Naria labrolineata (Gaskoin, 1849)
Lined-lip
cowry, 12-22mm
Naria labrolineata is
found in a variety of atoll habitats extending from intertidal reefs to lagoon
interisland and pinnacle reefs to leeward and windward seaward reefs extending
down at least to 40m in depth. Despite the range of habitats, it seems to be
common in none of them. Most often, old empty shells are found in the bottoms
of seaward reef surge channels or in rubble pockets on the slopes. Most living
specimens inhabit the undersurfaces of rocks, but they can occasionally be found
in ledges and caves or among Halimeda algae plants on sandy lagoon
reefs. During the summer of 2009, many living specimens were observed under
dead coral rocks on a 3 to 6m depth lagoon reef between Bigej and Meck Islands
in Kwajalein Atoll. By the next year, the species had once again become uncommon
in those same areas. Shells resemble the much rarer Naria cernica,
but are narrower and are gray or brownish gray in color instead of orange-yellow.
This species is distributed throughout the Pacific from Polynesia to Indonesia
and Western Australia, with another population in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
Shell background color can vary from brown to dark gray.
When the mantle with its long branching
papillae is extended, the animal hard to see on a typical background.
Here is a specimen on eggs.
This one is hard to pick out in
its algae habitat.
18.75mm, September 1973
15.4mm, slightly subadult shell
Created
1 April 2008
Updated 3 April 2024
Back to
cowries
Kwajalein Underwater Home