Cypraeidae | |
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A live Talparia talpa in situ with its mantle almost fully extended, anterior end towards the right | |
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Shells of a number of species of cowries | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Littorinimorpha |
Superfamily: | Cypraeoidea |
Family: | Cypraeidae Rafinesque, 1815 |
Type genus | |
Pseudomelatoma Dall, 1918 | |
Genera | |
See text | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Cypraeidae, commonly named the cowries (SG cowry), is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies. [1]
Cypraeidae have adult shells which are very rounded, almost like an egg; they do not look like a typical gastropod shell. Their glossy, polished, ovate-shaped shells have beautiful patterns in a variety of colors. These patterns, combined with minor variations in shell form, have led some conchologists to recognize 60 genera and hundreds of species and subspecies.
In virtually all of the species in the family Cypraeidae, the shells are extremely smooth and shiny. This is because in the living animal, the shell is nearly always fully covered with the mantle.
The upper surface is typically convex, while the ventral side is flattened. Typically, no spire is visible in the fully adult shell. There is a long, narrow, aperture that runs along the length of the ventral side. The aperture is lined with "teeth".
Juvenile cowry shells are not at all similar to adult cowry shells. The juvenile shells of cowries perhaps more closely resemble the shells of some "bubble snails" in the order Cephalaspidea. Also the shells of juvenile cowries seldom exhibit the same color patterns as the adult shells do, and thus can be hard to identify to species.
Cowries have no operculum.
The Cypraeidae constitute one of the most widely distributed groups of gastropods in tropical and subtropical seas. The cowries are one of the most abundant and diversified groups of shells to be found on reefs and rocky intertidal flats and sandy substrates in the island area.
The very narrow toothed aperture of the cowry shell makes the adult shells difficult for many predators to reach into. However cowries are still vulnerable to predation: [2]
The eating habits of cowries are poorly known, because most species are nocturnal and cryptic, but sponges are the most commonly described prey. Off the coasts of Australia, common cowry species eat sponges, [2] and on Caribbean coral reefs they are known to eat sponges that are otherwise chemically defended against other predators. [3]
For nearly 200 years, every species in the family Cypraeidae was placed in one genus, Cypraea, but in 2002 [4] the cowries were divided into many different genera.
The family Cypraeidae belongs, together with the family Ovulidae, to the superfamily Cypraeoidea. This, in turn, is part of the clade Littorinimorpha which belongs within the clade Hypsogastropoda according to the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005).
The following six subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) but are treated as alternate representation of Cypraeidae in the World Register of Marine Species :
Genera within the family Cypraeidae include:
For a list of Species in the taxonomic family Cypraeidae, see Cowries.
Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails, but also including some freshwater snails and land snails.
Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies, is a superfamily of sea snails, marine gastropods included in the clade Littorinimorpha. This superfamily had been called Cypraeacea and was named by Rafinesque in 1815.
Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and the cowry allies.
Triviidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea of the order Littorinimorpha.
Pustularia is a small genus of medium-sized sea snails or cowries, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pustulariinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Naria is a genus of sea snails, cowries, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Erosariinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Pediculariinae is a subfamily of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ovulidae and the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and the cowry allies. As of 2009, it comprises 48 described species of which 20 are regarded as valid by most scientists.
Eocypraeidae is a small family of large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.
Ransoniella punctata, common name the brown-spotted cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Erronea is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Luria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Luriinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Lyncina is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Mauritia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. These shelled molluscs are generally exclusive on the island of Mauritius, hence their name Mauritia.
Monetaria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Purpuradusta is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Erroneinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Ransoniella is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Erroneinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. Most species in this genus have become a synonym of species in NotadustaSchilder, 1935
Jenneria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Ovulidae, one of the families of cowry allies.
Notocypraea is a genus of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Proadusta is an extinct genus of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Zonariinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Schilderina is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Zonariinae of the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.