Cribrarula cribraria, the 'sieve/tan and white cowry', is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Description The mantle of this cowry is translucent bright orange-red. Cribrarula cribraria is one of the most recognizable cowries. The shells reach of length. These shells are smooth, their basic coloration is pale brown or fawn, with several circular white spots. The edges of the shell are white, as is the flat base.
Distribution This species and its subspecies are distributed in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, the Seychelles and Tanzania, and in Australia, Solomon Islands, Western Samoa, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
Habitat This species can be encountered in intertidal and shallow waters at of depth, mainly underneath coral rubble and rocks. They mostly feed at night on encrusting sponges.
Subspecies The following subspecies are recognized : Cribrarula cribraria australiensis Lorenz, 2002 Cribrarula cribraria comma (Perry, 1811) Cribrarula cribraria cribraria (Linnaeus, 1758)
References
Bozzetti, L., 2007. Cribrarula toliaraensis (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) nuova specie dal Madagascar sud-occidentale. Malacologia Mostra Mondiale 56: 3-4
External links Underwater Biolib