About Lyncina leviathan (M.Schilder & F.A.Schilder, 1937)
Lyncina leviathan is a species of cowry first described by M. Schilder and F. A. Schilder in 1937. The shells of this cowry grow to an average length of 60 millimetres (2.4 inches), with a recorded minimum size of 22 millimetres (0.87 inches) and maximum size of 98 millimetres (3.9 inches). The shells are elongated, with a smooth, shiny dorsum surface that is pink-salmon in color and crossed by darker bands. The base of the shell is whitish, pale pinkish, or pale brown, and features a long, wide aperture with several teeth. Living individuals of this species have a well-developed, brownish, almost transparent mantle that bears external antennae and multiple sensory tree-shaped papillae. This species looks superficially similar to Lyncina carneola. Lyncina leviathan is common across the tropical Indian Ocean, including regions off East Africa and the Red Sea, and the central Pacific Ocean, where it occurs in waters along Thailand, Australia, Polynesia, and Hawaii. It lives in rocky intertidal areas and caves in very shallow water, and can also be found at depths down to 40 metres (130 feet).
