Shells of South
East Queensland

Tweed Heads to Noosa
Cypraeidae

Naria erosa

(Linnaeus, 1758)
Shell: moderately small, heavy, Ovate to sub-pyriform, ranging from 21-47 mm. Spire concealed. Teeth: 12 columellar teeth; 13 labral teeth. Sculpture: smooth, porcelaneous; margins often thickly calloused; labral teeth strong, often extending into the margin. Aperture elongate, narrow, slightly wider at anterior. Exterior colour pale yellow, green or tan; dorsum covered in white spots, some edged with brown; base and margins cream; teeth maybe highlighted with tan which extend onto the margins as flecks or lines, central squarish, brown blotch may be present on the margins. Mantle line prominent. Interior colour purple.


Specimens

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Amity Point,  Australia
Size: 21mm    Collected: 1996
Dead collected at 3m depth. Taken on scuba.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Myora light,  Australia
Size: 25mm    Collected: 1997
Under coral slabs on reef.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Myora light,  Australia
Size: 47mm    Collected: 1991
Under coral slabs on reef.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Middle Reef,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 1999
found dead in 26m of water

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Hendersons Reef,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 2004
found dead on coral reef

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Myora light,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 1989
under coral slab in 50cm of water on snad, mud and coral rubble bottom 0.4m tide

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Wolf Rock,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 1999
Collected from coarse rubble on rocky reef at 26m by diver. Fresh dead- had parts of animal still inside.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Point Arkwright,  Australia
Size: 36mm    Collected: Unknown
dead in sand in rock pool on rock platform at low tide

Myora Reef, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 43.69mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under coral slab on intertidal coral reef by hand [low tide] at low tide. Collected by Robert Ellis 4/5/1988

Myora, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 35.22mm    Collected: Unknown
No data. Collected by Robert Ellis 26/1/1990

Bird Island, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 43.51mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under rocks. Collected by Robert Ellis 21/11/1999

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
North East Bay,  Australia
Size: 30mm    Collected: 1982
Live in on coral.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Hoskyn Island,  Australia
Size: 40mm    Collected: 1996
Collected on reef at low tide.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Sykes Reef,  Australia
Size: 36mm    Collected: 2019
On intertidal reef under dead coral slab. Common in the area

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Lamont Reef,  Australia
Size: 41mm    Collected: 2019
Under rocks on weather edge of reef. At low tide.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Gould Reef,  Australia
Size: 40mm    Collected: Unknown
No data

Secret Beach,  Australia
Size: 45.23mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from Under rocks on coral and rock reef at 2-3 m by Snorkel.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Whitsunday Islands,  Australia
Size: 40mm    Collected: 1989
NNo

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Dingo Beach,  Australia
Size: 40mm    Collected: 1989
No data

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Lamont Reef,  Australia
Size: 21mm    Collected: 2019
Under rocks on weather edge of reef. At low tide.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Cape Townshend,  Australia
Size: 34.2mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under large rocks in weed at 1m at extreme low tide.

Cobham Reef, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 30.41mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under coral. Collected by Robert Ellis 8/8/1983

Saumarez Reefs, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 35.34mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under coral slabs on coral reef by hand [low tide] at low tide. Collected by Robert Ellis 8/9/2002

Heralds Prong No 2 Reef 21-459, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 27.03mm    Collected: 1990
No data. Collected by Unknown collector August 1990

Haslewood Island, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 33.88mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under dead coral on coral reef by hand [low tide] at low tide. Collected by Robert Ellis 16/9/1982

Conical Island, Queensland,  Australia
Size: 41.07mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under rock. Collected by Robert Ellis 12/7/1999

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Minnie Waters, Sth Headland,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 1989
found 10m from shore in the early afternoon on rocky reef

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Fish Rock Cave,  Australia
Size: mm    Collected: 1999
found dead in sand on rocky reef in 15m of water. also found inside cave hiding under a gorgonian fan, very little light penetration.

Finucane Island,  Australia
Size: 44.75mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under rocks at low tide.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Rainbow Passage,  Solomon Islands
Size: mm    Collected: 1999
entrance to rendova lagoon found dead in 2 metres of water on coral reef

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Hot Spot,  Solomon Islands
Size: mm    Collected: 2000
found dead on coral reef

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Uepi Point,  Solomon Islands
Size: mm    Collected: 2005
found dead on coral reef

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Man Friday Resort,  Fiji
Size: mm    Collected: 1997
found dead on coral reef in 1 meter of water

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Port Moresby,  Papua New Guinea
Size: mm    Collected: 1983
No data.

forma: lactescens  (Dautzeberg & Bouge, 1933)
This form from Polynesia. Pale; teeth unstained; labrum calloused. Distinct groove marginally.
Vava' u,  Tonga
Size: 24mm    Collected: Unknown
No data.

forma: lactescens  
This form from Polynesia. Pale; teeth unstained; labrum calloused. Distinct groove marginally.
Mo,  French Polynesia
Size: 21.06mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from under rocks and coral at 2-3m

Punta Engano,  Philippines
Size: 25.85mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from shallow reef by local collectors

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Palau Lembeh,  Indonesia
Size: 40.47mm    Collected: Unknown
Among rocks and large boulders along wall on black sand at 5-15m.

Subspecies: Naria erosa chlorizans  (Melvill, 1888)
South East Indian Ocean, Western Australia to eastern Pacific, Aperture narrower; terminal ridge broad and point; narrower, greyish margial blotches.
Investigator Shoals,  Malaysia
Size: 27.5mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from wall and coral covered slope at 5-35m.

Pambam Is,  India
Size: 32.66mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from shallow water on rocky shore.

forma: similis  (Gmelin, 1791)
This form from western Indian Ocean. Collumelar teeth short, aperture wide; marginal blotches less developed or absent.
Zanzibar,  Tanzania
Size: 31.11mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected from shallow water by local fishermen.

forma: similis  (Gmelin, 1791)
This form from western Indian Ocean. Collumelar teeth short, aperture wide; marginal blotches less developed or absent.
Port Grosvenor,  South Africa
Size: 29.35mm    Collected: Unknown
Collected by diver.