Lyncina schilderorum is extremely rare in the Marshalls. Fewer than half a dozen specimens have been observed at Kwajalein, with one more at the atoll of Enewetak. The few specimens found were primarily on the leeward seaward reef. A living animal was observed at night on the reef flat above the reef slope at a depth of about 7m near the northwest tip of Kwajalein. One specimen was found in one of the reef quarries at a depth of about 2m. The shell is superficially similar to the Lyncina carneola complex (including L. leviathan) and to L. ventriculus. Lyncina schilderorum differs from the L. carneola complex by its white base and fine teeth, which are white and not stained with purple. It differs from L. ventriculus in the more brown color of the shell’s sides; in L. ventriculus, the sides are more gray. The suffix “orum” on the end of a scientific name means more than one person, so this species is named after more than one person named Schilder: Franz and Maria Schilder, a pair of prolific German cowry biologists in the early through mid 20th century. This species is known from the Pacific, primarily Polynesia, Micronesia, and parts of Melanesia. There are also reports from Okinawa. Unfortunately, we did not get live animal photos of any of the Marshall Islands specimens, so the first two pictures below were taken in Hawaii.
Updated 24 February 2020