Neobernaya spadicea

Neobernaya spadicea
	A live Neobernaya spadicea, in situ, mantle partly extended, head end to the right
	An apertural view of a shell of the species, anterior end to the left
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Cypraeoidea
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Neobernaya
Species:	N. spadicea
Binomial name
	Neobernaya spadicea; (Swainson, 1823)
Synonyms
	Cypraea spadicea (Swainson, 1823); Zonaria spadicea (Swainson, 1823); Cypraea (Luponia) spadicea (Swainson, 1823); Cypraea fernandoensis Arnold, 1907;

Neobernaya spadicea, common name the chestnut cowrie, is a species of sea snail in the cowrie family, Cypraeidae. Chestnut cowries can be found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from central California to Baja California. The chestnut cowrie has a highly glossy shell due to an enamel that is secreted from its mantle.

Distribution and habitat

The chestnut cowrie is the only species of cowrie in the eastern Pacific Ocean.^[1]^[2] It can be found in intertidal zones from Monterey, California to Isla Cedros, Baja California.^[2]^[3] It is common in Southern California, specifically around the Channel Islands.^[1]^[3] Chestnut cowries are rare in the portion of their range that is north of Santa Barbara, California.^[4]^[3]

Chestnut cowries live in kelp beds and rocky surfaces in intertidal and subtidal zones,^[4]^[5] to a depth of 45 m.^[2] Chestnut cowries are often found under rocks and protected crevices.^[4]^[5]

Description

The top of the shell displays a large irregularly shaped caramel colored spot, with a dark brown border.^[4] The rest of the shell is white, including the bottom.^[4] There is a narrow aperture with small teeth that spans the length of the underside of the shell.^[6] The shell can grow until the cowrie reaches its adult form, then it stops.^[5] When undisturbed, their orange spotted mantle extends around the outside of the shell; when fully extended it can completely cover the shell.^[4]^[5] The shell is glossy due to an enamel that is secreted from the edges of the mantle.^[4] Retracting and extending the mantle acts as a buffer, shining the shell while depositing new enamel.^[4] The foot of this species is white.^[4] The adult shell of this species ranges in size from 40 to 65 mm.^[1]

Dorsal view of a shell, anterior end to the top
Ventral view of live specimen on aquarium glass, anterior end to the bottom

Ecology

Diet

The chestnut cowrie is a scavenger and carnivore; common food items include anemones, sponges, tunicates, eggs, and dead organisms.^[2]^[3]
This species appears to be an opportunistic feeder
that consumes a wide variety of organic matter, including plants and detritus.

Reproduction

Chestnut cowries lay batches of eggs during the summer months.^[3] Each batch consists of approximately 100 egg capsules with each egg capsule containing several hundred eggs.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c McLean, James H. (1978). Marine Shells of Southern California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. ISBN 978-0-938644-03-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gotshall, Daniel W. (2005). Guide to Marine Invertebrates: Alaska to Baja (2nd ed.). Monterey: Sea Challengers. ISBN 0-930118-37-5.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Sept, J. Duane (2002). Beachcomber's guide to seashore life of California. Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Pub. ISBN 1550172514. OCLC 48579658.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Sheldon, Ian (2007). Seashore of Southern California. Auburn: Lone Pine Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-55105-232-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hinton, Sam (1987). Seashore Life of Southern California. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-520-05923-9.
^ Morris, Percy A. (1966). A field guide to Pacific coast shells, including shells of Hawaii and the Gulf of California (2d ed., rev. and enl ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395080290. OCLC 700828.

[McLean_1978-1] McLean, James H. (1978). Marine Shells of Southern California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. ISBN 978-0-938644-03-3.

[Gotshall-2] Gotshall, Daniel W. (2005). Guide to Marine Invertebrates: Alaska to Baja (2nd ed.). Monterey: Sea Challengers. ISBN 0-930118-37-5.

[Sept_2002-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Sept, J. Duane (2002). Beachcomber's guide to seashore life of California. Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Pub. ISBN 1550172514. OCLC 48579658.

[Sheldon_2007-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Sheldon, Ian (2007). Seashore of Southern California. Auburn: Lone Pine Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-55105-232-8.

[Hinton_1987-5] Hinton, Sam (1987). Seashore Life of Southern California. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-520-05923-9.

[6] Morris, Percy A. (1966). A field guide to Pacific coast shells, including shells of Hawaii and the Gulf of California (2d ed., rev. and enl ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395080290. OCLC 700828.

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