Relevant Synonyms Cypraea lentiginosa Gray, 1825 Misidentification -  photo: S. Gofas

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell ovoid, solid, tapering anteriorly, smooth and glossy. Aperture surrounded by a moderately thickened porcellaneous callus and extending along the whole length of the shell. Outer lip curled in and with ca. 15 denticles on the inner side, columellar edge with another row of folds which extend over the callus. color : buff with small brown specks all over the dorsal surface, and three indistinct spiral brown bands; callus around the aperture buff with brown spots (larger than on dorsal surface), without marks near the siphonal canal. common size : 20-25 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The shell of Erronea caurica, once reported in the Mediterranean but which we reject as such, is similar but more cylindrical in shape, less piriform. Also, the dorsal side of E. caurica is usually more greenish, with three darker spiral bands. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. habitat : unknown; the Mediterranean specimen was found at a depth of 20 m.

1st Mediterranean record Israel, 1990 [1989]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Northwestern Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Mediterranean: known from a few findings from Israel: recorded first in 1989 from Tel Aviv as Cypraea lentiginosa (Mienis, 1990). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare; living specimens have been collected off Ashqelon and Yaffo. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Unknown. Possibly via the Suez Canal, albeit the Mediterranean specimens resemble more those from the Arabian Gulf than those from the Red Sea (Mienis, 2002c). IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Lorenz F. and Hubert A., 1993. A Guide to worldwide cowries. Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden, 571 p. Mienis H.K., 1990. Cypraea lentiginosa: Another odd record of an exotic cowry from the Mediterranean coast of Israel. De Kreukel 26(10): 119-121. Mienis H.K., 2002c. Mariene Mollusken uit het Oostelijk deel van de Middellandse Zee. 8. Palmadusta lentiginosa komt levends langs de kust van Israel voor. Spirula - Correspondentieblad van de Nederlandse malacologische Vereniging, 327: 66-67.   Rujder B., 1994. Two more Cypraea lentiginosa reported from Habonim, Israel. Levantina, 80: 16. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update : December 2003 ©ciesm 2002