Cypraea pantherina
Encyclopedia
Cypraea pantherina, commonly known as
the Panther Cowry, is a species
of large tropical sea snail
, a cowry
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae
, the cowries.
The Panther Cowry is one of the two species included within the genus Cypraea (the second species is Cypraea tigris, Linnaeus, 1758), as all other species previously belonging to the genus Cypraea have been reassigned to other genera within the family Cypraeidae.
Shells of Cypraea pantherina have been found tombs in the Rhine valley dated to 6 BCE. Furthermore shells of this species and the related Cypraea tigris have been unearthed at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city near Naples, Italy, where these shells may have been used as some form of ornament.
, but its shell is more slender and lighter. The shells of Cypraea pantherina reach on average 57–65 mm (2.2–2.6 ) of length, with a minimum size of 37 millimetres (1.5 in) and a maximum size of 118 millimetres (4.6 in). The shape of these shells is roughly elongate-pyriform and they quite large and heavy. The dorsum surface is smooth and shiny, usually whitish or pale brown, densely covered with dark brown circular spots. A blurred longitudinal reddish line runs along the midline.
However the basic colors are very variable, as they range from melanic or chestnut red to albino. The lower margins are rounded and the ventral side is white or whitish, with several long and fine teeth along the aperture.
In the living cowries the mantle is thin and quite trasparent, with many longitidinal slight lines and numerous long and white sensorial papillae. The lateral extensions of the mantle may cover the shell completely, meeting at the midline of the dorsum. The mantle can also be withdrawn into the shell opening when the cowry is threatened.
(along Egypt
and Sudan
), Gulf of Aqaba
, Dahlak Islands and Gulf of Aden
, without overlapping with Cypraea tigris. This non-native species is also established in the Mediterranean Sea
(Lampedusa Island and Malta
) as a new comer, probably entered through the Suez Canal.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the Panther Cowry, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of large tropical sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a cowry
Cowry
Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural cowries, is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries...
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Shell description:...
, the cowries.
The Panther Cowry is one of the two species included within the genus Cypraea (the second species is Cypraea tigris, Linnaeus, 1758), as all other species previously belonging to the genus Cypraea have been reassigned to other genera within the family Cypraeidae.
Shells of Cypraea pantherina have been found tombs in the Rhine valley dated to 6 BCE. Furthermore shells of this species and the related Cypraea tigris have been unearthed at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city near Naples, Italy, where these shells may have been used as some form of ornament.
Description
This quite common species looks very similar to Cypraea tigrisCypraea tigris
Cypraea tigris, commonly known as the tiger cowry, is a species of cowry, a large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.-Taxonomy:...
, but its shell is more slender and lighter. The shells of Cypraea pantherina reach on average 57–65 mm (2.2–2.6 ) of length, with a minimum size of 37 millimetres (1.5 in) and a maximum size of 118 millimetres (4.6 in). The shape of these shells is roughly elongate-pyriform and they quite large and heavy. The dorsum surface is smooth and shiny, usually whitish or pale brown, densely covered with dark brown circular spots. A blurred longitudinal reddish line runs along the midline.
However the basic colors are very variable, as they range from melanic or chestnut red to albino. The lower margins are rounded and the ventral side is white or whitish, with several long and fine teeth along the aperture.
In the living cowries the mantle is thin and quite trasparent, with many longitidinal slight lines and numerous long and white sensorial papillae. The lateral extensions of the mantle may cover the shell completely, meeting at the midline of the dorsum. The mantle can also be withdrawn into the shell opening when the cowry is threatened.
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Distribution
The panther cowry is endemic to the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
(along Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
), Gulf of Aqaba
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea. In pre twentieth-century and modern sources it is often named the Gulf of Eilat, as Eilat is its predominant Israeli city ....
, Dahlak Islands and Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
, without overlapping with Cypraea tigris. This non-native species is also established in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
(Lampedusa Island and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
) as a new comer, probably entered through the Suez Canal.
Habitat
Cypraea pantherina lives in clear water at 3–40 m (9.8–131.2 ) of depth, mainly on coral colonies or sandy sea floor, feeding on coral polyps, various invertebrates and algae, but also on dead organic matters.Subspecies and formae
- Cypraea pantherina pantherina Lightfoot, 1786
- Cypraea pantherina pantherina albonitens (f) Melvill, J.C., 1888
- Cypraea pantherina pantherina catulus (f) Schilder, F.A., 1924
- Cypraea pantherina pantherina funebralis (f) Sulliotti, G.R., 1924
- Cypraea pantherina pantherina nigrovinosa (f) Vayssière, A.J.B.M., 1923
- Cypraea pantherina rasnasraniensis Heiman & Mienis, 2001