Cribrarula gaskoini (Reeve, 1846)
Gaskoin's cowry, 18.0mm

This is probably the most rarely found cowry at Kwajalein. Only two specimens are known, both collected as empty shells at the edge of the oceanside dropoff at a depth of about 6-7m, and both in the late 1960s or early 1970s. It has not been seen since. It resembles the much more common Cribrarula cribraria but has dark spots around the edge of the base where C. cribraria does not. While the Kwajalein specimens most closely resemble the Hawaiian Cribrarula gaskoinii, it has in the past been called Cribrarula taitae or C. astatyi, at least in part because C. gaskoinii is supposed to be restricted to the Hawaiian Islands. It is possible that these two specimens represented a chance settling of C. gaskoinii larvae from Hawaii rather than a permanent population. While studying nudibranchs at Enewetak Atoll in the northern Marshalls, one or two specimens were found of a couple of different nudibranch species thought to be restricted to Hawaii, as is C. gaskoinii. It could be that an occasional veliger larva makes it to the Marshalls from Hawaii, but never enough to start a population.

No living animal photo of a Kwajalein specimen is currently available. Live animal photos of Hawaiian specimens can be found elsewhere on this site.

Created 22 September 2008
Updated 23 February 2020

Back to cowries

Kwajalein Underwater Home