Talostolida teres

Lore & Background

The shells of Talostolida teres are quite common and reach an average length of 25–32 mm, with extremes from 8 mm to 44 mm. Their shape is cylindrical or sub-cylindrical, and the dorsum is smooth and shiny. The basic color ranges from whitish, greenish, or pale brown, overlaid with irregular dark brown patches that sometimes form two or three transversal bands; the surface may also be entirely grey-greenish. The margins are white or pale brown, with dark dots and a pronounced labial callus, while the base is white or pinkish with fine short teeth. In living specimens, the mantle is orange-reddish with white sensorial papillae, and the mantle and foot are well developed with external antennae.

Reader's Guide

Talostolida teres is a widely distributed cowry found in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean off East Africa and South Africa (including Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia, and Tanzania), and across the Western and Eastern Pacific Ocean along Western Australia, the Philippines, Bali, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Fiji, Taiwan, and Hawaii. The subspecies Blasicrura teres pellucens reaches the Galapagos and Panama. These cowries live on rocks or under corals in the intertidal zone. The species includes several recognized subspecies: Talostolida teres alveolus, Talostolida teres elatensis, Talostolida teres janae, and Talostolida teres teres. One former subspecies, Talostolida teres natalensis, is now considered a synonym of Talostolida pellucens pellucens. The species is part of the Teres complex and has been referenced in works by Verdcourt, Burgess, Heiman, and Lorenz.

Did You Know?

• The shells of Talostolida teres range from 8 mm to 44 mm in length.
• The species has four recognized subspecies, including Talostolida teres teres.
• It occurs from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and the Galapagos.