Barycypraea teulerei

Barycypraea teulerei
	A shell of Barycypraea teulerei, dorsal view, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Barycypraea
Species:	B. teulerei
Binomial name
	Barycypraea teulerei; (Cazenavette, 1846)
Synonyms
	Afrozoila teulerei (Cazenavette, 1846); Bernaya teulerei (Cazanavette, B., 1846); Cypraea leucostoma Gaskoin, J.S., 1843; Cypraea teuleri Cazenavette, 1846; Cypraea teulerei Cazenavette, 1845 (Basionym);

Barycypraea teulerei, common name Teulere's cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.^[1]

Description

The shells of this uncommon species of cowries (at one time it was considered very rare) reach on average 40–48 millimetres (1.6–1.9 in) in length, with a minimum size of 33 millimetres (1.3 in) and a maximum size of 67 millimetres (2.6 in). They are highly variable in pattern. The dorsum surface is not particularly smooth and shiny as is commonly the case in cowries. The basic color is light beige or cream, with irregular dark brown patches on the top and many light brown spots on the sides. The calloused margins are whitish, while the base is white, with a large sinuous aperture with only traces of labial teeth. Barycypraea teulerei is externally similar to Barycypraea fultoni and Muracypraea mus.

Distribution

This species occurs only in the Arabian Sea along the mainland coast of Oman, and on Masirah Island.

Habitat

These cowries live in intertidal shallow waters, mainly on coral reef but also on sandy and muddy sea bed.

References

^ Bouchet, P. (2016). Afrozoila teulerei (Cazenavette, 1845). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=869747 on 2016-06-12

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