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Taxonomy
Family: Subfamily:
CYPRAEIDAE: LURIINAE
Full Classification:
Mollusca (Phylum)
> Gastropoda (Class)
> Caenogastropoda (Subclass)
> Littorinimorpha (Order)
> Cypraeoidea (Superfamily)
> Cypraeidae (Family)
> Luriinae (Subfamily)
> Lyncina (Genus)
> vitellus (Species)
Synonymised Names:
=Cypraea vitellus Linnaeus, 1758
Images: Lyncina vitellus Linnaeus, 1758
Pacific Deer Cowrie, collected by scuba diving off northern NZ. 31mm
Collected in beach drift, Far North, NZ. 46mm
Taxonomy
Family: Subfamily:
CYPRAEIDAE: LURIINAE
Full Classification:
Mollusca (Phylum)
> Gastropoda (Class)
> Caenogastropoda (Subclass)
> Littorinimorpha (Order)
> Cypraeoidea (Superfamily)
> Cypraeidae (Family)
> Luriinae (Subfamily)
> Lyncina (Genus)
> vitellus (Species)
Synonymised Names:
=Cypraea vitellus Linnaeus, 1758
Details: Lyncina vitellus Linnaeus, 1758
Size/Grows to:
Length 55mm, Width 35mm
Distribution:
Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea to Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia and Northland to Poor Knights Islands, down to about 25 metres
Geographical Range:
KA
Notes:
Marine, Occasionally found around offshore Islands around Northland. Very rarely seen on the mainland
Distribution Map
 
References and Publications
  • Powell, A.W.B. 1979 New Zealand Mollusca: Marine, Land and Freshwater Shells, Collins, Auckland (p.152)
  • Powell, A.W.B. 1976 On the considerable influx of warm water molluscs that have invaded northern New Zealand waters within recent years, Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 13 (p.144)
  • Penniket, J.R. Sep/1973 Notes of Interest: Cypraea vitellus, Poirieria, 7(2) (p.30)
  • Grange, K.R. Aug/1973 Cypraea vitellus in New Zealand, Poirieria, 7(1) (p.3)
  • Willan, R.C. Mar/1972 Notes of Interest: Cypraea vitellus, Poirieria, 6(3) (p.58)
  • Schilder, F.A. 1967 Cypraeidae from New Zealand, Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 6(3) (p.201)
  • Powell, A.W.B. 1967 New Zealand Molluscan Systematics with Descriptions of New Species: Part 6, Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 6(3) (p.185)

Key to Geographical Ranges
NZ Map showing Geographical Ranges
The symbols K.A.C.F.M.An. are used to indicate the geographical range of the species. They have been adopted to give an approximation of the range of each species within New Zealand.
K=
Kermadec Islands
A=
Aupourian - Kaipara Harbour, north around North Cape, encompassing the Three Kings Islands and south to East Cape
C=
Cookian - Lower North Island and the northern part of the South Island
F=
Forsterian - Otago, Fiordland and Stewart Island
M=
Moriorian - Chatham Islands, Pitt Island
An=
Antipodean - Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand
Fw =
Freshwater
L =
Land
N =
North Island
S =
South Island
R =
Recent
Sf =
Subfossil
Fo =
Fossil
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