Talostolida teres (Gmelin, 1791)
Tapering cowry, 14-38mm?

Differences between Talostolida teres and the very similar T. pellucens are discussed under the latter species, although the more specimens I see, the harder it seems to get to draw an exact dividing line between the two species. Talostolida teres can be found during the day under rocks or in rubble on lagoon interisland reefs, on large flat-topped such as those west of Kwadak Island, and in seaward reef surge channels and on the slope at depths ranging from about 3-45m. Some specimens are found under bushes of Halimeda algae. They are more often observed, however, at night, when then emerge from hiding and wander about in ledges and caves. They seem a bit less common than T. pellucens. Like T. pellucens, T. teres will autotomize the rear portion of its foot when disturbed. This species ranges across the entire Indo-Pacific, and the subspecies found in the Marshall Islands is Talostolida teres teres.

The next two individuals were photographed in Halimeda algae patches.

Heavier dorsal blotch than usual.

Good view of the eye.

This was a particularly elongate shell, approaching Talostolida subteres in proportions.

The stretched-out foot of the one below is mostly covering an egg mass deposited on a clump of yellow sponge.

The shells below look more like T. pellucens, but the mantle seems to be T. teres.

A juvenile.

One knowledgeable expert suggested that the specimen below could be Talostolida violacincta, sometimes considered a subspecies of T. subteres. We agree that the shell does look a lot like published figures of T. violacincta. However, that species is thought to be restricted to Tahiti and the northern Tuamotus, so for the present we are leaving it here unless additional specimens become available for comparison.

28.55mm, June 1982

Created 1 April 2008
Updated 23 February 2020

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