Cribrarula taitae (Burgess, 1993)
Tait's cowry, 18.5mm

This is probably the most rarely found cowry at Kwajalein. Only two specimens are known, both collected as empty shells at the edge of the oceanside dropoff at a depth of about 6-7m, and both in the late 1960s or early 1970s. It has not been seen since. It resembles the much more common Cribrarula cribraria but has dark spots around the edge of the base where C. cribraria does not. The Kwajalein specimens resemble the Hawaiian Cribrarula gaskoinii, even more closely, we think, than it does to photos we have seen of C. taitae. It is at least slightly possible that these two specimens represented a chance settling of C. gaskoinii larvae from Hawaii. While studying nudibranchs at Enewetak Atoll in the northern Marshalls, one or two specimens were found of a couple of different nudibranch species thought to be restricted to Hawaii, as is C. gaskoinii. It could be that an occasional veliger larva makes it to the Marshalls from Hawaii, but never enough to start a population. However, at this time, we assume it is C. taitae, extending that species' known range into the Marshalls from eastern Melanesia and western Polynesia.

No living animal photo currently available.

Updated 22 September 2008

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