| Lyncina aurantium | |
|---|---|
| A lateral view of a shell of Lyncina aurantium, anterior end towards the left | |
| Dorsal view of a shell of Lyncina aurantium, anterior end to the right | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Cypraeoidea |
| Family: | Cypraeidae |
| Genus: | Lyncina |
| Species: | L. aurantium |
| Binomial name | |
| Lyncina aurantium Gmelin, 1791 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Cypraea aurantium |
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Lyncina aurantium, common name the golden cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.[1]
Contents |
This is an uncommon-to-rare species which is found in the tropical waters of the west-central to south-central Pacific Ocean.
This animal is usually found on the ocean side of islands, on the reef, at depths of 30 to 100+ feet. It normally hides in the coral during daylight and comes out to feed at night.
This is a large cowry (80 to 100 mm long). It is orange on the dorsum, with white to cream colored margins.
These rare shells are prized by collectors. In the past, they were worn by Fijian chiefs as a symbol of rank or privilege.