Talostolida pellucens (Melville, 1888)
Pellucens cowry, 30-45mm?

Talostolida pellucens is common in Hawaii, where it can be found under rocks by day and in ledges and small caves at night. It is often difficult to distinguish from T. teres, which is rare in Hawaii. The best way to tell the difference is by the mantle papillae, which in T. pellucens tend to be large, sparcely spaced, and mottled dark and light. Somethimes the papillae appear to be almost studded with white granule-like spots. The shells tend to have fewer, larger dark spots around the margins of the shell than T. teres. We do not have photos of T. teres from Hawaii, but we do have it from the Marshall Islands.

This species was long known in Hawaii as Cypraea alisonae, named after Dr. E. Alison Kay, a well-known Hawaiian and Pacific malacologist formerly with the University of Hawaii.

The specimen below happened to be found near a small Purpuradusta fimbriata.

Below, the T. pellucens is on the right, seen with a specimen of the similar Talostolida latior. These two specimens were not found together like this; rather, they were placed together for the photo. More on this and a related diatribe can be found on the Talostolida latior page.

33.45mm specimen below.

29.6mm

Additional information on T. pellucens can be found on the Marshall Islands page.

Created 25 July 2010
Updated 1 June 2024

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