Naria erosa

Naria erosa, common name the gnawed or eroded cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]

Naria erosa
Naria erosa, anterior end is to the left
Five views of a shell of Naria erosa chlorizans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Naria
Species:
N. erosa
Binomial name
Naria erosa
Synonyms[1]
  • Cypraea erosa Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)
  • Erosaria erosa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Description

The shell of these quite common cowries reaches on average 32–38 millimetres (1.3–1.5 in) in length, with a maximum size of 75 millimetres (3.0 in) and a minimum adult size of 15 millimetres (0.59 in). The dorsum is yellow-ocher or pale brown, with many small white spots. The extremities of the shell show dark brown spots. A dark brown area which is roughly rectangular is present on each side close to the edge. The base is white to light beige, with thin transverse stripes.

At night in the living cowries, the extremely papillose brownish mantle usually covers the shell completely, camouflaging the animal.

Naria erosa, dorsal view
Naria erosa chlorizans, anterior end towards the right - Australia
Naria erosa chlorizans side view, anterior end towards the right

Distribution
Distribution map of Naria erosa

This species and its subspecies occur in the Indian Ocean along the coasts of Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, the East Coast of South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania, as well in the Western Pacific Ocean (Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, Polynesia and Hawaii).

Habitat

These cowries live in warm tropical waters, on shallow intertidal reefs or in lagoons at about 2–10 metres (6 ft 7 in–32 ft 10 in) of depth. Like most other cowries, during the day they usually hide under rocks slabs with the mantle drawn into the shell. They feed only at dawn or dusk.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies recognized :[1]

  • Naria erosa erosa, (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Naria erosa chlorizans, (Melvill, 1888)
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References
  1. Naria erosa . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 6 January 2019.
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