Pustularia cicercula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hawaiian chick pea cowry, 20mm

A variety of the widespread Pustularia cicercula, the Hawaiian form was distinguished a few years ago with a separate subspecies name of its own, Pustularia cicercula takahashii. The shell is much more smooth dorsally than specimens of typical P. cicercula (e.g., most of those from the Marshall Islands), and they bear small pustules usually only on the sides of the shell. In contrast, Marshall Islands specimens of the similar and closely related Pustularia margarita are generally entirely smooth. We found this species primarily in two locations: along the walls of a 30m cut in the surrounding shallow reefs at Haleiwa on Oahu (called the Haleiwa Trench) and at depths of 6 to 10m in ledges and small caves along the first drop at Puako, Hawaii. All were observed at night. This subspecies is considered to be endemic to Hawaii, although there are specimens from the Marshall Islands that look quite similar. The first two photos are from the Haleiwa Trench in 1978.

The next four shots show specimens from Puako, all in the first half of 1981.

17.45mm specimen below.

Created 25 July 2010
Updated 25 December 2020

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