Purpuradusta fimbriata (common name: fringed cowry) is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Subspecies The following subspecies are recognized: Purpuradusta fimbriata durbanensis (Schilder & Schilder, 1938) (synonyms : Cypraea fimbriata durbanensis (Schilder & Schilder, 1938); Palmadusta fimbriata durbanensis Schilder & Schilder, 1938) forma : Purpuradusta fimbriata durbanensis quasigracilis (f) Lorenz, F. Jr., 1989 forma : Purpuradusta fimbriata unifasciata waikikiensis (f) Schilder, F.A., 1933 Purpuradusta fimbriata fimbriata (Gmelin, 1791) Purpuradusta fimbriata marquesana Lorenz, 2002 Purpuradusta fimbriata quasigracilis Lorenz, 1989 Purpuradusta fimbriata unifasciata (Mighels, J.W., 1845) Purpuradusta fimbriata waikikiensis Schilder, 1933
Description
The shell size varies between 7 mm and 21 mm. Distribution This species and its subspecies occur in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania; in the Pacific Ocean off Japan.
References
Verdcourt, B. (1954). The cowries of the East African Coast (Kenya, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Pemba). Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society 22(4) 96: 129–144, 17 pls. Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey
External links Gastropods.com : Purpuradusta fimbriata fimbriata; accessed : 26 January 2011