The captivating dark black colouration on the shell’s humped dorsum. usually coupled with a golden window, characterise the “Rossell’s Cowrie” and easily set it apart from other species of the Australian endemic cypraeid genus Zoila. Ranging from the Quobba area to Esperance in Western Australia, it is an uncommon to rare species living on sponges (usually purple sponges) on silty to sandy bottoms around -15~180m deep. Like other Zoila species, it is a carnivorous grazer that feeds on the spnoge it lives on. Currently, four subspecies are recognised. Averaging around 50mm in shell length and reaching 65mm, the nominal subspecies ranges between Bernier Island and Cape Leeuwin, and typically exhibit moderately rostrate, sharp extremeties couple with uniformly dark base and dorsum with a white or golden window. An interesting form of the nominal subspecies, Z. rosselli f. flamenco (shown), is restricted to the Abrolhos Islands and was named for its strongly flaring margins that resembles a flamenco dancer’s dress. The subspecies Z. r. edingeri Raybaudi, 1990 (average 50mm, to just over 60mm) is restricted to the Quobba area, and typified by a more stout shell with black dorsum often lacking in bright window, combined with a orange-brown base (but black when fresh) with two lighter coloured regions either side of the aperture. Zoila r. latistoma Lorenz, 2002 is a southern subspecies occurring between Albany and Esperance, characterised by a larger shell (average 55mm, reaching 75mm) with clearly spotted base and large, irregular dorsal window. Lastly, Z. r. raywalkeri Lorenz, 2013 is a relatively recently discovered deep water subspecies occuring around -100~130m deep between Cape Leeuwin and Albany, characterised by less humped, more calloused, smaller shell (average size 45mm, reaching 55mm) with reduced margin flaring and some spots on the strongly convex base. The dorsum also carry a very large golden window often mottled with black spots. Golden (rufinistic) shells of this species are extremely beautiful and famous, especially those of Z. r. edingeri whose holotype was such a golden specimen, leading to the typical black specimens later to be given a separate name Z. r. satiata Lorenz, 2002 which is now synonymised. Only very few golden Z. r. edingeri specimens were ever found, and these are perhaps the most sought after cowries of all by collectors. The holotype of Z. r. raywalkeri is also a golden shell, and it seems that this deep water population has relatively more individuals exhibiting this characteristic. This agrees well with other Zoila species, for which lighter coloured varieties also tend to occur more frequently in deeper waters. The nominal subspecies was named after Harold Rossell of Fremantle, the collector who found the first specimens, Z. r. edingeri was named in honour of the diver and collector Andrew Edinger, ‘latistoma’ means wide-mouthed, and Z. r. raywalkeri was named for the collector and shell dealer Ray Walker. – adapted from Chong Chen’s post