''Naria ocellata'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

the ocellate cowry, is a species of

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a cowry, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. Wyst-ocellata

Description

The shells of these quite uncommon cowries reach on average of length, with a minimum size of and a maximum size of . They are oval and have a medium thickness. The dorsum surface of these smooth and shiny shells has generally a fawn or cream color and it is spread with numerous white spots, a few of them with a black centre (hence the Latin name ''ocellata'' meaning "eyed"). The base is whitish and often has a brown blotch, while the pronounced margins show various fawn spots on a pale background. In the living cowries mantle and foot are well developed. Cypraea-ocellata

Distribution

This species occurs in the northern Indian Ocean (see range map) on the coasts of Mozambique, Persian Gulf,

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...

, southern India, Maldives,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, up to Thailand, southern Java and Melanesia.

Habitat

''Naria ocellata'' lives in tropical and subtropical zones, from shallow intertidal water up to depth, feeding on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

or coral polyps.

References

* MacNae, W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg * Felix Lorenz 18.02.2004
Ocellata
* F.A. Schildler – The size of Erosaria Ocellata - November.1 968 - HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS * Lorenz F. & Hubert A. - A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp

External links

Gastropods.com : ''Naria ocellata'' : photos

WoRMS
Cypraeidae Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Cypraeidae-stub