Monetaria moneta
| Money cowry |
|
| Monetaria moneta |
| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
| Phylum: |
Mollusca |
| Class: |
Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: |
Cypraeoidea |
| Family: |
Cypraeidae |
| Genus: |
Monetaria |
| Species: |
M. moneta |
| Binomial name |
Monetaria moneta
(Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Synonyms[1] [2] |
- Monetaria monetacongo Gmelin, J.F., 1791
- Cypraea moneta Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)
- Cypraea numisma Röding, P.F., 1798
- Cypraea gibbosa Schröter, J.S., 1804
- Cypraea marginata Kiesenwetter, 1872
- Monetaria ethnographica Rochebrune, A.-T. de, 1884
- Monetaria mercatorium Rochebrune, A.-T. de, 1884
- Monetaria pleuronectes Rochebrune, A.-T. de, 1884
- Monetaria vestimenti Rochebrune, A.-T. de, 1884
- Monetaria chionella Sulliotti, G.R., 1924
- Monetaria britannica Schilder, F.A., 1927
- Monetaria candida Dautzenberg, Ph. & J.L. Bouge, 1933
- Monetaria circumvallata Schilder, F.A. & M. Schilder, 1933
- Monetaria ethnographica circumvallata Schilder, F.A. & M. Schilder, 1933
- Monetaria moneta subalata (f) Schilder, F.A. & M. Schilder, 1933
- Monetaria isomeres Iredale, T., 1939
- Erosaria monetoides Iredale, T., 1939
- Monetaria moneta endua Steadman, W.R. & B.C. Cotton, 1943
- Monetaria moneta erua Steadman, W.R. & B.C. Cotton, 1943
- Monetaria moneta etolu Steadman, W.R. & B.C. Cotton, 1943
- Cypraea annulifera Coen, G.S., 1949
- Monetaria bulgarica Kojumdgieva, E., 1960
|
Monetaria moneta, commonly known as the money cowry, is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. [1]
The species is called money cowry because the shells were historically widely used in many Pacific and Indian Ocean countries as a form of exchange[3] before coinage was in common usage. It is still used in divination rituals by some African animist tribes.[3]
Subspecies and formae
- Monetaria moneta barthelemyi (f) Bernardi, M., 1861 [4]
- Monetaria moneta erosaformis (f) [5]
- Monetaria moneta harrisi (f) Iredale, T., 1939 [6]
- Monetaria moneta icterina (f) Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1810 [7]
- Monetaria moneta rhomboides (f) Schilder, F.A. & M. Schilder, 1933 [8]
- Monetaria moneta tuberculosa (f) Quoy, J.R.C. & J.P. Gaimard, 1834 [9]
Distribution
This is a very common species which is found widely in Indo-Pacific tropical waters. It is present in numerous regions, including East and South Africa, Madagascar, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, eastern Polynesia, Galapagos, Clipperton and Cocos islands off Central America, southern Japan, Midway and Hawaii, and northern New South Wales and Lord Howe Island.[3]
Habitat
This cowry lives in intertidal rocky areas and shallow tide pools among sea weed, coral remains and empty bivalve shells[3]. It can be found on and under rocks in shallow water and on exposed reefs at low tide. Like all cowries, it feeds on algae and marine vegetation growing on loose rocks and pieces of dead coral.
Shell description
The shell is small (30 to 45 mm long[3]). It is white to straw-colored, and sometimes has a gold-colored ring around the dorsal area similar to the gold ring found on the shell of Cypraea annulus (gold-ringed cowry).
Human uses
Shells of this cowry were commonly used as a medium of exchange in many areas of Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands until the late 19th century.It was also traded to Native Americans by European settlers.
The shell continues to be popular today in jewelry and for decoration of such items as baskets and wall hangings.
References
- ^ a b WoRMS : Monetaria moneta; accessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta; accessed : 20 October 2010
- ^ a b c d e Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods in: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Rome, FAO, 1998. page 503.
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta barthelemyi; accessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta erosaformis; assessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta harrisi; accessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta icterina; accessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta rhomboides; accessed : October 20, 2010
- ^ Gastropods.com : Monetaria moneta tuberculosa; accessed : October 20, 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.
External links