Aegires ortizi for the Forum
July 13, 2005
From: Colin Redfern
Dear Bill,
Here are a couple of examples of Aegires ortizi from Abaco, Bahamas to add to your recent treatment of this genus on the Forum.
This is not an uncommon species in Abaco, usually occurring on Cladophora but sometimes found on other algae. As mentioned in Bahamian Seashells, 23 specimens crawled out of a small sample of unattached (balled) Cladophora on one occasion.
One photo shows an example of the lighter color form, and on these animals there is sometimes only a hint of brown color on the rhinophores. Darker animals can have a ring of brown dots on each rhinophore or, as shown in the second photo, an almost solid ring of color. I've included a ventral view of this specimen.
Upper right: [darker specimen] 5.5mm. On Cladophora, intertidal on a seawall at Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. 18 June 1997. Lower left: Ventral view of darker specimen. Lower right: [light colour form]. 5mm. On attached Sargassum in 1m at Scotland Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. 29 June 1996.
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Redfern, C. (2001) Bahamian Seashells: a Thousand Species from Abaco, Bahamas. BahamianSeashells.com, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida. 280 pages.
Best wishes,
Colin
bahamianseashells@att.net
Thanks Colin,
It's nice to be able to add another of these rarely photographed animals to the Forum. It also helps to define the species, which was based on a single specimen. Apart from showing colour variation your photos also show considerable variability in the shape of the tubercles. Templado et al described them as 'more or less conical' but your photos - see close-up alongside - show that the shape can range from conical to mushroom shaped, with a flattened top, in a single individual, suggesting that the tubercles can change shape as described for other species of Aegires [message #14229 ]. In the paler animal spicules are visible projecting from the tip of some tubercles.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
