Monetaria caputdraconis

Monetaria caputdraconis, common name the "dragon's-head cowry", is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

Monetaria caputdraconis, side view

Monetaria caputdraconis
Dorsal view of a shell of Monetaria caputdraconis from Easter Island, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Monetaria
Species:	M. caputdraconis
Binomial name
Monetaria caputdraconis (Melvill, 1888)
Synonyms
Cypraea caputdraconis Melvill, 1888

The common name of this species comes from its Latin name caputdraconis, meaning "the head of the dragon".

Description

The shell reaches about 15–40 millimetres (0.59–1.57 in) in length. It is pyriform with rather long teeth. The basic color of the shell is uniformly brown on its edge, with many yellowish small spots on the top of the dorsum.

Distribution

This endemic species is found in the sea along Easter Island and Sala y Gomez Island, where it replaces the similar Monetaria caputserpentis. It is mainly encountered under coral rocks in the intertidal reef.

References

• Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp

External links

• Biolib
• "Monetaria caputdraconis caputdraconis". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
• WoRMS