About Palmadusta clandestina (Linnaeus, 1767)
Palmadusta clandestina (first described by Linnaeus in 1767) has the flat-sided egg shape that is typical of cowries, and reaches an average length of around 26 mm. It is one of a number of species in the superfamily Cypraeoidea that use acid as a defense mechanism; this species secretes sulphuric acid when it is disturbed. This species is distributed across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, specifically along the coasts and island areas of Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia, and Tanzania.
