About Arestorides argus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Arestorides argus is a large species of cowry. On average, its shell grows to 80 millimeters in length, with the largest recorded specimens reaching 115 millimeters. The shell has an approximately cylindrical shape, and its base ground color ranges from light to medium tan. Across the dorsal surface of the shell, the ground color is overlaid with many medium brown rings of varying sizes. These rings resemble eye spots, which explains the common name 'eyed cowry' and the specific epithet 'argus', which refers to the many-eyed Greek giant Argus Panoptes. Ring patterns vary between individuals: some have numerous small rings, while others have fewer, larger rings. Variation in the number and size of these rings is particularly seen between subspecies. The shell's aperture is relatively straight, has well-developed teeth, and is flanked on each side by two dark brown blotches. The blotches located on the outer lip are sometimes small and indistinct. This species and its subspecies are distributed across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It has been specifically recorded in the seas off Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.
