Pustularia globulus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Globular chick pea, 13-21mm

This is the hardest to find of the Marshall Islands chick pea cowries. It varies in color from light orange to dark brown. The largest specimens are found at night in ledges on lagoon pinnacles, but they can also be found at night in seaward reef surge channel caves. Specimens living on lagoon pinnacles tend to be a bit shallower (6-8m) than P. cicercula and P. margarita, but it does range down at least to 20m in some areas. Pustularia globulus is distinguished by its smooth shell from the other brown chick pea, P. bistrinotata. Pustularia globulus is known from the Indo-Pacific with the exception of Hawaii and Western Australia. The subspecies found in the Marshall Islands is Pustularia globulus sphaeridium.

A shell found at night on a Kwajalein lagoon pinnacle on 3 September 2016 was unusually cooperative about putting out its mantle for a few photos.

Note the fine brown ridges or "teeth" extending from the aperture of the shell.

17.7mm, 10 November 1982

13.05mm, 14 April 2007

14.25mm, 15 May 2010

A comparison of the four Pustularia species found in the Marshalls: upper left P. cicercula, 20.9mm; upper right P. margarita, 17.95mm; lower left P. bistrinotata, 18.35mm; and lower right P. globulus, 17.7mm.

Created 1 April 2008
Updated 3 April 2024

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