Notocypraea piperita

Notocypraea piperita, common name peppered cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Notocypraea piperita
Shell of Notocypraea piperita from Australia at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Cypraeoidea
Family:
Cypraeidae
Genus:
Notocypraea
Species:
N. piperita
Binomial name
Notocypraea piperita
Gray, 1825
Synonyms
  • Cypraea piperita Gray, 1825
  • Cypraea bicolor Gaskoin, 1849
  • Cypraea piperita var. leucochroa Sullioti, 1924
  • Erronea angustata piperita (Gray, 1825)
  • Erronea angustata piperita var. reticulifera Gray

Description

Notocypraea piperita has a shell reaching a size of 16–30 mm. The dorsum surface usually shows pale brown or peach-coloured transversal bands on a paler background, while the base is whitish or yellowish, with small dark spots on the ventral margin.

Habitat

This cowry lives subtidally on rocks.

Distribution

This species and its subspecies occur in the seas along southern Australia and northern Tasmania.

Subspecies
  • Notocypraea piperita bicolor Gaskoin, 1849
  • Notocypraea piperita piperita Gray, 1825

References
  • Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp
  • Lorenz F. (2005) Taxonomic notes on two poorly known species of Notocypraea (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae). Visaya 1(5):16-21
  • Biolib
  • WoRMS
  • Encyclopedia of Life
  • "Notocypraea piperita piperita". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  • Molluscs of Tasmania
  • Flmnh
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