These patterns, combined with minor variations in shell form, have led some conchologists to recognize 60 genera and hundreds of species and subspecies.

In virtually all of the species in the family Cypraeidae, the shells are extremely smooth and shiny.

The Cypraeidae constitute one of the most widely distributed groups of gastropods in tropical and subtropical seas.

The cowries are one of the most abundant and diversified groups of shells to be found on reefs and rocky intertidal flats and sandy substrates in the island area.

[3] For nearly 200 years, every species in the family Cypraeidae was placed in one genus, Cypraea, but in 2002 [4] the cowries were divided into many different genera.