17 photos - 10 species


Calpurnus verrucosus

Warty egg shell

Maximum size: 3 cm

It has a parasitic nature,

it is found on leather corals where it slowly damages the coral so that it no longer opens.

Moalboal Philippines


Cyphoma cassidyae

Triangular cyphoma

Maximum length: 2.5 cm

Depth: 0 - 150 m

It differs from related species in the pattern of its mantle, which is black.

There are white, triangular spots on its edges.

Reddish foot with white edge and distant black stripes,

the outer edge of the foot is finely outlined in black.

Reddish head, gray proboscis with black lines, short black-edged tentacles.

Bonaire Caribbean


Diminovula culmen

Ridged egg cowry or ridged perl-ovulid

Maximum length: 1 cm

They live very well camouflaged on soft corals,

to which they adapt their colors and which they also eat.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi


Diminovula margarita

Margarita egg cowrie

Maximum size: 1 - 1.5 cm

Depth: 5 - 30 m

Diminovula margarita lives well camouflaged on soft corals,

such as Dendronephtea and also feeds on these.

Lives in the Indo-West Pacific and adapts to the color of the corals. Mimicry and mimesis.

Diet: Soft corals (alcyonarians) also fan corals (gorgonaria) and whip corals.

Bangka island North Sulawesi


Diminovula sp.

Egg shell

Maximum length: ?

A species not yet described.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi


Diminovula sp.

Egg shell

Maximum length: ?

A species not yet described.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi


Ovula costellata

Pink-mouth egg shell

Maximum size: 50 mm

Native to offshore reefs up to a depth of 30 m.

The animal has an orange-colored mantle with orange warts.

The foot is white with a fine black edge, the shell is a delicate white with a purple to pink tint.

The inside of the shell is purple.

Bonaire Caribbean


Ovula ovum

Common egg cowrie

Juvenile
Juvenile

Maximum size: 12 cm

This snail has a shiny shell reminiscent of light-colored porcelain.

The insides of the snail, on the other hand, are dark brown-reddish in color.

The shell of the adult snail is black with light spots.

Juveniles ( photo 3 ), on the other hand, have white warts with yellow spots on their mantle,

with which they imitate a poisonous nudibranch.

Photos 1 - 2: Bangka Island North Sulawesi

Photo 3: Bali Indonesia


Pellasimnia improcera

Spindle cowry

Maximum length: 3, 5 cm

It is a predatory sea snail from the family Ovulidae, also known as false cowries.

Its shell is oval and smooth.

Some have a fine orange line along the edge of the shell, others have blotchy bars.

They are mostly found in soft corals, but also on gorgonians and whip corals.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi


Phenacovolva sp.

Egg shell

Maximum length: 4 cm 

Hurghada Egypt