Atlantic Yellow Cowrie
Erosaria acicularis (Gmelin, 1791)
Family Cypraeidae
I've found several small version of the Atlantic Yellow Cowrie:
Atlantic Yellow Cowrie (S. Hutchinson Island on 1-17-21)
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The Atlantic Yellow Cowrie
José H. Leal Jun 24, 2016
Most species treated in this column are local. Once in a while, I introduce a shell from elsewhere that, for some remarkable reason, deserves some attention. The Atlantic Yellow Cowrie, Erosaria acicularis (Gmelin, 1791), is a relatively common Cowrie inhabiting shallow coral reef areas in the tropical western Atlantic. The species is not found, however, on the coast of Southwest Florida. As it happens with most species from the Cowrie family (Cypraeidae), the Atlantic Yellow Cowrie bears planktonic larvae (their babies drift in sea water), which will grow until the moment of metamorphosis into their adult, bottom-crawling lives. The larval shell is very distinctive from the adult one in this and most other species of Cowries. The images show two growth stages in the life of the Atlantic Yellow Cowrie. They are markedly different, representing distinctive phases in the development of the same species. In the picture on left, I show two views (in black-and-white, taken with a scanning electron microscope) of the juvenile shell and on right, the adult shell. The leftmost view shows, on top, a detail of the larval shell, which may be seen as the reticulated early shell, or protoconch.
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2100
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Erosaria acicularis AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS
Gastropoda | Neotaenioglossa | Cypraeidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 780 m (Ref. 83435). Tropical; 25°N - 23°N, 88°E - 43°E (Ref. 83435)
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Western Atlantic.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 3.1 cm NG male/unsexed; (Ref. 83435)
Biology Glossary
(e.g. epibenthic)
Found on hard substrate (Ref. 109264). Members of the order Neotaenioglossa are mostly gonochoric and broadcast spawners. Life cycle: Embryos develop into planktonic trocophore larvae and later into juvenile veligers before becoming fully grown adults (Ref. 833).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the order Neotaenioglossa are mostly gonochoric and broadcast spawners. Life cycle: Embryos develop into planktonic trocophore larvae and later into juvenile veligers before becoming fully grown adults.
Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Bisby, F.A., M.A. Ruggiero, K.L. Wilson, M. Cachuela-Palacio, S.W. Kimani, Y.R. Roskov, A. Soulier-Perkins and J. van Hertum. 2005. (Ref. 19)