Lyncina lynx

{{Short description|Species of gastropod}} {{Speciesbox | image = Lyncina lynx 01.JPG | image_caption = Five views of a shell of ''Lyncina lynx'' | image2 = Lyncina lynx S2-22 46mm.jpg | image2_caption = ''Lyncina lynx'' S2-22 46mm | genus = Lyncina | species = lynx | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="WoRMS" /> | 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.<ref name="WoRMS">{{WRMS species|527793 |''Lyncina lynx'' |||WoRMS (2009). Lyncina lynx. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at <nowiki>http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216757</nowiki> on 15 October 2010}}</ref>

==Description== ''Lyncina lynx'' is quite common. The shells of these cowries are very variabile in pattern and size. They reach on average {{convert|38|-|50|mm}} of length, with a minimum size of {{convert|18|mm}} and a maximum size of {{convert|90|mm}}. 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. thumb|Shell of ''Lyncina lynx'' thumb|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 {{convert|10|m}}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== {{Reflist}} * 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== * {{Commons category-inline}} * [https://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id142865/ Biolib] * {{Gastropods.com|key=0|id=70|title=''Lyncina lynx''|access-date=16 January 2019}} * [http://www.underwaterkwaj.com/cowry/Lyncina-lynx.htm Lyncina lynx] * [http://clade.ansp.org/obis/search.php/34645 Clade] * {{sealifephotos|527793}} thumb|left|''Lyncina lynx (Linnaeus, 1758)'', museum specimens Naturalis, Leiden.

Category:Cypraeidae Category:Gastropods described in 1758 Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus