Lyncina lynx

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]

Lyncina lynx
Five views of a shell of Lyncina lynx
Lyncina lynx S2-22 46mm
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Lyncina
Species:	L. lynx
Binomial name
Lyncina lynx (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
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

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.

Shell of Lyncina lynx

Three shells of Lyncina lynx

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