Hawaiian Cypraeidae

The Hawaiian Islands sit on the northeastern edge of the Indo-Pacific realm and are separated by long distances from other tropical islands to the west and south. Because of this, the Hawaiian fauna is unusual, containing a high proportion of endemic species, those found nowhere else in the world. Some common Indo-Pacific species are rare in Hawaii, while some of the endemics are rather common. We do not have living shots of all the Hawaiian species; some we never found in the living state and others we apparently overlooked during our photographic efforts.

Cribrarula gaskoini
Cypraea tigris
Erosaria helvola
Erosaria poraria
Luria isabella
Luria tessellata
Lyncina leviathan
Lyncina lynx
Lyncina schilderorum
Lyncina sulcidentata
Lyncina vitellus
Mauritia maculifera
Mauritia scurra
Monetaria moneta
Nucleolaria granulata
Ovatipsa chinensis
Purpuradusta fimbriata
Pustularia cicercula
Pustularia mauiensis
Staphlaea semiplota
Talostolida latior
Talostolida pellucens
Talostolida rashleighana
Talparia talpa

Other Cypraeidae that live in the Hawaiian Islands, but which are not figured here, include the following. For some, links to photos from the Marshall Islands (MI) are included.

Annepona mariae (MI)
Erosaria beckii (MI)
Erosaria cernica
Erosaria erosa (MI)
Erosaria labrolineata (MI)
Erosaria ostergaardi (live shot on Keoki and Yuko Stender's site)
Lyncina carneola (MI)
Mauritia mauritiana
Monetaria caputserpentis (MI)
Nucleolaria nucleus (MI)
Talostolida teres (MI)

A couple of other species have been reported, but in numbers so few they may be accidental introductions from shipping.

Kwajalein Underwater home

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