Lambis lambis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common finger shell, 173.0mm

Lambis lambis (along with L. truncata) is by far the most abundant of the finger shells found in the Marshalls. This species is found most often along lagoon reefs all the way up into the intertidal. Most older specimens have heavily encrusted shells and broken or worn-away fingers. The specimen in the first two photos below is almost certainly a female; they tend to have longer upward curved fingers, while those of males tend to be short and straight. This species is widely distributed from the western Indian Ocean through the Marshalls.

An eye peeks out from under a notch near the anterior end of the shell.

This species deposits orange eggs in long tangled spaghetti-like masses under rocks and in algae.

A young specimen with a fragile, thin shell is covered with camouflaging algae.

Another juvenile also blends into the bottom very well unless it gets flipped over.

Female?

Male?

Created 1 October 2009
Updated 21 March 2020

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