Luria lurida (Linnaeus, 1758)
Algarve to Angola, Azores to Mediterranean.
Omnivorous in the infralittoral, even in very shallow water. Always in twilight zones during the day, attached to the undersides of flat rocks, and often found on some sponges, especially Aplysina aerophoba (Nardo, 1833), which seems to be a favourite dish. The shell of the male is usually smaller and more elongated than the female’s one.
Basionym: Cypraea lurida.
 
Left: 2m deep, under rock, Punta di Spanu, Lumio, Calvi, NW. Corsica. 42mm. — Right: 9m deep, on rock, Falasarna bay, Kissamos, W. Crete, 43mm.
The number of synonyms is impressive.
5m deep, Almyra, Sisses, Rethimno, N. Crete. 43mm.
8m deep, Punta di Spanu, Lumio. 53mm.
9m deep, Siracusa, SE. Sicilia.
Original picture provided by A. Brancato (IT).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
Atlantic specimen. 50cm deep, at low tide, under rocks, Cap des Pères, Akanda, north of Libreville, Gabon. 39,3mm.
Cypraea lurida in M. Lister: Historiae sive synopsis methodicae conchyliorum…, Oxford 1770, 671-17 (left), and (right) in E. J. Burrow: Conchiologia Linneana, Milano 1836, plate XIV.
 
« Conchiglia alcun poco turbinata, ma lurida o di tristo colore, e leggermente fasciata; le estremità ne riescono quasi del colore di terra gialla, con sopravi due macchie nere. » – E.J.B.
A specimen among coralline algae.
Original picture provided by J. Regàs (ES).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
The species, pictured on a stamp of Malta Post.
Saména Cove, south of Marseille, Provence, S. France.
Original picture provided by S. Le Bris for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
Same spot.
Original picture provided by S. Le Bris for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
Detail of the mantle.
Northern coast of Maïre Island, near Cap Croisette, south of Marseille, Provence, S. France. Original picture provided by S. Le Bris for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC).
Saména Cove.
Original picture provided by S. Le Bris for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
Enhancement of the microsculpture in a juvenile (h=2,1mm), « con doratura da SEM ». Original pictures provided by A. Nappo (IT) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
In a shelter at the foot of the western cliffs of Dramont promontory, Saint-Raphaël area, Var, Provence.
Original picture provided by S. Le Bris for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
A specimen with the mantle completely covering the shell. Shallow water, Ognina, Siracusa, E. Sicilia. Original picture provided by R. Rodolico and A. Brancato (IT).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
Detail of the mantle. Le Trou du Diable, at the foot of the Mugel cliffs, La Ciotat, Provence, S. France. Original picture provided by P. Corbrion for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC-SA).
The species in F. Ronconce’s collection:
Above and below: specimens from Trapani, W. Sicilia.
34mm, adult.
Subadult. 37mm.
Lampedusa, young specimen. 37mm.
Variant “minima” Dunker.
Cold waters, Savona, Liguria, NW. Italy. 23mm.
Taormina, Messina, NE. Sicily. 30mm.
Gargano, Puglia, S. Italy. 52mm.
Variant “ventricosa” Mollerat.
Mazara del Vallo, Sicilia. 33,5mm.
All the above pictures were provided by F. Roncone (IT).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –

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