Ovatipsa chinensis

Ovatipsa chinensis common name the Chinese cowrie, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]

Ovatipsa chinensis
A live Ovatipsa chinensis with its mantle fully extended
Five views of a shell of Ovatipsa chinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Cypraeoidea
Family:
Cypraeidae
Genus:
Ovatipsa
Species:
O. chinensis
Binomial name
Ovatipsa chinensis
(Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms[1]
  • Cribraria chinensis (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Cribraria cruenta
  • Cypraea chinensis Gmelin, 1791 (basionym)
  • Cypraea cruenta
  • Erronea chinensis (Gmelin, 1791)

Description

The mantle of the animal is bright red, and it is completely covered by protruding short filaments. The shells of this species reach 25–50 millimetres (0.98–1.97 in) of length. The shells are smooth and elongate, light brown or yellowish in color with clear dots on the dorsum and a flat white base. With the subspecies variolaria (Lamarck, 1810), the basic color of the shell is light brown, with slight purple spots on the edges.

Ovatipsa chinensis variolaria, Philippines - dorsal view
Ovatipsa chinensis variolaria, Philippines - lateral view

Distribution and Habitat

This species is found throughout the Indian Ocean and in the Central Pacific Ocean, in seas along Red Sea, East Africa, Australia, Indonesia and Philippines, in intertidal waters at 35–45 metres (115–148 ft) of depth . The Chinese cowry is active at night and hides under rocks in cracks and crevices during the day.

Subspecies

The following subspecies have been recognized :[1]

  • Ovatipsa chinensis amiges (Melvill and Standen, 1915)
  • Ovatipsa chinensis chinensis (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Ovatipsa chinensis somaliana Lorenz, 1999
  • Ovatipsa chinensis variolaria (Lamarck, 1810)
  • Ovatipsa chinensis violacea (Rous, 1905)
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References
  1. WoRMS : Ovatipsa chinensis; accessed : 11 October 2010
  • Copley, H. (1945). List of cowries collected on the Kenyan coast by Colonel Maxwell and friends during July, 1944. JEANHS XVII (83&84): 160
  • 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.
  • Drivas, J. & M. Jay (1988). Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'île Maurice
  • Ovatipsa chinensis
  • Good guys& Bad guys Hawaii Biological Survey's
  • On-line articles with Ovatipsa chinensis in the Hawaiian Shell News (1960-1994)
  • "Ovatipsa chinensis chinensis amiges (var.)". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  • Bishopmuseum


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