Mauritia mauritiana
©Anne Hoggett: Underside of same specimen of Mauritia mauritiana. Note the strong rows of "teeth" lining the aperture.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mollusca
Class
Gastropoda
Order
Littorinimorpha
Family
Cypraeidae
Genus
Mauritia
Species
Mauritia mauritiana
Status
least concern
Colours
Distinguishing features
Distinctive features of this species are large size, colouration as shown, strong teeth on both lips of the aperture, and a thin black mantle. Its shallow rocky habitat exposed to wave action is also characteristic.
Size
- Up to 9 cm (Length of specimen) - applies to This is the maximum recorded shell length at Lizard Island.
Depth range
- From 0 m to 1 m - applies to At Lizard Island, these cowries are found just below the water surface.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
At Lizard Island, this species has been found only in crevices on granite surfaces in areas exposed to heavy wave action.
Local abundance
- Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia: This species seems to be common at Lizard Island within its very specific habitat. On a calm day (11 January 2012), more than 50 individuals were counted during a cursory snorkel along part of the exposed side of Bird Islet.
Behaviour
During the day, these large cowries are tightly clamped inside crevices, singly or in pairs. Wilson (1993) notes that they emerge at night to browse.
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Wilson, B. (1993). Australian Marine Shells: 1. Prosobranch gastropods Odyssey Publishing, Kallaroo, Western Australia.