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
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