Trying to post pics again for ID help

[MarkLF]

hopefully this works!

C:\Users\Mark\Pictures\My Pictures\My Pictures\My Cowries\maculifera 57.1mm.JPG

C:\Users\Mark\Pictures\My Pictures\My Pictures\My Cowries\maculifera 57.1mm~1.JPG

C:\Users\Mark\Pictures\My Pictures\My Pictures\My Cowries\maculifera 57.1mm~3.JPG

[MarkLF]

Another try:
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<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii287/mark_photo_2008/maculifera571mm3.jpg">http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii28 ... 571mm3.jpg</a><!-- m -->

[paul monfils]

OK, looks good.  Yes, Cypraea (Mauritia) maculifera

[MarkLF]

Thanks again Paul.
Now to make sure I have the nomencleture straight its: Family; Cypraeidea, Genus; Cypraea, Subgenus; (Mauritia), and Species; maculifera. correct?
This is sometimes confussing to me, Ive seen shells for sale that look like this: for instance:

  CYPRAEIDAE                  ARABICA IMMANIS RUDIMACULOSA MAURITIA

All capital letters and no parentheses???  I know there can sometimes be subspecies also.       

[paul monfils]

Cypraeidae - last 2 letters ae, not ea (I assume this was just a typo.)  All family names end in "idae".  The nomenclature as I listed it for maculifera is the "traditional" form, but today the huge genus Cypraea has actually been divided into a number of different genera, Mauritia being one of them.  So Mauritia maculifera is actually the correct name.  But because a lot of collectors are not familiar with all the current genera, dealers often list them all as Cypraea, with the current genus in parentheses - not technically correct, but makes it a lot easier for customers to look for a particular species on a dealer's list.  Sometimes unnecessary and arbitrary divisions of families and genera are made, but this was really necessary, given the large number of species in Cypraeidae and the great diversity among them.  For example, it really doesn't make any sense to have the species tigris and felina in the same genus.  They differ from each other on just about any characteristic you can name.  Family and genus names are capitalized, specific names and subspecific names are not (even if they are named after a person or a geographic locality).

The listing in all caps that you provided is wrong on several different levels.  If all those taxa are to be included, it should read Cypraeidae:  Mauritia arabica immanis, form rudimaculosa.  genus = Mauritia; species = arabica; subspecies = immanis; form = rudimaculosa.  "Form" actually has no official taxonomic status.  Many "forms" have been described for various species, to indicate variations in color, pattern, shape, size or other criteria, from the "typical" form of the species (in this case just a specimen that has reddish spotting, but is otherwise identical to any other Mauritia arabica immanis).

[MarkLF]

[paul monfils]

This appears to be Mauritia eglantina, based on the rather elongate shape and delicate pattern.  In mature eglantina there is often a dark blotch on the posterior end, right by the spire.  M. arabica don't have that marking.  But neither do subadult eglantina.  I can't tell if this specimen has a spire blotch because of the angle of view.  If you wish to post more images, I suggest starting a new thread, so this one doesn't get too long.

[MarkLF]

OK, thanks Paul. I will post links to photo's like the first post to save space