Ovula ovum from Indonesia
May 22, 2007
From: Carrie Lo
Dear Bill,
Not sure if these are sea slugs. The first 2 pictures are taken at 6:30am on 27 April 2007 in Derawan at 15m water. In the second picture there is an opening in the middle of the black skin, underneath is something white and hard. Would these be Pleurobranchus forskalii?
Locality: Derawan, 15m, Indonesia, 27 April 2007. Length: 5 inches. Photographer: Carrie Lo.
The third picture showed 2 similar pieces found n a coral in Mabul, Sipadan, [Sabah, Malaysia] at 7:30 pm on 14 June 2006 at 10 m water.
Best regards,
Carrie
carrielohc@yahoo.com.hk
Lo, C., 2007 (May 22) Ovula ovum from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19910
Dear Carrie,
The hard white bit is the clue to this animal's identity. It is the top of a large hard egg-shaped white shell which gives this 'false-cowry' its name Ovula ovum both words referring to an egg. Have a look at the Ovulid Fact Sheet for more information. They feed on large leathery soft coral colonies, and you can see the animals in the bottom photo are nestled in such a soft-coral colony. In the uppermost photo the colony seems to have been completely eaten except for a few fragments in the lower left corner.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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