''Monetaria caputdraconis'',

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 "dragon's-head 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. Cypraea caputdraconis - Easter Island

The common name of this species comes from its Latin name ''caputdraconis'', meaning "the head of the dragon".

Description

The shell reaches about in length. It is pyriform with rather long teeth. The basic color of the shell is uniformly brown on its edge, with many yellowish small spots on the top of the dorsum.

Distribution

This endemic species is found in the sea along Easter Island and

Sala y Gomez Island Sala or SALA may refer to: Places Europe * Sala, the historical name of the river IJssel and home of the Salii Franks * Sala (Estonian island), one of the Uhtju islands * Sala Baganza, a municipality in Emilia-Romagna, Italy * Sala Bolognese, a ...

, where it replaces the similar ''

Monetaria caputserpentis ''Monetaria caputserpentis'', common name the serpent's-head cowry or snakehead cowry, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. Distribution This species occurs in the Red Sea, In ...

''. It is mainly encountered under coral rocks in the intertidal reef.

References

* Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp

External links

Biolib
*
WoRMS
Cypraeidae Molluscs of Chile Fauna of Easter Island Endemic fauna of Chile Gastropods described in 1888 Oceanian realm fauna {{Cypraeidae-stub