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Molluscs of Zihuatanejo

PHYLUM MOLLUSCA

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Cyphoma emarginatum

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Molluscs (Phylum Mollusca)

-Gastropods (Class Gastropoda)​​​​

-Caenogastropods (Subclass Caenogastropoda)

-Order Littorinimorpha

-Cowries and Ovulids (Superfamily Cypraeoidea)

-Egg Cowries (Family Ovulidae)

-Subfamily Simniinae

-Genus Cyphoma

-Cyphoma emarginatum


The eggshell cowrie (Cyphoma emarginatum) is a small, striking marine gastropod commonly found on coral reefs in the tropical eastern Pacific. It has a smooth, glossy shell that is thin and oval, typically white to pale cream in color, often partially concealed by the living mantle when the animal is active. This cowrie is closely associated with gorgonian corals, on which it feeds.

Description

  • Cyphoma emarginatum, known as the emarginate cyphoma, is a small marine gastropod in the family Ovulidae, a group related to cowries. Its shell is elongated and oval, typically whitish to pinkish-flesh coloured, with distinctive raised, irregular margins that give it a somewhat scalloped or knobby outline. The living animal's mantle extends over much of the shell and is golden-orange to brown, often with darker transverse markings. Adults generally reach 15–22 mm in length.

Range

  • This species occurs in the tropical eastern Pacific, from the northern Gulf of California south along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America to Ecuador. It is present around Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico.

Habitat

  • Cyphoma emarginatum lives on gorgonians, including sea fans and sea whips, in shallow tropical coastal waters. It clings to the branches of these soft corals, where its extended mantle helps it blend with the host's surface.

Diet

  • This species feeds primarily on gorgonian soft corals, grazing on their living tissues with its specialised mouthparts. Its feeding can leave visible marks on the host coral, and the snail's mantle colouring may help camouflage it against the coral's branches.

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