Mauritia scurra

Mauritia scurra
A shell of Mauritia scurra from Philippines, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Mauritia
Species:	M. scurra
Binomial name
Mauritia scurra (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms
Cypraea amarata (Meuschen, 1787) Cypraea scurra Gmelin, 1791 (basionym)

Mauritia scurra, common name the jester cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Subspecies

• Mauritia scurra occidua C. P. Meyer & Lorenz, 2017
• Mauritia scurra scurra (Gmelin, 1791)

• Mauritia scurra indica (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of Mauritia scurra scurra (Gmelin, 1791)
• Mauritia scurra mundula Lorenz, 2002: synonym of Mauritia scurra scurra (Gmelin, 1791)

The shells of these quite uncommon cowries reach on average 38–43 millimetres (1.5–1.7 in) of length, with a minimum size of 23 millimetres (0.91 in) and a maximum size of 57 millimetres (2.2 in). The shape is slender and slightly cylindrical, the dorsum surface is reticulate, smooth and shiny, the basic color is light brown, with beige round spots. Margins are beige too, wide and rounded, with dark brown spots. The base may be whitish, pinkish or purplish, usually with long fine dark brown teeth along a narrow aperture. In the living cowries mantle is dark grey, with clearer sensorial papillae.

This species and subspecies range across the Central and East Indian Ocean along East Africa (Red Sea, Somalia, Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles) and in the West Pacific Ocean (Malaysia, Sulu Sea, Eastern Australia, Philippines, Samar Island, French Polynesia, Oceania, Hawaii).

These cowries mainly live on coral reef in tropical subtidal and intertidal waters and in the continental shelf, usually hidden under rocks, coral slabs or small caves during the day, as they start feeding at dusk.

• Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testaces marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
• Schilder F.A. & Schilder M. (1938-1939). Prodrome of a monograph on living Cypraeidae. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London. 23(3): 109-180
• 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 pl
• Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
• Surya Rao, KV and Subba Rao, NV (1991) Mollusca State fauna series 2: Fauna of Lakshadweep ZSI, Calcutta
• Poppe, GT and Poppe, P (1996) Conchology, Inc.
• Lorenz F. (2002) New worldwide cowries. Descriptions of new taxa and revisions of selected groups of living Cypraeidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Schriften zur Malakozoologie aus dem Haus der Natur-Cismar 20: 1-292, pls 1-4
• Steyn, D.G & Lussi, M. (2005). Offshore Shells of Southern Africa: A pictorial guide to more than 750 Gastropods. Published by the authors. Pp. i–vi, 1–289
• Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mauritia scurra.

• Gmelin J.F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae
• Mörch, O. A. L. (1852-1853). Catalogus conchyliorum quae reliquit D. Alphonso d'Aguirra & Gadea Comes de Yoldi, Regis Daniae Cubiculariorum Princeps, Ordinis Dannebrogici in Prima Classe & Ordinis Caroli Tertii Eques. Fasc. 1, Cephalophora, 170 pp. [1852; Fasc. 2, Acephala, Annulata, Cirripedia, Echinodermata, 74 [+2] pp. [1853]. Hafniae [Copenhagen]: L. Klein]
• Biolib
• Mauritia scurra
• "Mauritia scurra indica". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
• Clade

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