Lyncina leviathan
| Lyncina leviathan | |
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| A shell of Lyncina leviathan leviathan from Hawaii, anterior end towards the left | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Cypraeidae |
| Genus: | Lyncina |
| Species: | L. leviathan
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| Binomial name | |
| Lyncina leviathan Schilder & Schilder, 1937
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Lyncina leviathan is a species of tropical sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]
Description[edit]
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.
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Distribution[edit]
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[edit]
They inhabit rocky intertidal areas and caves in very shallow water, but they can reach up to 40 metres (130 ft) of depth.
Subspecies[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ 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[edit]
External links[edit]
- Biolib
- On-line articles with Cypraea leviathan in the HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS (1960-1994) Hawaiian shell
- Clade
- Underwater
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