Biology:Arestorides argus
| Eyed cowrie | |
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| Species: | A. argus
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| Arestorides argus | |
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Arestorides argus, commonly called the eyed cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized :[1]
- Arestorides argus argus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Arestorides argus contracasta Lorenz, 2012
- Arestorides argus contrastriata (Perry, 1811) : common name : pheasant cowrie: synonym of Cypraea contrastriata Perry, 1811
Description
This is a large cowry species, with specimens averaging 80mm and measuring up to 115mm.[1] The shape of the shell is approximately cylindrical. The ground color is light to medium tan. Overlying the ground color of the dorsum are many rings of a medium brown color and varying sizes. The rings are likened to eye spots, thus the common name eyed cowry and the specific epithet argus (after Argus Panoptes, the many-eyed Greek giant). Some individuals have numerous small rings, others have fewer, larger rings; the number and size of rings especially varies between subspecies. The aperture is relatively straight, has well-developed teeth, and is flanked by two dark-brown blotches on each side (the blotches on the outer lip are sometimes small and indistinct).
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Distribution
This species and its subspecies are distributed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Notably, it is found in the seas off Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar , the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arestorides argus (Linnaeus, 1758). WoRMS (2009). Arestorides argus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216786 on 10 October 2010 .
- 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.
- Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
- MacDonald & Co (1979). The MacDonald Encyclopedia of Shells. MacDonald & Co. London & Sydney.
Wikidata ☰ Q1305440 entry
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