A team of researchers in Singapore have bred and reared the Tiger cowrie, Cypraea tigris. Previous studies have spawned the species and had limited success with the larvae, but marine biologists from the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) at the National University of Singapore have managed to rear eight specimens into adulthood.
Tiger cowries can be found across the Indo-Pacific but have been deemed locally endangered in Singapore due to habitat loss and overharvesting for its shell in the curio trade. They are also collected live for the aquarium trade.
The study’s lead author Teresa Tay told the Straits Times that the team failed 25 times over a 10-month period before their success.
“From the first batch of tiger cowrie larvae, it took a year to successfully obtain juveniles (from the 26th batch), and then another year for the juveniles to reach adulthood and become capable of reproduction,” she said.
Aquaculture challenges include metamorphosis, finding the right diet, parasites, and mortality from algae growth on their shells. On the 26th breeding attempt, just eight were raised from 360, but this was still a huge success. “Often, the algae would engulf the shell, leading to poor development and eventually mortality.” She added.
Remedies included better mechanical filtration and the use of antibiotics, which drastically reduced algae buildup on the mollusk shells. The study seeks to develop farming methods so that the production of cowries can be scaled up for research, conservation, and the aquarium trade.
Dr Jani Tanzil, senior research fellow at TMSI and facility director at St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory, told The Straits Times: “Cowries sold in the aquarium trade can come from sustainable, cultured sources now.”
“Of course, there might be cost implications – the cost for captive-bred cowries will most likely be higher than for wild-caught stocks.”
Singapore livestock exporter Sunbeam Aquarium said that they stopped selling wild-collected Tiger Cowries two years ago, but can market captive-bred for a higher price.
With huge advances in captive-bred saltwater aquarium fish and corals, there has been a gap in the potential production of another key reef aquarium component – Clean Up Crew. Captive breeding success with shrimp, urchins, and now cowries will go a long way toward a more sustainable future for ornamental marine invertebrates in the aquarium trade.
The results of the study were published in the journal Molluscan Research. To access the full paper go to:
Tay, T. S., Tong, K. E. K., Sun, Y., & Neo, M. L. (2024). First success in captive breeding of the Tiger Cowrie, Cypraea tigris (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae), with notes on its early life development. Molluscan Research, 44(3), 256–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2024.2369352
Main Image credit Philippe Bourjon, CC BY-SA 3.0
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