Palmadusta humphreysii

Palmadusta humphreysii
Palmadusta humphreysii
A shell of Palmadusta humphreysii from Solomon Islands, 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: Palmadusta
Species: P. humphreysii
Binomial name
Palmadusta humphreysii
Gray, 1825
Synonyms
  • Cypraea humphreysii Gray, 1825
  • Palmadusta humphreyii
  • Palmadusta lutea yaloka Steadman & Cotton, 1943

Palmadusta humphreysii, common name : the Humphrey's Cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.


Contents

Description

These quite uncommon shells reach on average 10–25 millimetres (0.39–0.98 in) of length. The basic color and pattern ot this species are quite variable. The dorsum surface is smooth and shiny, its color is white or pale pink, with many brown spots, while the edges and the extremities are orange with darker spots extended to the base. The underside may be orange, pale yellow, pale brown or pale pink, with a narrow sinuous aperture and well-developed teeth. In the living cowries the mantle is bright red, the mantle and the foot are well developed, with short papillae and external antennae.

A shell of Palmadusta humphreysii from Solomon Islands, lateral view
Palmadusta humphreysii, dorsal view, anterior end towards the left
Palmadusta humphreysii, apertural view, anterior end towards the left

Distribution

This endemic species occurs in the sea along East Africa and Western Pacific Ocean (Malaysia, Queensland, New South Wales, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji).

Habitat

These cowries live in shallow water on coral reef at 5–25 millimetres (0.20–0.98 in) of depth, usually hiding under coral and rocks, feeding on algae or coral polyps.

Subspecies

  • Palmadusta humphreysii yaloka Steadman & Cotton, 1943
  • Palmadusta humphreysii johnsonorum


References

  • Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey


External Links


This Cypraeidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.