Melicerona listeri (Gray, 1824)
Lister's cowry, 16-20mm

Melicerona listeri seems very rare through most of the Marshalls. At Kwajalein, a few specimens have been found intertidally at Kwajalein and Roi-Namur. Based on only a few observations, more seem to live on leeward intertidal reefs, where several specimens have been found. In one small area on the seaward intertidal reef of Legan Island, one person turning rocks on the reef once observed 17 specimens in a small area. This was formerly considered Melicerona felilna, a species now known to be restricted to the western Indian Ocean. The subspecies in the Marshall Islands is Melicerona listeri listeri.

19.35mm, 1973

Created 1 April 2008
Updated 23 February 2020

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