Common Egg Cowrie (species: Ovula ovum) in taxonomy (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Animalia > Mollusca > Gastropoda > Caenogastropoda > Littorinimorpha > Cypraeoidea > Ovulidae > Ovulinae > Ovula > Ovula ovum (gallery)
Ovula ovum
Common Egg Cowrie


©Barbara Banks: Common Egg Cowries about 8 cm long on their soft coral food source at Lizard Island. Faeces can be seen between the animals.

©Lexie Gersbeck and Gabi Howarth: Ovula ovum about 8.5 cm long from the reef flat and crest between Bird and South Islands, Lizard Island Group.

©Lexie Gersbeck and Gabi Howarth: Ovula ovum about 8.5 cm long from the reef flat and crest between Bird and South Islands, Lizard Island Group.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Littorinimorpha
Family Ovulidae
Genus Ovula
Species Ovula ovum

Lizard Island Field Guide
Lizard Island area: all known taxa

Colours

         

Distinguishing features

Shell is pure white; mantle covers the shell in life, black with white spots that form large irregular patterns. Often found in pairs on soft corals. 

Size

  • Up to 10 cm (length according to Wilson, 1993)

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Web resources

References

References that assist with identification

  • Wilson, B. (1993). Australian Marine Shells: 1. Prosobranch gastropods Odyssey Publishing, Kallaroo, Western Australia.