Palmadusta diluculum

Palmadusta diluculum
Palmadusta diluculum
Palmadusta diluculum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Cypraeoidea
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Palmadusta
Species: P. diluculum
Binomial name
Palmadusta diluculum
(Reeve, 1845)
Synonyms[1]

Cypraea diluculum Reeve, 1845 (basionym)

Palmadusta diluculum, the 'Day-Break Cowry', is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]


Contents

Description

These quite common shells reach on average 25–29 millimetres (0.98–1.1 in) of length, with a maximum size of 36 millimetres (1.4 in) and a minimum size of 25 millimetres (0.98 in). The shape of these shells is somewhat pyriformly ovate, the basic coloration is brown or violet-chesnut, with two or more zones of several white dorsal zigzag-bands and distinctive dark spots on the white base. The extremities are edged with dark chesnut areas. In the living cowry the mantle is thin and smooth. The Palmadusta diluculum virginalis subspecies is smaller, the terminal spots are less accentuated to absent and dark spots on the base are totally missing.

Palmadusta diluculum, anterior end towards the left
Palmadusta diluculum, anterior end towards the right
Palmadusta diluculum, dorsal view

Distribution

Distribution map of Palmadusta diluculum

This species is widespread throughout the Western Indian Ocean along Sri Lanka, Aldabra, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.


Habitat

This demersal tropical cowry can be found in the intertidal shallow waters in sandy to muddy areas, under stones and blocks of dead coral.



Subspecies

  • Palmadusta diluculum diluculum Reeve, 1845
  • Palmadusta diluculum virginalis Schilder & Schilder 1938


References

  1. ^ a b Palmadusta diluculum . WoRMS (2009). Palmadusta diluculum. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216885 on 12 October 2010.


External links

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