Palmadusta clandestina (Linnaeus, 1767)
Clandestine cowry, 9-24mm

Palmadusta clandestina is primarily a shallow water lagoon species, although it is occasionally found on the leeward seaward reef. True to its name, it lives hidden away under rocks or tucked down in Halimeda plants on sandy lagoon reefs from the intertidal down to about 15m. Both day and night the shell is usually also hidden beneath its mantle, which varies in color from orange to brown to black, usually with varying numbers of white spots or small blotches. The brown and black mantles are more common. The largest specimens at Kwajalein were found intertidally under broken slabs of old concrete right off the seawall at the small boat marina. The Marshall Islands subspecies is Palmadusta clandestina moniliaris.

These three were found together under the same rock in about 2m of water at Enewetak Atoll.

This specimen had a bright yellow egg mass.

The foot of each of the specimens below is covering an egg mass of yellowish eggs clustered into capsules. The adult covers and guards the eggs from predation until they hatch.

13.0mm, August 1973

Created 1 April 2008
Updated 23 February 2020

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