Erosaria helvola

Erosaria helvola
A dorsal view of a shell of Erosaria helvola, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Cypraeoidea
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Erosaria
Species:	E. helvola
Binomial name
Erosaria helvola (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
Cypraea helvola Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)

Erosaria helvola, common name : the Honey Cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.^[1]

There is one subspecies : Erosaria helvola argella (Melvill, 1888)

Description

These very common small shells reach on average 15–23 millimetres (0.59–0.91 in) of length, with a maximum size of 36 millimetres (1.4 in) and a minimum size of 8 millimetres (0.31 in). The basic color of the shell is orange-brown or beige, with many white dots on the top of the dorsum. The underside is orange-brown. In the living cowries the mantle is trasparent, with short white papillae.

Erosaria helvola

Erosaria helvola, dorsal view, anterior end towards the right

Erosaria helvola, lateral view, anterior end towards the right

Distribution

This species is distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific, along the Red Sea, Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, the East Coast of South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Polynesia and Hawaii.

Habitat

Erosaria helvola live in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters or in lagoons, usually hiding during the day under the rocks of the reef.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Erosaria helvola (Linnaeus). WoRMS (2009). Erosaria helvola (Linnaeus). Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216853 on 16 October 2010.

• Verdcourt, B. (1954). The cowries of the East African Coast (Kenya, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Pemba). Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society 22(4) 96: 129-144, 17 pls.
• Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
• Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). Two Oceans. 5th impression. David Philip, Cate Town & Johannesburg

External links

• Gastropods.com : Erosaria helvola helvola; accessed : 11 November 2010
• Underwater