About Mauritia eglantina (Duclos, 1833)
Mauritia eglantina is a fairly common species of cowrie. The adult shells of this species reach an average length of 44 to 52 millimetres (1.7 to 2.0 inches), with a maximum recorded length of 80 millimetres (3.1 inches) and a minimum recorded adult length of 27 millimetres (1.1 inches). The shells are distinctly elongated, with a smooth and shiny surface. The basic color of the shell's dorsum is brown, marked with pale spots and numerous fine longitudinal lines. A paler longitudinal band runs near the center of the dorsum. The base of the shell may be white, pale pink, or pale brown. The outer edges of the shell have several small brown dots, and the teeth along the shell's aperture are well developed. Mauritia eglantina can be easily mistaken for the related species Mauritia arabica. In living individuals, the mantle of the cowrie is brown and thin. This species occurs in the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, with a range that extends from eastern Polynesia, Micronesia, the Samoa Islands, and New Caledonia west to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Northern Australia. It inhabits relatively shallow water, preferring lagoon reef environments and coral rock at depths between 2 and 15 metres.
