Erosaria annulus Linné, 1758
Left: Length: 21.5mm, Width: 16.7mm, Height: 11.3mm. Reefwalk, 3 ft, under rocks over sandy bottom around turtle grass. Inarajan Bay, Guam. Collected by Bob Abela in 1987.
Distribution: Widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Shallow water, under rocks and coral rubble, often over a sandy bottom with heavy vegetation.
Availability: Common. When the right habitat is found, specimens are often within close proximity to each other.
Size: Guam specimens typically range between 18 to 23 mm.
Comments: Some authors place under the genus Monetaria. Although nocturnal, they make for excellent algae grazers in an aquarium.
References:
Abbott, R. Tucker & S. Peter Dance. Compendium of Seashells. p. 87.
Burgess, C. M. 1985. Cowries of the World. p. 227.
Cate, Crawford N. 1969. The Cowry Species Living at Guam. The Veliger 12(1):129. pl. 20, fig. 26.
Cernohorsky, Walter O. 1972. Marine Shells of the Pacific. Revised ed. p. 76. pl. 11, fig. 53.
Heiman, E. L. 2004. Diagnosing Cowry Species. p. 28, 70.
Hinton, Alan. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific. p. 26. pl. 13, fig. 5-6.
Kira, Tetsuaki. 1965. Shells of the Western Pacific in Color, Vol 1. p. 49. pl 20, fig. 20.
Lorenz, Felix & Alex Hubert. 2000. A Guide to Worldwide Cowries. 2nd ed. p. 204; pl. 97, fig. 1-22, 26-29, 34-36.
Springsteen, F. J. & F. M.Leobrera. 1986. Shells of the Philippines. p. 84. pl. 21, fig. 7.
Walls, Jerry. G. 1979. Cowries. Revised ed. p. 136
Wilson, Barry. 1993. Australian Marine Shells, Part One. p. 184. pl. 32, fig. 5 a-b.
Links:
- Felix Lorenz's Erosaria annulus from Southern Kenya (freak specimens)
- Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine Gastropods
- OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database
- Thierry Dandrimont's Seashells from Mauritius: Variation | Rostrate from Mauritius | Rostrate from New Caledonia