Lyncina 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

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

• 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