Shells of South
East Queensland

Tweed Heads to Noosa
Cypraeidae

Monetaria moneta

(Linnaeus, 1758)
Shell: small to moderately small, solid, ovate to rhomboidal , ranging from 12-33 mm. Spire concealed. Teeth: 9 to 13 columellar teeth; 10 to 14 labral teeth. Sculpture: smooth, porcelaneous; margins thickened and nodular. Aperture elongate, narrow, slightly wider at anterior. Exterior colour pale green grey, pale blue or deep yellow; dosum darker, with 3 transvers grey bands and may have yellow orange ring; base white; mantle line indistinct.


Specimens

Myora light,  Australia
 Size: 31mm    Collected: 1988
Collected live on sand.
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Big Sandy Reef 21-546,  Australia
 Size: 20mm    Collected: 1993
At 10 m depth. Taken on scuba.
Myora Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 27.21mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from on sand on intertidal sand flats with shallow pools by hand [low tide] at low tide. Collected by Robert Ellis 14/5/1988
Myora light,  Australia
 Size: mm    Collected: 1989
under coral slab in 50cm of water on snad, mud and coral rubble bottom 0.4m tide
Gould Reef,  Australia
 Size: 30mm    Collected: Unknown
No data.
Wreck Island,  Australia
 Size: 25mm    Collected: 1975
Under coral slabs on reef.
Sykes Reef,  Australia
 Size: 23mm    Collected: 2019
under slab of dead coral on weather edge of reef.
Lamont Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 23.82mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Robert Ellis 8/9/1998
Lamont Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 22.11mm    Collected: Unknown
No data. Collected by Robert Ellis 28/9/1992
Lamont Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 28.77mm    Collected: 1996
Collected from Under coral slabs on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Callum Woodward August 1996
Lady Musgrave Island, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 29.18mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Robert Ellis 23/8/2003
Sykes Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 21.72mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Robert Ellis 18/9/1993
Tryon Island, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 28.16mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Robert Ellis 9/8/1990
Mast Head Island, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 29.94mm    Collected: 2010
Collected from Under coral slabs on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Callum Woodward August 2010
Hoskyn Island Reef, Queensland,  Australia
 Size: 25.94mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide]. Collected by Robert Ellis 26/8/1996
Murray Island,  Australia
 Size: 29mm    Collected: Unknown
No data.
Wooli,  Australia
 Size: mm    Collected: 1989
found on rocky reef at low tide
Lord Howe Island,  Australia
 Size: 22.15mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Grand Central Station,  Solomon Islands
 Size: mm    Collected: 1998
found dead in sand on coral reef see dive log #28
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Charapoana Island,  Solomon Islands
 Size: mm    Collected: 2000
found dead in sand on coral reef

Nauru,  Nauru
 Size: 25.16mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Uepi POint,  Solomon Islands
 Size: mm    Collected: 2002
found dead in sand on coral reef

forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Papeete,  French Polynesia
 Size: 12.92mm    Collected: 1999
In sand at 1-2m [4-6 ft].
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Huahine,  French Polynesia
 Size: 29.92mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Tuamotus Islands,  French Polynesia
 Size: 15.9mm    Collected: 2007
Collected from reef by diver.
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Espiritu Santo,  Vanuatu
 Size: 26.88mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
Muri Lagoon,  New Zealand
 Size: 20.34mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under coral on sand at 1-2m.
Madang,  Papua New Guinea
 Size: mm    Collected: 1973
No data.
Taurama Beach,  Papua New Guinea
 Size: mm    Collected: 1984
under a coral rock on reef
Rabaul- Old,  Papua New Guinea
 Size: 28.51mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
Coral Coast,  Fiji
 Size: mm    Collected: 1989
No data.
Boang Island,  Papua New Guinea
 Size: 19.33mm    Collected: 1975
Collected by scuba diver.

forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Man Friday Resort,  Fiji
 Size: mm    Collected: 1997
found dead in sand in 1 meter of water also observed some specimens on coral reef in 3m of water in same location.
Phuket,  Thailand
 Size: 25.35mm    Collected: Unknown
No data.
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Pura Tanah Lot ,  Indonesia
 Size: 22.37mm    Collected: 1995
Dead in rubble at 5m.
Bohol,  Philippines
 Size: 21.11mm    Collected: 2007
Collected by local fishermen.
Sulu Archipelago,  Philippines
 Size: 19.86mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
Taiwan,  Taiwan
 Size: 31.08mm    Collected: 1971
No data
Palau Tiomen,  Malaysia
 Size: 22.53mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under rubble at 1m.
guam,  Guam
 Size: 14.33mm    Collected: Unknown
Dead in rubble and weed at low tide.
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Saipan Island,  Northern Mariana Islands
 Size: 15.02mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected form rubble at 2m by diver.
forma: tuberculata  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 This form has extreme marginal turbercules and elevated teeth.
 Susupe,  Northern Mariana Islands
 Size: 18.96mm    Collected: 1995
No data
Subspecies: Monetaria moneta icterina  (Lamarck, 1810)
Dakar,  Senegal
 Size: 33.28mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from reef at 2m by diver.
forma: venefica  
 This variation has a whitish dorsum with yellow to pale orange base.
 Seychelles,  Seychelles
 Size: 20.91mm    Collected: Unknown
No data
St Francois,  Mauritius
 Size: 12.52mm    Collected: 1992
Collected from reef at low tide.
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