Milk spot cowry (species: Lyncina vitellus) in taxonomy (Gaia Guide)
Animalia > Bilateria > Protostomia > Lophozoa > Mollusca > Gastropoda > Caenogastropoda > Littorinimorpha > Cypraeoidea > Cypraeidae > Lyncina > Lyncina vitellus (gallery)
Lyncina vitellus
Milk spot cowry


©Barbara Banks: Lyncina vitellus on rubble ESE of Loomis Reef, Lizard Island

©Barbara Banks: Lyncina vitellus ESE of Loomis Lizard Island

©Lyle Vail: Lyncina vitellus about 4 cm long on the reef flat at Coconut beach, Lizard Island.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Littorinimorpha
Family Cypraeidae
Genus Lyncina
Species Lyncina vitellus
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Colours

              

Distinguishing features

The shape is usually pear-shaped, the dorsum surface is smooth and shiny and may be pale or dark brown, with several small white spots. The margins and the extremities are clearer, while the base is generally white, with a wide sinuous aperture and long labial teeth. The margins show also numerous thin vertical whitish lines. The juvenile forms have two-three clearer trasversal bands on the shell dorsum. In the living cowries the mantle is grey-brown and almost transparent, with long whitish tree-shaped papillae. Mantle and foot are very well developed, usually with external antennae.

Size

  • Up to 10 cm (Length of specimen)

Synonyms

Web resources

References

  • Robertson, R. (1981). List of shell-bearing mollusks observed and collected at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Tryonia, 4: 1-32. LIRS catalog number 403.