Leporicypraea mappa
Encyclopedia
Leporicypraea mappa common name
the map cowry, is a species
of cowry
, a sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae
, the cowries. It is considered an economically
important species in the Indo-West Pacific
, usually collected both for food and shell trading. The map cowry was named after its distinct color pattern, mainly because of the longitudinal lines and the easily distinguishable and sinuous mantle
groove, which creates a resemblance to ancient maps.
Cypraea
. In the currently most accepted taxonomy
of the Cypraeidae
by Lorenz & Hubert (2000), this species is considered to be within the genus Leporicypraea
, with several subspecies.
Recently, the division of this taxon
in two or even three nominal species
based on morphological
and molecular characters has been suggested.
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan also includes : :
length of this species is up to 10 cm, but it more commonly grows up to about 8 cm.
The shell of Leporicypraea mappa is globose, with a near elliptical, slightly elongate outline. In affinity to other Cypraeidae
, the aperture
of the shell is very narrow, and relatively long. Both the inner and outer lips
are ornamented with arrays of small teeth, though the teeth of the outer lip
are shorter and stronger in comparison to the teeth of the inner lip
, which are thinner and more numerous. Its dorsal side is normally inflated, while the ventral side of the shell is slightly concave.
The shell is colored white or cream, with several longitudinal brown lines, which are sometimes interrupted by circular empy spaces. The cursory dorsal mantle
groove line is dissimilar to the shells general color pattern, completely devoid of lines, thus easily perceivable. Its sinuous appearance, with several branches and notches, makes it a diagnostic character for this species. This exotic color pattern gives an appearance similar to that of ancient maps, hence the specific and common names. Both the ventral side of the shell and the labral teeth may vary greatly in color, assuming shades of white or cream, or even purple, brown, orange or pink.
. It is present in many regions, including East Africa
, Madagascar
, southeastern Red Sea
, eastern Polynesia
, southern
Japan
, Australia
and New Caledonia
.
This exceptionally wide range may possibly be an artifact. Some conchologists claim that the taxonomy of the species is poorly resolved; if the map cowry is in fact confirmed as being two or more cryptic species, then this could drastically change the range of its distribution.
areas, dwelling under slabs and stones at depths of 45 m.
.
The shells of Cypraea mappa (as it was previously known) were considered rare, exotic and beautiful, and were highly prized by private shell collectors in the late 1950s
.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the map cowry, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of cowry
Cowry
Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural cowries, is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries...
, a sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Shell description:...
, the cowries. It is considered an economically
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
important species in the Indo-West Pacific
Indo-West Pacific
The Indo-West Pacific, or IWP, is a zoogeographical region spanning the entire Indian Ocean including the Red Sea and the Pacific Ocean as far as the Caroline Islands but short of the Marshall Islands...
, usually collected both for food and shell trading. The map cowry was named after its distinct color pattern, mainly because of the longitudinal lines and the easily distinguishable and sinuous mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
groove, which creates a resemblance to ancient maps.
Taxonomy
Leporicypraea mappa was previously subordinated to the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Cypraea
Cypraea
Cypraea is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails or cowries, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.-Species:Species within the genus Cypraea include:* Cypraea pantherina Lightfoot, 1786...
. In the currently most accepted taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of the Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Shell description:...
by Lorenz & Hubert (2000), this species is considered to be within the genus Leporicypraea
Leporicypraea
Leporicypraea is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. Species within this genus are commonly found in the Indo-Pacific region.-Species:Species of Leporicypraea include:...
, with several subspecies.
Recently, the division of this taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
in two or even three nominal species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
based on morphological
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
and molecular characters has been suggested.
Subspecies
Subspecies of Leporicypraea mappa include according to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) :- Leporicypraea mappa admirabilis Lorenz, 2002
- Leporicypraea mappa aliwalensis Lorenz, 2002
- Leporicypraea mappa mappa (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan also includes : :
- Leporicypraea mappa rosea (Gray, 1824)
- Leporicypraea mappa panerythra (Melvill, 1888)
- Leporicypraea mappa viridis (Kenyon, 1902)
- Leporicypraea mappa geographica (Schilder & Schilder, 1933)
Shell description
The maximum shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
length of this species is up to 10 cm, but it more commonly grows up to about 8 cm.
The shell of Leporicypraea mappa is globose, with a near elliptical, slightly elongate outline. In affinity to other Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Shell description:...
, the aperture
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
of the shell is very narrow, and relatively long. Both the inner and outer lips
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
are ornamented with arrays of small teeth, though the teeth of the outer lip
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
are shorter and stronger in comparison to the teeth of the inner lip
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
, which are thinner and more numerous. Its dorsal side is normally inflated, while the ventral side of the shell is slightly concave.
The shell is colored white or cream, with several longitudinal brown lines, which are sometimes interrupted by circular empy spaces. The cursory dorsal mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
groove line is dissimilar to the shells general color pattern, completely devoid of lines, thus easily perceivable. Its sinuous appearance, with several branches and notches, makes it a diagnostic character for this species. This exotic color pattern gives an appearance similar to that of ancient maps, hence the specific and common names. Both the ventral side of the shell and the labral teeth may vary greatly in color, assuming shades of white or cream, or even purple, brown, orange or pink.
Distribution
Leporicypraea mappa is widely distributed in the Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
. It is present in many regions, including East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, southeastern Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, eastern Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
, southern
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
.
This exceptionally wide range may possibly be an artifact. Some conchologists claim that the taxonomy of the species is poorly resolved; if the map cowry is in fact confirmed as being two or more cryptic species, then this could drastically change the range of its distribution.
Habitat
The map cowry lives in the intertidal and sublittoral zones, usually in coral reefCoral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
areas, dwelling under slabs and stones at depths of 45 m.
Human uses
The flesh of the map cowry is edible, and it is commonly collected by local fishermen for food and shell trading wherever it occurs. It is sold in fish markets in the northern PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The shells of Cypraea mappa (as it was previously known) were considered rare, exotic and beautiful, and were highly prized by private shell collectors in the late 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
.