Lyncina lynx

Lyncina lynx
	Five views of a shell of Lyncina lynx
	A dark shell of Lyncina lynx
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Lyncina
Species:	L. lynx
Binomial name
	Lyncina lynx; (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
	Cypraea globosa; Cypraea lynx, Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym); Cypraea vanelli (Linnaeus, 1758) ; Cypraea leucostoma Gmelin, 1791; Cypraea subflava Gmelin, 1791; Cypraea punctulata Gmelin, 1791; Cypraea squalina Gmelin, 1791; Cypraea cruentata Röding, 1798; Cypraea ferruginea Fischer, 1807; Cypraea caledonica Crosse, 1869;

Lyncina lynx, common name : the lynx cowry or eyed cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.^[1]

Description

Lyncina lynx is quite common. The shells of these cowries are very variabile in pattern and size. They reach on average 38–50 millimetres (1.5–2.0 in) of length, with a minimum size of 18 millimetres (0.71 in) and a maximum size of 90 millimetres (3.5 in). The dorsum surface of these smooth and shiny shells is generally pale brown, pale purple or grey, densely covered with small and large dark brown or purple dots. The large spots are extended to the edges. The base is white or pale brown. The aperture is long and narrow, with several white teeth and a bright reddish spacing. In the living cowries the mantle is transparent, with tree-shaped white sensorial papillae and may cover the entire shell.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Red Sea, in the Indian Ocean along South-East Africa (Aldabra, Chagos, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Réunion, the Seychelles, Zanzibar and Tanzania) and in the western Pacific Ocean (Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, western and northern Australia, Polynesia and Hawaii).

Habitat

These cowries live in tropical shallow water, subtidal and intertidal, usually under rocks or corals up to about 10 metres (33 ft)of depth. They start feeding at dusk, mainly on sponges.

Subspecies

Cypraea lynx var. williamsi Melvill, 1888
Cypraea (Luponia) lynx globosa Dautzenberg, 1902
Cypraea lynx var.michaelis Melvill, 1905
Cypraea lynx var. incrassata Dautzenberg, 1929
Lyncina lynx pacifica Steadman & Cotton, 1943
Cypraea (Lyncina) lynx var. javana Coen, 1949

References

^ ^a ^b Lyncina lynx. WoRMS (2009). Lyncina lynx. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216757 on 15 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

External links

Media related to Lyncina lynx at Wikimedia Commons
Biolib
"Lyncina lynx". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
Lyncina lynx
Clade
Photos of Lyncina lynx on Sealife Collection

This Cypraeidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[WoRMS-1] Lyncina lynx. WoRMS (2009). Lyncina lynx. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216757 on 15 October 2010 .

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