Erosaria labrolineata Gaskoin, 1849
Distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Usually 30 feet or deeper, under coral rubble.
Availability: Common.
Size: Guam specimens typically between 10-15mm.
Comments: Fresh dead specimens are common though finding live specimens still presents a challenge. The live specimen illustrated here was collected on 4/26/04. And as of this writing (6/2/04), it is alive and appears to be doing well in a small aquarium. It is very light shy and forages at night upon low-growing algae. The mantle is usually fully enveloping the entire shell, with papillae extended. About the only time the mantle is withdrawn is when it is significantly disturbed.
References:
Abbott, R. Tucker & S. Peter Dance. Compendium of Seashells. p. 85.
Burgess, C. M. 1985. Cowries of the World. p. 223.
Cate, Crawford N. 1969. The Cowry Species Living at Guam. The Veliger 12(1):130. pl. 21, fig. 30.
Cernohorsky, Walter O. 1972. Marine Shells of the Pacific. Revised ed. p. 82. pl. 13, fig. 64.
Heiman, E. L. 2004. Diagnosing Cowry Species. p. 38, 88.
Hinton, Alan. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific. p. 28. pl. 14, fig. 22-23.
Kira, Tetsuaki. 1965. Shells of the Western Pacific in Color, Vol 1. p. 47. pl 20, fig. 6.
Lorenz, Felix & Alex Hubert. 2000. A Guide to Worldwide Cowries. 2nd ed. p. 193; pl. 91, fig. 21-40.
Springsteen, F. J. & F. M.Leobrera. 1986. Shells of the Philippines. p. 86. pl. 21, fig. 20.
Walls, Jerry. G. 1979. Cowries. Revised ed. p. 151.
Weaver, Cliff. 1965. The first live Cyprea labrolineata found in Hawaii. Hawaiian Shell News 14(2): 1. (New Series No. 72, Dec 1965).
Wilson, Barry. 1993. Australian Marine Shells, Part One. p. 180. pl. 32, fig. 10 a-b.
(As Cypraea flaveola Linné, 1758. Most experts list this as a synonym.)
Links:
- Emmanuel Guillot de Suduiraut's Eurasia Shells
- Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine Gastropods
- OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database