Abstract

A total of 21 species of cowry shells belonging to genus Cypraea Linnaeus 1758 of family Cypraeidae falling under the order Mesogastropoda collected from field observation in 2014, were identified, using liquid-preserved materials and living specimens in the field, based on the external characters of shell structures. The specimens comprised Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, 1758, C. miliaris Gmelin, 1791, C. mauritiana Linnaeus, 1758, C. thersites Gaskoin, 1849, C. arabica Linnaeus, 1758, C. scurra Gmelin, 1791, C. eglantina Duclos, 1833,C. talpa Linnaeus, 1758, C. argus Linnaeus, 1758, C. erosa Linnaeus, 1758, C. labrolineata Gaskoin, 1849, C. caputserpentis Linnaeus, 1758, C. nucleusLinnaeus, 1758, C. isabella Linnaeus, 1758, C. cicercula Linnaeus, 1758, C. globulus Linnaeus, 1758, C. lynx Linnaeus, 1758, C. asellus Linnaeus, 1758, C. saulae Gaskoin, 1843, C. teres Gmelin, 1791 and C. reevei Gray, 1832. The distribution, habitats and distinct ecological notes of cowry shells in intertidal and subtidal zone of Andrew Bay and adjacent coastal areas were studied in brief.

Keywords

Andrew Bay, cowry shells, cypraeidae, gastropod, Rakhine Coastal Region, molluscs, taxonomy, formalin