Palmadusta diluculum
| Palmadusta diluculum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Cypraeoidea |
| Family: | Cypraeidae |
| Genus: | Palmadusta |
| Species: | P. diluculum |
| Binomial name | |
| Palmadusta diluculum (Reeve, 1845) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Cypraea diluculum Reeve, 1845 (basionym) | |
Palmadusta diluculum, the day-break cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]
Description
These quite common shells reach on average 25–29 millimetres (0.98–1.14 in) of length, with a maximum size of 36 millimetres (1.4 in) and a minimum size of 25 millimetres (0.98 in). The shape of these shells is somewhat pyriformly ovate, the basic coloration is brown or violet-chesnut, with two or more zones of several white dorsal zigzag-bands and distinctive dark spots on the white base. The extremities are edged with dark chesnut areas. In the living cowry the mantle is thin and smooth. The Palmadusta diluculum virginalis subspecies is smaller, the terminal spots are less accentuated to absent and dark spots on the base are totally missing.
 Palmadusta diluculum, anterior end towards the left |
 Palmadusta diluculum, anterior end towards the right |
 Palmadusta diluculum, dorsal view |
Distribution
This species is widespread throughout the Western Indian Ocean along Sri Lanka, Aldabra, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.
Habitat
This demersal tropical cowry can be found in the intertidal shallow waters in sandy to muddy areas, under stones and blocks of dead coral.
Subspecies
- Palmadusta diluculum diluculum Reeve, 1845
- Palmadusta diluculum virginalis Schilder & Schilder 1938
References
- 1 2 Palmadusta diluculum . WoRMS (2009). Palmadusta diluculum. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216885 on 12 October 2010.
- Felix Lorenz - Palmadusta diluculum and its close allies
- Reeve 1845: Conchologia Iconica: Shells of Molluscous Animals Vol. III
- Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palmadusta diluculum. |