contre, il y a sûrement des médecins qui n'ont pas publié toutes les observations qu'ils ont pu faire; témoin, le cas de ce Vietnamien de 23 ans résidant aux Nouvelles-Hébrides et qui fut soigné et guéri par le Dr. CAMPANA, à Port-Vila, en décembre 1962. Ce jeune homme avait, au cours d'une partie de pêche, ramassé un Conus geographus et l'avait placé dans sa chemise entr'ouverte. En Australie, cette année, on a soupçonné un venin de Conidé d'être la cause de deux morts mystérieuses survenues dans les environs de Sydney. Ainsi, de temps en temps, les cônes toxiques font parler d'eux dans la presse du Pacifique. La Commission elle-même a publié un article de vulgarisation dans son Bulletin du Pacifique Sud de janvier 1963. Le travail de M. SARRAMEGNA que nous présentons maintenant dans notre série des "Documents Techniques" fait le point de la question. Il n'est, comme nous l'avons déjà dit, que la première étape de recherches ultérieures auxquelles la Commission aura été heureuse d'appor­ ter sa contribution. Dr. Guy LOISON Directeur de la Section "Santé". Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Octobre 1963. iii TABLE DES MATIERES Page Préface (iii) Introduction 1 I. LE GENRE CONUS 2 II. CARACTERES GENERAUX 3 III. LES PROPRIETES VENIMEUSES DES CONES 5 IV. L'APPAREIL VENIMEUX DES CONES 9 V. TESTS DE TOXICITE SUR L'ANIMAL 13 VI. COMMENTAIRES ET PERSPECTIVES D'AVENIR 15 Planches I, II et III — Cônes venimeux rencontrés en Nouvelle-Calédonie 16-18 Planches IV, V, VI, VII et VIII — Espèces non venimeuses et espèces dont la toxicité n'a pas encore été démontrée 20-24 Bibliographie 25 Remerciements 26 iv Le présent rapport est publié par la Commission du Pacifique Sud à titre d'in­ formation générale. La Commission n'ac­ cepte aucune responsabilité en ce qui concerne les assertions qui y figurent. Le texte original de ce document a été rédi­ gé en français. Manuscrit reçu le 15 septembre 1963. v PHOTO DE COUVERTURE Au centre : Conus striatus. A la périphérie, en commençant par en haut et à gauche, on a, dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre : Conus aulicus, Conus geographus, Conus marmoreus, Conus tulipa. Conus textile. (Photo: Rob Wright) n INTRODUCTION Parmi les nombreux coquillages rencontrés sur les récifs du lagon calédonien, les cônes occupent une place honorable. Vingt-cinq pour cent environ des espèces mondialement connues y sont représentées. Remarquables par la variété des coloris de leur coquille et appréciés pour leur chair savoureuse, ils eurent tôt fait d'attirer l'attention des plongeurs autochtones qui les utilisent pour leur propre consommation, les troquent ou les vendent aux conchyliologistes. Les cônes ont aussi gagné la faveur des pêcheurs sous-marins et des plongeurs de trocas, lesquels s'arrêtent volontiers pour ramasser ces intéressants coquillages. Malheureusement, qu'ils soient placés, par commodité, dans le maillot de bain ou tout simplement conservés dans la main, ces mollusques timides et apathiques se sont à maintes occasions révélés dangereux et même mortels parfois. A présent ils semblent avoir pris dans l'esprit des populations du Pacifique Sud une réputation redoutable et, naturellement à un degré moindre que la peur des requins, ils éveillent parmi les pêcheurs sous-marins un souci de curiosité et de méfiance. La fonction venimeuse n'est d'ailleurs pas spécifique à la famille des Conidés; elle se retrouve chez d'autres gastéropodes prosobranches tels les Turridae et les Terebridae que certains auteurs réunissent dans le sous-ordre des "Toxoglossa" ou "Langue à venin" des anglo-saxons. Toutefois, les Turridae et les Terebridae ne semblent pas responsables d'accidents humains et de ces trois familles nous retiendrons seulement celle des Conidae. Mais, de même que les serpents sont venimeux ou non, et les uns plus redou­ tables que d'autres, de même certains cônes sont plus dangereux que d'autres. Les autochtones se targuent de connaître les cônes dangereux : à notre avis on se gardera bien de suivre leurs conseils empiriques car certains pêcheurs ont quelquefois payé de leur vie leur imprudence. La difficulté que l'on rencontre souvent à différencier les Conidae dans leur milieu naturel devra obliger à consi­ dérer tous les cônes comme suspects. Par ailleurs si certaines espèces paraissent inoffensives pour l'homme, elles ne sont pas moins toutes équipées d'un appareil venimeux dont nous ne devons à aucun moment ignorer l'existence. Sans vouloir alarmer tout le monde, il nous paraît opportun de mettre les pêcheurs en garde contre ces coquillages toujours très recherchés des collection­ neurs et qui, depuis le développement du tourisme dans nos régions, se vendent à bon prix. En ce sens, un bref exposé sur les caractères généraux des cônes sera d'abord présenté ici, suivi de la description des espèces les plus fréquemment rencontrées sur les côtes calédoniennes. Nous aborderons ensuite la fonction venimeuse de ces gastéropodes en y appor­ tant tout l'intérêt qu'elle suscite. Des essais de toxicité seront pratiqués sur le venin isolé de quelques espèces. La préparation d'un sérum antivenimeux est également envisagée selon les pro­ cédés habituels d'immunisation d'un anima] de choix. Bien sûr, ce travail ne s'annonce pas de tout repos. La difficulté première réside dans l'obtention d'un nombre assez important de cônes d'espèces différentes, afin que soit faite sur chacune d'elles une extraction du venin en quantité suffisante pour permettre les diverses expérimentations et opérations auxquelles ce produit sera soumis. Cette difficulté s'accroît si nous donnons la préférence aux cônes de grande taille dont la glande plus développée sera plus riche en venin. Beaucoup d'obstacles seront franchis grâce à la collaboration de tous ceux qui, de près ou de loin, s'intéressent à ce problème. 1 I: LE GENRE CONUS Position taxonomique Les coquillages du genre Conus appartiennent à la famille des Conidae •— Super-famille des Conacea — Ordre des Néogastéropodes — Sous-classe des Streptoneures (ou Prosobranches) — Classe des Gastéropodes —• Embranchement des Mollusques. MOLLUSQUES APLACOPHORES I I I I BIVALVES CEPHALOPODES POLYPLACOPHORES MONOPLACOPHORES GASTEROPODES SCAPHOPODES EUTHYNEURES STREPTONEURES ARCHEOGASTEROPODES MESOGASTEROPODES NEOGASTEROPODES BUCCINACE A MUR1CACEA CONACEA TURRIDAE Toxoglossa TEREBRIDAE CONIDAE ^ CONUS Le genre Conus, Linné 1758, a été divisé par SWAIN- Variétés: Asprella, Schaufus 1869 (Asprella orbignyi, SON et MORCH en un grand nombre de sous-genres actuelle­ Audouin) ment réduit à quatre : Leporiconus, Iredale 1930 (Hermès (Lepori- 1°) Sous-genre Conus, sensu stricto — forme conique, ou­ conus) mitratus, Bruguière). verture étroite à bords sub-parallèles. 3°) Sous-genre Cylindrus — coquille subconique, lisse; spire Variétés : Rhombus, Montfort 1810 aiguë; dernier tour ventru à sa partie moyenne; ouver­ Puncticulis, Swainson 1840 ture dilatée en avant. Coronaxis, Swainson 1840 Variétés: Darioconus, Iredale 1930 (Darioconus textile, Dendroconus, Swainson 1840 Linné) Leptoconus, Swainson 1840 Regiconus, Iredale 1930 (Regiconus aulicus, Lithoconus, Môrch 1850 Linné). Stephanoconus, Môrch 1850 Rhizoconus, Môrch 1852 4°) Sous-genre Gastridium — coquille subcylindroïde; spire Chelyconus, Môrch 1852 courte mais aiguë; columelle sinueuse; ouverture évasée Virroconus, Tredale 1930 en avant. Cleobula, Iredale 1930. Variétés: Rollus, Montfort 1810 (Rollus geographus, 2°) Sous-genre Hermès — coquille subcylindrique, striée Linné) transversalement; spire obtuse, élevée; ouverture droite, Tuliparia, Swainson 1840 (Tuliparia tulipa, étroite (Hermès clavus, Linné).
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