Cheilea equestris is moderately common under rocks on lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs. They seem to prefer rocks that are partially buried in the sand and they adhere to the undersurface of portion of the rock that is buried. They are very irregular in shape and the lower edge of the shell fits the uneven rocky surface where it sits. Because of the fit it is clear that the animal does not move around, or if it does, it must come back to exactly the same spot and position. The shell surface can be smooth, ribbed or corrugated.
Usually, these are found with a smaller shell attached to the surface of a larger one. I suspect the smaller is the male.
Each of the two larger shells below have a smaller one attached to the shell, and there are a couple of other small ones over on the left side, perhaps looking for a female.
44.45mm shell.
Created 13 March 2018
Updated 4 January 2024