Zonaria picta
species of mollusc
Zonaria picta, common name the painted cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 17 mm and 38 mm.
(Original description) The ovate oblong shell is whitish, with three obscure brown bands, and the back ornamented with numerous pale, bright brown specks, and scattered large spots. The spire is concave and covered. The base is rather convex and is purplish white. The margin is livid purple, ornamented with a few scattered large round purple brown spots, thickened, rounded, slightly extended at the extremities, which are violet brown on the upper part. The aperture is rather wide and is purplish white. The teeth of the inner lip are small, close, except the four anterior ones, which are larger and more distant. The teeth of the outer lip are larger, rather distant and blunt. The columella is rather convex and smooth.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Zonaria picta” is species of mollusc. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Zonaria, picta and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of mollusc” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6783472. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zonaria picta”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zonaria picta primary sources, Zonaria picta archive and Zonaria research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Zonaria picta” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.