Lyncina leviathan is a species of tropical sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.WoRMS : Lyncina leviathan; accessed : 17 October 2010
Description The shells of these cowries reach on average of length, with a minimum size of and a maximum size of . 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.
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 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
Bibliography Cowrie Genetic Database Project
External links
Biolib On-line articles with Cypraea leviathan in the HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS (1960-1994) Hawaiian shell Clade Underwater