Cowry or False Cowry or ???

March 1, 2006
From: Pasquale Pascullo

Bill thanks.
I was shooting a penis fencing session btwn Lindae flatworms when my buddy called me over for this. We looked at each other like, what is it? I took a bunch of shots and went back to Lindae, but I am not sure here what we have.
Snail or slug or cowry or ?
Again thanks for your time and all you do for this site.

Locality: Pemba Islands, 40ft, Tanzania, East Coast Africa, Indian Ocean, Feb 9th '06 , rocky, sandy hard slanted floor. Length: a good 12 inches. Photographer: Pasquale Pascullo.

Pasquale

pp@ppfotos.com

Pascullo, P., 2006 (Mar 1) Cowry or False Cowry or ???. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15963

Dear Pasquale
This is an ovulid or false cowry, and from its size and colour I assume its Ovula ovum, the egg cowry, which feeds on large leathery soft corals like Sarcophyton. In Gosliner, Behrens & Williams (1996) there is a photo of a juvenile which they suggest may mimic the toxic Phyllidia madangensis. It would be interesting to know if juvenile Ovula ovum in East Africa had the same juvenile colour form.

  • Gosliner, T. M., Behrens, D. W., and Williams, G. C. (1996) Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific. Monterey, California, Sea Challengers.  1-314.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Mar 1). Comment on Cowry or False Cowry or ??? by Pasquale Pascullo. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15963

Factsheet

Ovulids (False Cowries)

Related messages

  1. Ovula ovum with eggs from Tofo, Mozambique
    From: Natasja Vandeperre, August 23, 2007
  2. Ovula ovum from Indonesia
    From: Carrie Lo, May 22, 2007
  3. Ovulid from Sydney
    From: Sean McMahon, December 1, 2006
  4. Ovulid snail from Malaysia
    From: Sven-Urban Fjellner, August 26, 2006
  5. What's this interesting beauty?
    From: Gary Cobb, August 28, 2003
  6. West Indian ovulid in Bonaire
    From: Sebastian Schulherr, May 27, 2003
  7. Calpurnus verrucosus from Red Sea
    From: Michael Mrutzek, September 25, 2002
  8. Please help! - animal on gorgonian
    From: Adam Bright, September 3, 2002

Show factsheet and all related messages