Erosaria

Cowrie ( Erosaria helvola )

Erosaria is a worm genus of the family of cowries ( Cypraeidae ).

Features

The housings are small to medium in size (approximately 2 to 5 cm). They are oval with a flat bottom. The edges are thickened secondary. The mouth teeth are well developed, the fossula is small sunk to moderate. The top of the housing typically shows a speckle pattern.

Occurrence, distribution and life

The species of this genus are cosmopolitan ago in the tropical to temperate warm zones. They live in shallow, but z.T. somewhat deeper water coral reefs and rocky shores. Some species live on sandy soils or muddy bottom.

System

The genus Erosaria was erected by Franz Hermann Troschel 1863; Type species is Cypraea erosa Linnaeus, 1758. The genus is considered by some authors only as a subgenus of Cypraea (eg Wilson, 1993).

Here the systematic allocation of the species is shown as it is described by Felix Lorenz. Other taxonomists see in each individual case differently. For example, the type caputserpentis out in some taxonomic systems in this genus elsewhere caputserpentis is a species of the genus Monetaria.

Species

• Erosaria acicularis Gmelin, 1791
• Erosaria albuginosa Gray, 1825
• Erosaria beckii Gaskoin, 1836
• Erosaria bernardi Richard, 1974
• Erosaria boivinii Kiener, 1843
• Erosaria Cernica Sowerby, 1870
• Erosaria citrina Gray, 1825
• Erosaria eburnea Barnes, 1824
• Erosaria englerti Summers & Burgess, 1965
• Erosaria erosa Linnaeus, 1758
• Erosaria gangranosa Dillwyn, 1817
• Erosaria helvola Linnaeus, 1758
• Erosaria irrorata Gray, 1828
• Erosaria labrolineata Gaskoin, 1849
• Erosaria lamarckii Gray, 1825
• Erosaria macandrewi Sowerby, 1870
• Erosaria marginalis Dillwyn, 1827
• Erosaria miliaris Gmelin, 1791
• Erosaria nebrites Melvill, 1888
• Erosaria ocellata Linnaeus, 1758
• Erosaria ostergaardi Dall, 1921
• Erosaria poraria Linnaeus, 1758
• Erosaria spurca Linnaeus, 1758
• Erosaria thomasi Crosse, 1865
• Erosaria wing Lamarck, 1810