Luria lurida

Luria lurida is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Description

The shells of Luria lurida reach on average of length, with a minimum size of and a maximum size of . The dorsum surface of these elongated, smooth and shiny shells is mainly pale brown or reddish, with three transversal darker bands alternating with narrower clearer bands. At the extremities of the shell there are two separate dark brown spots. The aperture is wide, with several teeth. In the living cowries the mantle is dark brown and may cover the entire shell. The male is usually smaller and elongated than the female.

Distribution

This common species is distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean along Macaronesia and West Africa, mainly in Senegal and Angola.

Habitat

As they fear the light, during the day usually they hide themselves in small caves, crevices or under rocks up to about of depth. They live on rocky seabed and corals, feeding during the night mainly on sponges of Verongia aerophoba, Aiplysina aerophoba, Chondrilla nucula and Tethya aurantium.

Subspecies

Three subspecies have been recognized :

Luria lurida lurida (Linnaeus, 1758)
Luria lurida minima (Dunker, 1853) (taxon inquirendum)
Luria lurida oceanica (Schilder, 1930)
Luria lurida pulchroides Alvardo & Alvarez, 1964 (taxon inquirendum)

Synonyms

Cypraea amethistina Costa O.G., 1830
Cypraea aurora Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea kunthii Audouin, 1826
Cypraea leucogaster Gmelin, 1791
Cypraea lurida Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination)
Cypraea lurida congiunta Settepassi, 1977 (not available, published in a work which does not consistently use binomial nomenclature (ICZN art. 11.4))
Cypraea lurida elongata Settepassi, 1977 (not available, published in a work which does not consistently use binomial nomenclature (ICZN art. 11.4))
Cypraea lurida immaculata Settepassi, 1977 (not available, published in a work which does not consistently use binomial nomenclature (ICZN art. 11.4))
Cypraea lurida oceanica Schilder, 1930
Cypraea lurida var. albida Costa O.G., 1829
Cypraea lurida var. brunnea Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. caerulescens Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. cinerea Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. concolor Kobelt, 1906
Cypraea lurida var. curta Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. cylindrica Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. fasciata Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. fulva Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. major Pallary, 1900
Cypraea lurida var. maxima Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. media Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. minima Dunker, 1853
Cypraea lurida var. monochroa Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. monstrosa Gray J.E., 1828
Cypraea lurida var. nebulosa Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. normalis Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. pubescens Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. rufescens Costa O.G., 1829
Cypraea lurida var. rufofulva Kobelt, 1906
Cypraea lurida var. turdicula Monterosato, 1897
Cypraea lurida var. ventricosa Mollerat, 1890
Cypraea lurida var. virescens Costa O.G., 1829
Cypraea lurida var. zonata Mollerat, 1890
Luria lurida lurida (Linnaeus, 1758)ÃÂ· accepted, alternate representation
Luria lurida var. badia Coen, 1949
Luria lurida var. incrassata Coen, 1933
Luria lurida var. liburnica Coen, 1933
Luria lurida var. obstructa Coen, 1933
Luria lurida var. onycina Coen, 1933
Lurida lurida (Linnaeus, 1758) (misspelling)
Voluta pumilio Brusina, 1865

References

[as Lurida lurida (Linnaeus, 1758)]