Lira (mollusc)

{{Short description|Sculptural feature of the outside of the shells of various animals}} {{Multiple issues| {{dictionary|date=February 2015}} {{one source|date=March 2026}} }} '''Lirae''' (singular lira) are a sculptural feature of the outside of the shells of various molluscs. An organism bearing lirae is "lirate". The feature was described by Leslie Reginald Cox in 1960 as a "fine linear elevation on shell surface or within outer lip" of gastropod shells.<ref>Cox, L. R. (1960). Part I, Mollusca 1, ch. 2, p. 184-169. ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology''.</ref> The term is also commonly applied to the shells of bivalves, nautiloids and brachiopods.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for use of the term with other mollusc taxa|date=September 2025}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Bivalve anatomy}} {{Cephalopod anatomy}} {{Gastropod anatomy}} {{Portal bar|Animals}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lira (Mollusc)}} Category:Mollusc shells

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