Neobernaya spadicea

Cypraea spadicea
A live Cypraea spadicea, in situ, mantle partly extended, head end to the right
An apertural view of a shell of the species, anterior end to the left
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Cypraeoidea
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Neobernaya
Species:	N. spadicea
Binomial name
Neobernaya spadicea (Swainson, 1823)

Ventral view of live specimen of Neobernaya spadicea crawling on aquarium glass, anterior end to the bottom

Dorsal view of a shell of Neobernaya spadicea, anterior end to the top

Neobernaya spadicea, previously known as Cypraea spadicea, common name the chestnut cowrie, is a species of tropical sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Distribution

This species is a subtropical cowry which occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It is relatively common in Southern California. It does occur from Monterey, California, through Southern California, and south to Cedros Island, in Baja California, Mexico, but north of Santa Barbara, California, it is not often found.

Shell description

The adult shell of this species ranges in size from 40 to 65 mm. The name "chestnut cowry" come from a large patch of a rich chestnut brown on the dorsum of the shell, ringed with a darker brown, against a white background.

Habitat

This species lives on exposed rocky shores in the very low intertidal and subtidal zones. It is found on overhanging rock ledges and on other somewhat sheltered rock surfaces.

References

• McLean, James H., 1978 Marine Shells of Southern California, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, Revised Edition: 1-104, ISBN 0938644033; ISBN 978-0938644033

External links

• Lots of images at: [1]
• Info including aquarium tips at: [2]
• On-line articles with Cypraea spadicea in the HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS (1960-1994)