Orange mantle with an orange-brown shell that is crossed by two faint bands. A few black spots are generally located on the edges of the shell. A pure white cowry similar to this species and which may or may not be distinct, has been named N. subcarnea; its habitat is very restricted compared with the habitats of others in the group, as it has been found only near low-tide level on exposed shores. Another related species, Notocypraea piperita, resembles N. comptoni, but has a different radula tooth arrangement and generally possesses four broken bands and a splattering of very fine speckles across the shell. The other cowry in the Notocypraea complex, the southwestern WA species Notocypraea pulicaria, has a pale orange shell with brown spots forming four indistinct bands around the shell.
Information
Max Size: 3 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 10.4-20.8°C
Depth: 0-40m
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (1% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney
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