Brief Summary
Cypraea annulus, the gold ring cowry, is a marine gastropod in the Cowry family, Cypraeidae. This species is usually 1.5-2cm in length and has a distinctive gold dorsal band on the glossy, cream shell. C. annulus is nocturnal and emerges to graze on plants and algae at night with it's mottled, brown mantle fully extended over it's shell. The gold ring cowry is common throughout it's range in the West Indo-Pacific and can be found in shallow intertidal zones, hidden under coral or rock boulders and amongst seagrass. Until late last century, this species was used with Cypraea moneta as currency in many countries.
Cypraea annulus with mantle partly extended |