Notocypraea piperita


Notocypraea piperita, common name peppered cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Description

Notocypraea piperita has a shell reaching a size of 16–30 mm. The dorsum surface usually shows pale brown or peach-coloured transversal bands on a paler background, while the base is whitish or yellowish, with small dark spots on the ventral margin.

Habitat

This cowry lives subtidally on rocks.

Distribution

This species and its subspecies occur in the seas along southern Australia and northern Tasmania.

Subspecies

  • Notocypraea piperita bicolor Gaskoin, 1849
  • Notocypraea piperita piperita Gray, 1825