Nucleolaria granulata
(Pease, 1862)
Granulate cowry, 33mm
Nucleolaria granulata
lives under rocks by day or in ledges and small caves at night, usually between
about 4 and 30m. While usually not too uncommon, for several years in the mid
1980s at least it was rarely seen, even in places that presumably saw little
or no shell collecting pressure. Like some other species we have observed (e.g.,
Staphylaea semiplota
in Hawaii and Naria
beckii in the Marshall Islands), this species apparently undergoes
periodic population fluctuations.
This species is considered to be endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, although Nucleolaria
cassiaui is a very similar species from French Polynesia.
The fully exended mantle bears long papillae, almost making it look like a
kind of sea urchin when the mantle completely covers the shell. It also often
makes it hard to distinguish against the normal multicolored background at night.
30.5mm specimen below.
Slightly subadult 29.6mm
Created 25 July 2010
Updated 1 June 2024
Return
to Hawaiian cowries
Kwajalein Underwater home