''Lyria sabaensis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Volutidae, the volutes.

Description

Lyria sabaensis is a remarkable species of marine gastropod mollusk within the

Volutidae, commonly referred to as volutes. This species possesses a number of distinctive attributes that contribute to its ecological niche and lifestyle:

Body Symmetry

Lyria sabaensis exhibits

dextral coiling The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some ...

, which means that the spiral shell of the snail typically winds to the right.

Cellularity

Like other organisms, Lyria sabaensis is

multicellular A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, in contrast to unicellular organism. All species of animals, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organisms are partially uni- ...

, with specialized cell types for various functions within its body.

Habitat

These sea snails are primarily found in marine benthic environments, which means they inhabit the seafloor, often at varying depths within the ocean. Their presence is particularly common in these substrate-rich regions.

Locomotion

Lyria sabaensis employs mucus-mediated gliding as its primary mode of movement. The snail secretes a mucous trail, which reduces friction and enables it to glide over the substrate efficiently.

Mineralized Skeleton

The shell of Lyria sabaensis, like many mollusks, contains calcium carbonate. This mineralized skeleton provides structural support and protection to the soft body of the snail.

Reproduction

Lyria sabaensis reproduces through

sexual reproduction Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete ( haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote tha ...

Trophic Guild

These sea snails are considered

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

. They feed on other marine organisms, often preying on smaller

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

or scavenging on decaying organic matter within their benthic habitat.

Visual System

Lyria sabaensis possesse s lens eyes. These eyes likely aid in detecting light and shadow variations, which can be valuable for navigation, identifying potential prey or predators, and maintaining spatial awareness in their complex marine environment.

Distribution

There are two subspecies of Lyria Sabaensis identified by Taxonomists * Lyria archeri * Lyria sabaensis Bail

References

* Bail, P., 1993. Le genre Lyria Grey, 1847 (Part II). Xenophora 64: 4-19

External links

MNHN, Paris: holotype of ''Lyria beauii sabaensis''
Volutidae Gastropods described in 1993 {{Volutidae-stub