Mauritia scurra (42 mm

Scientific name: Mauritia scurra (Gmelin, 1791) – in the German-speaking world known as Joker Cowrie, Harlequin Porcelain Snail, or Mime Cowrie. Origin & Localities: Western Indian Ocean; this top-quality collectible comes from the coral-rich waters around Zanzibar (Tanzania). Specimens from this East African region are sought after by collectors for their slender, elongated shape and the intensely contrasting, dark peripheral satellite spots. Habitat: Lives highly concealed inside living coral heads (particularly in the genera Acropora and Pocillopora) in surge-prone reef zones at depths of 2 to 20 meters. The animals usually leave their protective colonies only at night to graze on algal growth. Size & Condition: 42 mm – an excellent, fully mature and stately size (the average size is usually 30–40 mm; specimens at 42 mm or larger are considered above average). Condition GEM (Absolute Museum and top quality): a completely flawless shell with a mirrored enamel gloss, a perfectly sharp peristome, and undamaged siphonal ends. The delicate, net-like dorsal pattern on a bluish-gray background is faultlessly preserved. SKU Oberdiek Cypraea scurra 50

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