SHELL OF THE MONTH – JUNE 2015

Calpurnus verrucosus (Linnaeus, 1758) 3-5m deep in soft corals and sponges Off Olango Island, Cebu, Philippines

For the June Shell of the Month we offer a set of 12 Calpurnus verrucosus (Linnaeus, 1758). All are high quality specimen shells which may either be used for comparison study or for shell craft.
Calpurnus verrucosus is a member of the family Ovulidae. It is a large family of diverse sizes and shapes. They have in common being white, pinkish or even approaching red, having a smooth often glossy surface, and a long narrow aperture. All members come from warm tropical waters, especially the Pacific. Calpurnus
verrucosus looks like an albino Cypraea with pink tips. In fact, its common name is little egg cowry or warty cowry. The warty is due to the umbilical button near each terminal. All Ovulidae are carnivorous and live on soft corals. In contrast to the solid color shells, the animal is often quite colorful. This one is white with orange leopard spots outlined in black.
The set was donated by Richard Kent. Our thanks also to Alice Lustig for her donation to the Raffle Table at the May meeting.