Common Name: Tiger Cowrie

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region. In Australia recorded from the north of Western Australia and Northern Territory, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to Sydney in New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Usually found under coral rubble or in crevices, but sometimes found in the open. Sometimes found in pairs. Depth from intertidal to a depth of around 15 m.

Additional Notes: The mantle of this cowrie is blotched yellow and brown with fine stripes and shows the underlying shell pattern through it. Papillae are elongated yellow or white in colour. The dorsal surface of the shell is black blotched on a creamy white or bluish background with the underside almost pure white. Specimens found in the Solitary Islands Marine Park are dark coloured and particularly large, up to 115mm.

References: Cowries of New South Wales, David Tarrant, published by David Tarrant, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2016. pp.92-3.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=cypraea+tigris. Accessed 05/11/2018.