Knobby Black Cowrie - Cypraea talpa - Cowrie Eggshell
Knobby Black Cowrie - Cypraea talpa Taxonomy:
Knobby Black Cowrie belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca, Order Gastropoda, Family Cypraeidae, Genus Cypraea and Species talpa.
Scientific names: The scientific name of Knobby Black Cowrie is Cypraea talpa.
Other common names: Knobby Black Cowrie is also commonly as Cowrie Eggshell and Map Cowry.
Origin or natural range: Cypraea talpa originates from the Indo-Pacific region.
Size: Knobby Black Cowrie grows up to a maximum size of one inch.
Color: Cypraea talpa occurs in Brown, Cream and Black colors.
Aggression: Knobby Black Cowrie is semi-aggressive towards the other marine aquarium invertebrates.
Venom status: Cypraea talpa is non-poisonous in nature.
Habit & Habitat: In its natural habitat, Knobby Black Cowrie is found relaxing under rocks or on soft corals during the day time, whereas it searches for food at night.
Morphology:
- Knobby Black Cowrie has a shining shell which is spotted in brown and white colors and resembles the shape of an egg.
- The mantle of Cypraea talpa is thick, muscular and is black and gray in color. The mantle is covered externally with numerous small nipples like projections, called papillae. Normally, mantle is completely out of and over the shell, hiding a major part of the calcareous structure.
- The shell of Knobby Black Cowrie has an opening having sharp, teeth like structures. When disturbed, the Cowrie withdraws its mantle into the shell and is guarded by the opening structures.
Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium: Your marine aquarium must meet the following environmental specifications to successfully host Cypraea talpa: Aquarium habit & habitat:
- Tank type: To host Knobby Black Cowrie, you should have a Fish Only Marine Aquarium.
- Aquarium set-up:
- Knobby Black Cowrie should have ample rocks and rock caves for Cypraea talpa to hide in during the day time.
- Keep Knobby Black Cowrie with Starfish, Sea Urchins and Tubeworms in your reef tank.
- Temperature of water: The temperature of your marine aquarium must range between seventy-two and seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
- Specific gravity of water: The specific gravity of water should be maintained within 1.023 to 1.025.
- pH of water: The pH of water should scale between 8.10 and 8.40.
- Illumination: Cypraea talpa requires lighting in the marine aquarium it inhabits.
- Acclimation: Slowly acclimate Knobby Black Cowrie to your marine aquarium’s environment using the Slow Drip Method. The slow acclimation process generally takes a minimum of two hours time.
- Diet: Knobby Black Cowrie is Omnivorous in feeding habit.
- Food content: Cypraea talpa eats algae, detritus and meaty bits when it is young, while the adults feed upon Anemones, Sponges and Soft Corals.
- Supplements:
- You may supplement the food of Knobby Black Cowrie with dried seaweed, fish and mussel.
- Add Calcium to the water as dietary supplement for the shell growth of Cypraea talpa. Maintain the Calcium level between three hundred and fifty ppm and four hundred and fifty ppm.
Care:
- Cypraea talpa is easy to maintain.
- Do not keep Knobby Black Cowrie with Condylactis species.
- Nitrates and Copper in any form in your marine aquarium may prove lethal for Cypraea talpa.
- Fluctuations in pH and temperature of marine aquarium water may give pH shock and temperature shock, respectively, to Knobby Black Cowrie.
Caution: Do not keep Polyp Corals and small invertebrates with Cypraea talpa as the Cowrie feeds upon corals and small invertebrates.
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