Lyncina leviathan

Lyncina leviathan is a species of tropical sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]

Lyncina leviathan
A shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan from Hawaii, anterior end towards the left
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Cypraeoidea
Family:
Cypraeidae
Genus:
Lyncina
Species:
L. leviathan
Binomial name
Lyncina leviathan
Schilder & Schilder, 1937
Synonyms[1]
  • Cypraea leviathan (Schilder & Schilder, 1937)

Description

The shells of these cowries reach on average 60 millimetres (2.4 in) of length, with a minimum size of 22 millimetres (0.87 in) and a maximum size of 98 millimetres (3.9 in). The dorsum surface of these elongated, smooth and shiny shells is pink-salmon, crossed by darker bands. The base is whitish or pale pinkish or pale brown, with a long and wide aperture with several teeth. In the living cowries the mantle is brownish, almost transparent and well developed, with external antennae and several sensorial tree-shaped papillae. This species is superficially similar to Lyncina carneola.

A shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan from Hawaii, lateral view, anterior end towards the left
A shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan from Hawaii, dorsal view, anterior end towards the left
Apertural view of a shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan

Distribution

Lyncina leviathan is common throughout the tropical Indian (East Africa, Red Sea) and the central Pacific Oceans, in the sea along Thailand, Australia, Polynesia and Hawaii.

Habitat

They inhabit rocky intertidal areas and caves in very shallow water, but they can reach up to 40 metres (130 ft) of depth.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are known:

  • Lyncina leviathan leviathan Schilder & Schilder, 1937- leviathan cowry, endemic to Hawaii
  • Lyncina leviathan bouteti Burgess & Arnette, 1981- Boutet's leviathan cowry, found throughout Polynesia
  • Lyncina leviathan titan Schilder & Schilder, 1962- titanic cowry, found throughout the Indian and central Pacific Oceans

References
  1. WoRMS : Lyncina leviathan; accessed : 17 October 2010
  • Lorenz F. & Hubert A. (2000) A guide to worldwide cowries. Edition 2. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 584 pp
  • Burgess, C.M. (1970). The Living Cowries. AS Barnes and Co, Ltd. Cranbury, New Jersey

Bibliography


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