Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the West Pacific region: Eastern Indonesia to Tonga, north to Japan, south to Australia. In Australia known from the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to around Sydney in New South Wales.
Tropical species inhabitating rocky and coral reef intertidal areas, low tide to 2 m depth, specimen pictured in intertidal rock pool.
Dorsum pale blue-grey with four transverse interrupted black-brown bands, covered with yellow-brown flecks. Base, sides and teeth white, with black-brown marginal spots of varying size. Extremities white with black-brown terminal spots. Recently described as Cypraea felina, which is now thought to exist only in the Western Indian Ocean. Grows to 25 mm.
Cowries of New South Wales, David Tarrant, published by David Tarrant, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2016. pp.71-2 and p.114.
Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Melicerona+listeri. Accessed 08/11/2018.
The Seashells of New South Wales, Des Beechey, Senior Fellow, Australian Museum, Release 25. Website at https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Cypraeidae/Pages/cypraea_felina.htm. Accessed 08/11/2018.