About Cribrarula cribraria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cribrarula cribraria (Linnaeus, 1758) is a highly recognizable species of cowry. The mantle of this species is translucent bright orange-red. Adult shells range from 10 to 44 millimetres (0.39 to 1.73 inches) in length. The shells are smooth, with a base colour of pale brown or fawn and multiple circular white spots. Both the edges and the flat base of the shell are white. This species and its subspecies are distributed in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean along Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, the Seychelles, and Tanzania, as well as in Australia, the Solomon Islands, Western Samoa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Fiji, and Vanuatu. This species can be found in intertidal and shallow waters at depths of 5 to 25 metres (16 to 82 feet), where it mainly lives underneath coral rubble and rocks. It feeds mostly at night on encrusting sponges.
