Macrocypraea cervinetta

Macrocypraea cervinetta
Macrocypraea cervinetta
A shell of Macrocypraea cervinetta from Panama, dorsal view, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Cypraeoidea
Family: Cypraeidae
Subfamily: Cypraeinae
Genus: Macrocypraea
Species: M. cervinetta
Binomial name
Macrocypraea cervinetta
Kiener, 1843
Synonyms
  • Cypraea cervinetta Kiener, 1843

Macrocypraea cervinetta, the 'Little Deer Cowry', is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Contents

Description

The shells reaches about 40–110 millimetres (1.6–4.3 in) of length, with a width of about 15–50 millimetres (0.59–2.0 in). The shape of this cowry is elongated, its basic colour is light brown, with small whitish ocellated spots on the dorsum and dark brown apertural teeth. The dorsum shows also a few trasversal clearer bands and a longitudinal line.

Macrocypraea cervinetta, side view
Macrocypraea cervinetta var. nana , Panama

Distribution

This species occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from California to Peru including the Galapagos Islands. It is mainly encountered at low tide under corals and rocks.

References

  • Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp
  • Angeline Myra Keen - Sea shells of tropical West America: marine mollusks from Baja California to to Peru - Stanford University Press, 1971

External Links


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