Relevant Synonyms Cypraea turdus Lamarck, 1810 Misidentification -  photo: S. Gofas

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell ovoid, solid, tapering anteriorly, smooth and glossy. Aperture wider anteriorly, surrounded by a thickened, quite flat porcellaneous callus and extending along the whole length of the shell. Outer lip curled in and with 12-15 denticles on the inner side, columellar edge with another row of teeth or folds which extend a short distance towards the callus. color : greenish with small brown specks all over, some of those towards the sides being larger; callus around the aperture white, without marks near the siphonal canal. common size : up to 30 mm in the Indian Ocean, specimens in the northern Red Sea smaller (20 mm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The flat, thick callus of a pure white color is distinctive in this species, which is not likely to be confused with a native congener. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. habitat : in the Indian Ocean, E. turdus is reported to prefer areas in which living coral is abundant (Burgess, 1985), a requirement which would make its settlement in the Mediterranean problematic.

1st Mediterranean record Israel, 1986 [1980]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Red Sea, Northwestern Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf (Burgess, 1985); recorded alive in the Suez Canal (Moazzo, 1939). Mediterranean: recorded first in 1980 from Dor, Israel (Barash and Danin, 1986); later from Port Said, Egypt (illustrated by Giannuzzi-Savelli et al., 1997). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Only known from the mentioned records. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Barash A. and Danin Z., 1986. Further additions to the knowledge of Indo-Pacific mollusca in the Mediterranean Sea. Spixiana, 9(2): 117-141. Burgess C.M., 1985. Cowries of the world. Seacombers publications, Cape Town, 289 p. [E. turdus, p. 211]. Giannuzzi-Savelli R., Pusateri F., Palmeri A. and Ebreo C., 1997. Atlante delle conchiglie marine del mediterraneo. Vol. 2: Caenogastropoda. La Conchiglia, Roma, 258 p.   FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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