About Naria spurca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Naria spurca, first described by Linnaeus in 1758, is a very common species of cowry. The adult shells of this species average 23–28 millimetres (0.91–1.10 in) in length, with a minimum recorded length of 12 millimetres (0.47 in) and a maximum recorded length of 39 millimetres (1.5 in). Shells are highly variable in both pattern and colour. The shell surface is smooth and shiny; the basic colour of the dorsum is whitish or yellowish, with indistinct, variegated spotting in orange-brown, yellow ocher, or reddish tones. The yellowish shell margins are crenulated, or bordered by a series of dimples. The shell base is whitish or cream-coloured, sometimes with orange tones and some dark spots near the edge, and the outer teeth are typically large and white. In living individuals, the cowry's mantle is greyish, and bears quite long, tree-shaped sensory papillae. This species occurs in the central and southern Mediterranean Sea, including locations such as southern Italy, Crete, Malta, and Lampedusa Island. It is also found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean along the West African coast, ranging from Morocco to Angola, and including Ascension Island, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde Islands. It is an introduced species in the Red Sea. Naria spurca most commonly lives at depths between 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) and 20 metres (65 ft 7 in), but can also be found in waters as deep as 50 metres (160 ft). During the daytime, these cowries usually stay hidden under rocks, in crevices, or in underwater meadows of Posidonia oceanica, as they only begin feeding at dusk.
