Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Cypraeoidea Subfamily Erosariinae Scientific name Erosaria ocellata Rank Species | Class Gastropoda Family Cypraeidae Genus Erosaria Phylum Mollusca | |
 | ||
Similar Erosaria, Erosaria erosa, Erosaria helvola, Erosaria nebrites, Erosaria lamarckii | ||
Erosaria ocellata, common name the ocellate 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 25–30 millimetres (0.98–1.18 in) of length, with a minimum size of 14 millimetres (0.55 in) and a maximum size of 57 millimetres (2.2 in). They are oval and have a medium thickness. The dorsum surface of these smooth and shiny shells has generally a fawn or cream color and it is spread with numerous white spots, a few of them with a black centre (hence the Latin name ocellata meaning "eyed"). The base is whitish and often has a brown blotch, while the pronounced margins show various fawn spots on a pale background. In the living cowries mantle and foot are well developed.
Distribution
This species occurs in the northern Indian Ocean (see range map) on the coasts of Mozambique, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, southern India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, up to Thailand, southern Java and Melanesia.
Habitat
Erosaria ocellata lives in tropical and subtropical zones, from shallow intertidal water up to 0–90 metres (0–295 ft) depth, feeding on algae or coral polyps.