The spawning and larval culture of cowrie (Family Cypraeidae) are both difficult and little known, in part due to the long planktonic period of most species. In this study, we describe the captive spawning behaviour and larval development of two tropical cowrie species, Cypraea tigris and Mauritia arabica. Both species brooded over their egg masses before hatching occurred and larvae were collected for culture under laboratory conditions. The brooding period for C. tigris was between 7 and 17 days, and freshly hatched veligers were approximately 200–240 µm in size. Cypraea tigris larvae were reared for up to 37 days in culture but did not achieve successful settlement. The brooding period for M. arabica was between 7 and 10 days, and hatched veligers were approximately 160–205 µm in size. The first settled juvenile M. arabica was observed at 70 days post-hatch. Our findings from this study represent the first comprehensive documentation of successful metamorphosis of Cypraeidae larvae, particularly M. arabica, into early-stage juvenile.

Spawning and brooding behaviour of cowries observed in flow-through aquarium setup. Upon hatching, larvae were collected for culture under laboratory conditions.

Data on spawning dates, incubation period and hatching dates were collected.

Egg masses were measured, a sample of capsules were collected for measurements (n=5) and for counting of larvae in each capsule (n=3). Total number of larvae harvested were also recorded.