Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Cypraeoidea Phylum Mollusca Rank Species | Class Gastropoda Family Cypraeidae Genus Contradusta | |
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Similar Contradusta walkeri, Erronea pyriformis, Erronea pallida, Erronea cylindrica, Blasicrura pallidula | ||
Contradusta pulchella, common name the pretty cowry or beautiful (little) cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Contents
Description
The shells of these quite uncommon cowries reach on average 35–38 millimetres (1.4–1.5 in) of length, with a minimum size of 23 millimetres (0.91 in) and a maximum size of 48 millimetres (1.9 in). The surface of the pear-shaped shells is smooth and shiny, their basic color is usually whitish or yellowish, with many small beige spots, two longitudinal irregular dark brown stain-like patches and one or two light brown transversal bands, but their pattern is very variable. The base and the margins are whitish with brown spots, while the teeth are dark brown. In the living cowries the mantle is clear, with long sensorial papillae. Mantle and foot are well developed, with external antennae. The lateral flaps of the mantle may completely hide the shell surface and can be quickly retracted into the shell opening. Contradusta pulchella is quite similar to Erronea pyriformis.
Distribution
This species occurs in the sea on the coasts of Japan, East China, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and New Guinea. The supspecies Contradusta pulchella var. pericalles occurs in the Gulf of Oman.
Habitat
These cowries live in tropical waters usually up to 50–120 metres (160–390 ft) of depth.