Erronea adusta

Erronea adusta, common name the chocolate beauty or tanned/dark onyx cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.^[1] This species was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the onyx cowry (Erronea onyx).^[2]

Erronea adusta
A shell of Erronea adusta succinta from Zanzibar, anterior end towards the right
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Erronea
Species:	E. adusta
Binomial name
Erronea adusta (Lamarck, 1810)
Synonyms
Erronea onyx adusta, Lamarck, 1810 Cypraea adusta, Lamarck, 1810 Erronea succincta adusta, (Lamarck, 1810)

Description

The shells of these cowries reach on average 23–58 millimetres (0.91–2.28 in) in length. The dorsum surface of Erronea adusta is smooth, shiny and generally dark brown. The base is also dark brown, usually with orange teeth. The interior of the shell is pale purple.

A shell of Erronea adusta succinta from Zanzibar, ventral view, anterior end towards the left

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean along East Africa (mainly Kenya, Mascarene, Mauritius and Tanzania).

Habitat

In shallow subtidal water, Erronea adusta lives in the tropical and subtropical zones.