Barycypraea teulerei
Barycypraea teulerei | |
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A shell of Barycypraea teulerei, dorsal view, 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: | Barycypraea |
Species: | B. teulerei |
Binomial name | |
Barycypraea teulerei (Cazenavette, 1846) | |
Synonyms | |
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Barycypraea teulerei, common name Teulere's cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]
Description
The shells of this uncommon species of cowries (at one time it was considered very rare) reach on average 40–48 millimetres (1.6–1.9 in) in length, with a minimum size of 33 millimetres (1.3 in) and a maximum size of 67 millimetres (2.6 in). They are highly variable in pattern. The dorsum surface is not particularly smooth and shiny as is commonly the case in cowries. The basic color is light beige or cream, with irregular dark brown patches on the top and many light brown spots on the sides. The calloused margins are whitish, while the base is white, with a large sinuous aperture with only traces of labial teeth. Barycypraea teulerei is externally similar to Barycypraea fultoni and Muracypraea mus.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Oman, in the Hormuz Strait) and in the Indian Ocean, along Eritrea and Somalia.
Habitat
These cowries live in intertidal shallow waters, mainly on coral reef but also on sandy and muddy sea bed.
References
- ↑ Barycypraea teulerei Caz.. WoRMS (2009). Barycypraea teulerei Caz.. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216737 on 23December 2012.
- 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
- Bernaya teulerei
- A rare shell
- Biolib
- Gastropods.com : Barycypraea teulerei; accessed : 23 October 2010