Mauritia histrio

Mauritia histrio, common name the harlequin cowry or the stage cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]

Mauritia histrio
Five views of a shell of Mauritia histrio
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Cypraeoidea
Family:
Cypraeidae
Genus:
Mauritia
Species:
M. histrio
Binomial name
Mauritia histrio
(Gmelin, 1791)

Description

These quite common large shells reach on average 40–55 millimetres (1.6–2.2 in) of length, with a maximum size of 88 millimetres (3.5 in) and a minimum adult size of 20 millimetres (0.79 in). The basic color of the shell is pale brown, with many grey round spots on the dorsum surface and several dark brown marginal spots on the edges. The base is mainly white or pale brown, with a wide aperture and well-developed darker teeth, longer and stronger on the outer side. In the living mollusk the mantle is transparent, with short papillae. Mauritia histrio is quite similar to Cypraea arabica and Mauritia eglantina.

A lateral view of a shell of Mauritia histrio from Philippines, anterior end towards the right
Mauritia histrio from the Philippines, dorsal view
A dorsal view of Mauritia histrio westralis

Distribution
Distribution map of Mauritia histrio

This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, along Aldabra, Chagos, East Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Tanzania, North West Australia and Philippines.

Habitat

Mauritia histrio lives in tropical shallow water. It is nocturnal, hiding during the day under rocks, large blocks or in deep crevices in coral reefs.

Synonyms

Subspecies
  • Mauritia histrio histrio Gmelin, 1791
  • Mauritia histrio westralis Iredale, 1935
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References
  1. Mauritia histrio (Gmel.). WoRMS (2009). Mauritia histrio (Gmel.). Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216870 on 16 October 2010 .
  • 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.
  • Felix Lorenz and Alex Hubert : A Guide to Worldwide Cowries, second revised edition - Conch Books, 2002
  • Burgess, C.M. (1970) - The Living Cowries - AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
  • Biolib
  • "Mauritia histrio". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  • Cowries
  • Mauritia species
  • Cowries
  • Clade


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