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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Cypraeidea |
| Miliaris
cowrie Erosaria miliaris Family Cypraeidae updated Jul 2020 Where seen? This pretty cowrie with a beige spotted shell is commonly seen on our Northern shores, under and on rocks or on sandy and silty areas among seagrass. It was previously known as Cypraea miliaris. Features: 2.5-4cm, up to 5cm. Shell is pear-shaped, beige to light brown with white spots all over it and a broad white margin around the base. Underside completely white (no markings) and the 'teeth' are not coloured. The living animal has a dark brown mottled mantle. Sometimes mistaken for a sea slug. When the shell is completely covered in its mantle, it is sometimes mistaken for a hairy sea slug. Here's how to tell apart hairy slugs and snails more on how to tell apart slugs and animals that look like slugs. |
 Pulau Sekudu, Jul 04 |
 Tanah Merah, Aug 09 |
 'Teeth' are not coloured.. |
| In a pair: This cowrie is often found as a pair of male and female. If you find one, the other is usually not far away! A mother cowrie stays over her eggs after she lays them, covering the egg mass with her foot. |
 Miliaris cowries are often seen in a pair. Pulau Sekudu, Jun 06 |
 Mama cowrie guarding her eggs. Chek Jawa, Feb 05 |
| Miliaris cowries on Singapore shores |
On wildsingapore
flickr
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| Other sightings on Singapore shores |
 Lazarus Island, Jan 24 Photo shared by Vincent Choo on facebook. |
 Beting Bemban Besar, May 24 Photo shared by Che Cheng Neo on facebook. |
 Terumbu Semakau, May 13 |
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Links
References
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Sea Challengers. 314pp.