Fauna
Invertebrate

Dwarf Tiger Lucine

Ctena orbiculata

Also known as Little White Lucine, Rounded Lucina

Dwarf tiger lucines bury themselves beneath shallow tropical sand flats and lush seagrass meadows, relying on specialized gills that house sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. By drawing sulfide from buried organic sediments and combining it with dissolved oxygen from the water column, they produce their own sustenance through chemosymbiosis. Their finely cancellate, rounded white valves often wash ashore along sheltered beaches, marking vibrant sublittoral ecosystems.

MarineBivalveSeagrass Dweller
Dwarf Tiger Lucine reference
(c) Jacob Weston, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jacob Weston · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyChemosynthetic bacteria, Bacterioplankton, Phytoplankton
Predators
  • Moon snails
  • Blue crabs
  • Bottom-feeding rays
ThreatsSeagrass habitat loss, coastal dredging, siltation
HabitatsSeagrass beds, sandy reef flats, coastal lagoons
Life span2–5 years
Classification
  1. FamilyLucinidae
  2. SpeciesCtena orbiculata
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Beachcombing: Look for small, circular, chalky-white shells with crisscross ridges along high-tide drift lines.
  • Seagrass Etiquette: Avoid disturbing root networks when exploring shallow flats where living bivalves burrow.
Related species
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