Monetaria caputserpentis

Monetaria caputserpentis, common name the serpent's-head cowry or snakehead cowry, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]

Monetaria caputserpentis
A live individual of Monetaria caputserpentis, anterior end towards the right
A shell of Monetaria caputserpentis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Monetaria
Species:
M. caputserpentis
Binomial name
Monetaria caputserpentis
Synonyms
  • Cypraea mauritiana Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cypraea reticulum Gmelin, 1791
  • Cypraea bandata Perry, 1811
  • Cypraea albella Lamarck, 1822
  • Cypraea caputanguis Philippi, 1849
  • Cypraea caputanguis var. sophia Brazier, 1897
  • Cypraea caputserpentis Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cypraea caputserpentis var. caputcolubri Kenyon, 1898
  • Cypraea caputserpentis var. candidata Sullioti, 1924
  • Cypraea caputserpentis var. argentata Dautzenberg & Bouge, 1933
  • Erosaria caputserpentis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Erosaria (Ravitrona) caputserpentis kenyonae Schilder & Schilder, 1938
  • Erosaria (Ravitrona) caputserpentis mikado Schilder & Schilder, 1938
  • Erosaria (Ravitrona) caputserpentis var. albosignata Coen, 1949

Distribution

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Distribution map of Monetaria caputserpentis

This species occurs in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, tropical Indo-West Pacific, Australia and the Philippines. This sea snail lives on corals, rock reefs and rocky shores from the intertidal zone down to depths of 200 m.

Description

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The basic color of the shell is reddish-brown, with many whitish dots on the top of the dorsum, which sometimes shows a clear longitudinal line. The underside is light beige.

Frequently these shells are sold with a purple top, which is achieved by dipping the dorsum in acid.

Synonyms

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In literature and on various websites the synonym Cypraea caputserpentis is still commonly used.

There are two subspecies :

  • Monetaria caputserpentis caputserpentis Linnaeus (synonym : Cypraea caputserpentis caputserpentis Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Monetaria caputserpentis caputophidii (Schilder, 1927)
Video of two living cowries; Erosaria helvola (seen 1st) & Monetaria caputserpentis (last)
 
Monetaria caputserpentis
 
Monetaria caputserpentis

References

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Further reading

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  • Cantera J. R. (1991). "First record of the Indo-Pacific gastropod Cypraea caputserpentis (Linnaeus, 1758) at Isla Gorgona, Colombia". Veliger 34: 85–87.
  • Meyer C. 2003. Molecular systematics of cowries (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) and diversification patterns in the tropics. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 79: 401–459. page(s): 411
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