Pulau Hantu - A celebration of marine life

Secret lives and secret worlds hidden in Singapore's most popular coral reef.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Update: Cowrie

Dr. Tan Koh Siang of the Tropical Marine Sciences Institute, comments on Ivan Choong's sighting and photograph of a cowrie at Hantu:



"It looks like you have some kind of Phenacovolva species, a member of the family Ovulidae. Indeed it is related to the cowries (family Cypraeidae), although most, if not all ovulids are obligate associates of gorgonians and feed on them (in the photo there appears to be a trail of destruction left by the snail, as shown to the left of the animal where the polyps of the gorgonian have been sucked out; the animal's head is to the right). I'm afraid I am unable to help you with the name of the gorgonian the snail is sitting on. Maybe Dr Nigel Goh at NParks could assist you.

Two species of Phenacovolva were reported by Nigel Goh et al in their paper on shallow water gorgonian associated fauna in Singapore (Bulletin of Marine Science vol 65: 259–282, 1999). They appear to be different from the one you have. Little work has been done on the ecology of cowries and their allies in Singapore. We will have to depend on you guys for lots of help in getting more information about their habits. The photograph is great. Keep it up!"