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Lyncina leviathan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyncina leviathan
A shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan from Hawaii, anterior end towards the left
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Lyncina
Species:
L. leviathan
Binomial name
Lyncina leviathan
Schilder & Schilder, 1937
Synonyms[1]
  • Cypraea leviathan (Schilder & Schilder, 1937)

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

Description

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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

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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

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

Subspecies

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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

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  1. ^ a b 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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