Macrocypraea cervinetta, the little deer cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. [1]

Subspecies
  • Macrocypraea cervinetta californica Lorenz, 2017
  • Macrocypraea cervinetta cervinetta (Kiener, 1844)

Description

The shells reaches about 40–110 millimetres (1.6–4.3 in) of length, with a width of about 15–50 millimetres (0.59–1.97 in). The shape of this cowry is elongated, its basic colour is light brown, with small whitish ocellated spots on the dorsum and dark brown apertural teeth. The dorsum shows also a few trasversal clearer bands and a longitudinal line.

Macrocypraea cervinetta, side view
Macrocypraea cervinetta var. nana, Panama

Distribution

This species occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Peru including the Galapagos Islands. It is mainly encountered at low tide under corals and rocks.

References

  1. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Macrocypraea cervinetta (Kiener, 1844)". www.marinespecies.org. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  • Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp
  • A. Myra Keen - Sea shells of tropical West America: marine mollusks from Baja California to Peru - Stanford University Press, 1971

External links