One Cyprea Naria Erosa shell measuring less than 2 inches *****

One Cyprea Naria Erosa shell measuring less than 2 inches.

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Cyprea 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.

These are common cowries growing to an average of 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 inches in length, with a maximum size of 3 inches and a minimum adult size of 1/2 inch.

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.

These living cowries are active at night, during which the extremely papillose brownish mantle usually covers the shell completely, camouflaging the animal.

This species and its subspecies are found 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).

These cowries live in warm tropical waters, on shallow intertidal reefs or in lagoons at depths of 6 1/2 feet to about 32 feet of depth.

Like most other cowries, during the day they usually hide under rocks slabs with the mantle drawn into the shell, they are nocturnal feeding only at dawn or dusk.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Littorinimorpha

Family: Cypraeidae

Subfamily: Erosariinae

Genus: Naria

Species: N. erosa

Binomial name: Naria Erosa