Monetaria caputserpentis
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
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| A shell of Monetaria caputserpentis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Cypraeidae |
| Genus: | Monetaria |
| Species: | M. caputserpentis |
| Binomial name | |
| Monetaria caputserpentis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Distribution
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
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
In literature and on various websites the synonym Cypraea caputserpentis is still commonly used.
