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180 American Seashells
family CYPRAEIDAE
Genus Cypraea Linne 1758
Subgenus Trona Jousseaume 1884
Cypraea zebra Linne Measled Cowrie
Southeast Florida and the West Indies.
Plate 6d
2 to 3/4 inches in length, oblong, light-faun to light-brown, with large,
round, white dots over the back. Toward the base of the shell these white
dots have a brown center. The shell is darker brown, narrower and less
inflated than cervus. Moderately common in intertidal waters. Formerly
called C. exanthema Linne. A light orangish form, probably due to being
buried in sand for some time, was described from Cuba (form vallei Jaume
and Borro 1946).
Cypraea cervus Linne Atlantic Deer Cowrie
Southern half of Florida and Cuba.
Plate 6i
3 to 5 inches in length, similar to zebra, but usually with smaller and
more numerous white spots, with a more inflated and larger shell, and never
has ocellated spots on the base of the shell. Moderately common from low
tide to several fathoms.
Subgenus Liiria Jousseaume 1884
Cypraea cinerea Gmelin Atlantic Gray Cowrie
Southeast Florida and the West Indies.
Plate 6c
% to I /4 inches in length, rotund, with its back brownish mauve to light
orange-brown which may be flecked with tiny, black-brown specks. Base
cream to old ivory with light mauve-brown between some of the teeth, or
sometimes with tiny flyspecks of brown. A moderately common species
found under rocks on reefs.
Subgenus Erosaria Troschel 1863
Cypraea spurca aciciilaris Gmelin Atlantic Yellow Cowrie
South half of Florida, Yucatan and the West Indies.
Plate 6a
% to 1/4 inches in length; back irregularly flecked and spotted with
orange-brown and whitish. Base and teeth ivory-white. Lateral extremities
often with small pie-crust indentations. Distinguished from cinerea in being
flatter and without color on the base. A moderately common species found
under rocks at low tide. True spurca L. is from the Mediterranean.