Cypraeidae

Cypraeidae have adult shells which are very rounded, almost like an egg; they do not look like a typical gastropod shell. In virtually all of the species in the family Cypraeidae, the shells are extremely smooth and shiny. This is because in the living animal, the shell is nearly always fully covered with the mantle.

Typically, no spire is visible in the fully adult shell, and there is a long, narrow, aperture which is lined with "teeth."

Juvenile cowry shells are not at all similar to adult cowry shells. The juvenile shells of cowries perhaps more closely resemble the shells of some "bubble snails" in the order Cephalaspidea. Also the shells of juvenile cowries seldom exhibit the same color patterns as the adult shells do, and thus can be hard to identify to species.

Cowries have no operculum.

The very narrow toothed aperture of the cowry shell makes the adult shells difficult for many predators to reach into. However cowries are still vulnerable to predation:[2]

• Some tropical crustaceans can break the dorsum of a cowry shell.
• Some mollusc-eating cones, such as Conus textile, can inject venom into the cowry's flesh. The cone then extends its stomach into the shell, through the aperture, to completely ingest the flesh.
• Some octopuses can gouge a small hole (using a special barb/tooth and an acidic secretion) through the shell to inject a venom that kills the animal within.

The eating habits of cowries are poorly known, because most species are nocturnal and cryptic, but sponges are the most commonly described prey. Off the coasts of Australia, common cowry species eat sponges,[2] and on Caribbean coral reefs they are known to eat sponges that are otherwise chemically defended against other predators.[3]

For nearly 200 years, every species in the family Cypraeidae was placed in one genus, Cypraea, but in 2002 [4] the cowries were divided into many different genera.

Genera within the family Cypraeidae include:

• Subfamily Cypraeinae Rafinesque, 1815[5]
  • Cypraea Linnaeus, 1758
  • † Cypraeorbis Timothy Abbott Conrad, 1865
  • Muracypraea Woodring, 1957
  • † Siphocypraea Heilprin, 1887

Apertural view of a shell of Nucleolaria granulata

• Subfamily Erosariinae Schilder, 1924[6]
  • Cryptocypraea Meyer, 2003[7]
  • Ipsa Jousseaume, 1884
  • Monetaria Troschel, 1863
  • Naria Gray, 1837
  • Nesiocypraea Azuma & Kurohara, 1967
  • Nucleolaria Oyama, 1959
  • † Palaeocypraea Schilder, 1928
  • Perisserosa Iredale, 1930[7]
  • † Praerosaria Dolin & Lozouet, 2004
  • Propustularia Schilder, 1927
  • Staphylaea Jousseaume, 1884
  • † Subepona Dolin & Lozouet, 2004
• Subfamily Erroneinae Schilder, 1927[8]
  • Bistolida Cossmann, 1920
  • Erronea Troschel, 1863
• Subfamily † Gisortiinae Schilder, 1927[9]
  • † Afrocypraea Schilder, 1932
  • † Archicypraea Schilder, 1926
  • † Bernaya Jousseaume, 1884
  • † Garviea Dolin & Dockery, 2018
  • † Gisortia Jousseaume, 1884
  • † Mandolina Jousseaume, 1884
  • † Protocypraea Schilder, 1927
  • † Semicypraea Schilder, 1927
  • † Vicetia Fabiani 1905
• Subfamily Luriinae Schilder, 1932[10]
  • Austrocypraea Cossmann, 1903
  • Luria Jousseaume, 1884
  • Talparia Troschel, 1863
• Subfamily Pustulariinae Gill, 1871[11]
  • Cypraeovula Gray, 1824
  • Pseudozonaria Schilder, 1929
  • Pustularia Swainson, 1840
  • Zonaria Jousseaume, 1884

Neobernaya spadicea

Notocypraea piperita

• Subfamily Umbiliinae Schilder, 1932[12]
  • † Gigantocypraea Schilder, 1927
  • Umbilia Jousseaume, 1884

Eclogavena quadrimaculata thielei

• Not assigned to a subfamily
  • Annepona Iredale, 1935
  • Arestorides Iredale 1930
  • Austrasiatica Lorenz, 1989
  • Barycypraea Schilder, 1927
  • Blasicrura Iredale, 1930
  • Chelycypraea Schilder, 1927
  • Contradusta Meyer, 2003[7]
  • Cribrarula Strand, 1929
  • Eclogavena Iredale, 1930[7]
  • Ficadusta Habe & Kosuge 1966
  • Leporicypraea Iredale, 1930
  • Lyncina Troschel, 1863
  • Macrocypraea Schilder, 1930
  • Mauritia Troschel, 1863
  • Melicerona Iredale, 1930
  • † Miolyncina
  • Neobernaya Schilder 1927
  • Notadusta Schilder, 1935
  • Notocypraea Schilder, 1927
  • Ovatipsa Iredale, 1931
  • Palmadusta Iredale, 1930
  • Palmulacypraea Meyer, 2003[7]
  • Paradusta Lorenz, 2017
  • † Proadusta Sacco 1894
  • Purpuradusta Schilder, 1939
  • Ransoniella Dolin & Lozouet, 2005
  • Schilderia Tomlin, 1930
  • Talostolida Iredale, 1931
  • Trona Jousseaume, 1884
  • Zoila Jousseaume, 1884
  • † Zonarina Sacco, 1894

For a list of Species in the taxonomic family Cypraeidae, see Cowries.

• Meyer, Christopher P. (2004). "Toward Comprehensiveness : Increased molecular sampling within Cypraeidae and its phylogenetic implications" (PDF). Malacologia. 46 (1): 127–156. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
• Felix Lorenz and Alex Hubert : A Guide to Worldwide Cowries, second revised edition, Conch Books, 2002 ISBN 3-925919-25-2
• Lorenz F. (2017). Cowries. A guide to the gastropod family Cypraeidae. Volume 1, Biology and systematics. Harxheim: ConchBooks. 644 pp.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cypraeidae.

Wikispecies has information related to Cypraeidae.

• Cowrie genetic database project
• Zonatus Gallery