Mauritia histrio

Mauritia histrio
Mauritia histrio
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Cypraeoidea
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Mauritia
Species: M. histrio
Binomial name
Mauritia histrio
(Gmelin, 1791)

Mauritia histrio, common name the Harlequin Cowry or the Stage 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 large shells reach on average 40–55 millimetres (1.6–2.2 in) of length, with a maximum size of 88 millimetres (3.5 in) and a minimum size of 20 millimetres (0.79 in). The basic color of this cowry is pale brown, with many grey round spots on the dorsum surface and several dark brown marginal spots on the edges. The base is mainly white or pale brown, with a wide aperture and well-developed darker teeth, longer and stronger on the outer side. In the living mollusk the mantle is transparent, with short papillae. Mauritia histrio is quite similar to Cypraea arabica and Mauritia eglantina.


Distribution

Distribution map of Mauritia histrio

This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, along Aldabra, Chagos, East Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Tanzania, North West Australia and Philippines.


Habitat

Mauritia histrio live the tropical shallow waters. As it is nocturnal during the day they hide under rocks, large blocks or deep crevices in coral reefs.


Synonyms

  • Cypraea histrio Gmelin, 1791 (basionym)
  • Cypraea reticulata Martyn, 1784
  • Cypraea amethystea Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cypraea histrio Gmelin, 1791
  • Cypraea oculata Röding, P.F., 1798
  • Cypraea undosa Röding, P.F., 1798
  • Cypraea arlequina Mörch, O.A.L., 1852
  • Arabica westralis Iredale, 1935
  • Mauritia (Arabica) histrio var. duploreticulata Coen, 1949


Subspecies

  • Mauritia histrio histrio Gmelin, 1791
  • Mauritia histrio westralis Iredale, 1935

Gallery

A lateral view of a shell of Mauritia histrio from Philippines, anterior end towards the right
Mauritia histrio, anterior end towards the right
Mauritia histrio from Philippine, dorsal view
A dorsal view of Mauritia histrio westralis

References

  1. ^ Mauritia histrio (Gmel.). WoRMS (2009). Mauritia histrio (Gmel.). Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216870 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.
  • Felix Lorenz and Alex Hubert : A Guide to Worldwide Cowries, second revised edition - Conch Books, 2002
  • Burgess, C.M. (1970) - The Living Cowries - AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey

External links



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