New Bathyacmaea
New Bathyacmaea avatar

By , on March 16th, 2010 Leave a comment   Biodiversity, New Species, Seeps, Vent, & Whale Falls   , , , , ,  

This is a new species of Bathyacmaea (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Patellogastropoda, Acmaeidae) currently under description by a japanese colleague. I have found hundreds of these individuals in my quantitative collections of chemoautotrophic communities at the Lau Basin hydrothermal vent fields. They reminded me of the Patella limpet I learned about in my undergrad inverts class. Photos . . . → Read More: New Bathyacmaea

New Bathyacmaea avatar

A Nudi on David’s Wood
A Nudi on David’s Wood avatar

By , on October 1st, 2009 2 comments   Critters   , , , , ,  

David is a graduate student in my lab. He wants to know what types of animals colonize wood and whale bones in the deep sea and if we can find similar critters in shallow waters using the same substrates. He brought in some wood slabs he hung off the docks the other day and, naturally, . . . → Read More: A Nudi on David’s Wood

A Nudi on David’s Wood avatar

On How Mollusks are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 3: The Radula
On How Mollusks are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 3: The Radula avatar

By , on March 21st, 2008 One comment   Adaptations, Invertebrate Wars   , , , , , , ,  

In general, among Mollusks, the mouth opens into a buccal cavity. In most classes of Mollusks, the buccal cavity contains a tongue called the odontophore. The odontophore possess multiple rows of teeth called radula that chitonous and flexible. Among Mollusks the number of teeth can range from a few to over 100,000. The size, . . . → Read More: On How Mollusks are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 3: The Radula

On How Mollusks are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 3: The Radula avatar

From The Desk of Zelnio: Alviniconcha hessleri
From The Desk of Zelnio: Alviniconcha hessleri avatar

By , on March 28th, 2007 6 comments   Adaptations   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Alviniconcha hessleri (Mollusca: Mesogastropoda: Provannidae) When you think of hydrothermal vents, what comes to mind first? Is it the gushing black smoke out of a chimney? Perhaps you envision the enormous tubeworms with their red velvety plumes sticking out of their white tubes. Some may even be familiar with the dense swarms of blind . . . → Read More: From The Desk of Zelnio: Alviniconcha hessleri

From The Desk of Zelnio: Alviniconcha hessleri avatar