Hi all
Can anybody help me what this exactly is? shell, clamp, sea slug.......?

For information the picture was taken at the dive site Black Rock, 23.02.2008 Myanmar / Andaman Sea.
Thanks a lot!

Matthias

MaLe - 03 March 2008 05:42 PM

Hi all
Can anybody help me what this exactly is? shell, clamp, sea slug.......?

For information the picture was taken at the dive site Black Rock, 23.02.2008 Myanmar / Andaman Sea.
Thanks a lot!

Matthias

Looks a lot like the flamingo thongs in Bonaire, it’s a sea slug that covers her shell with some sort of “skin”, wehen they are desturbed, they retract into their shell and the skin parts on top in the middle, if you look very closely at your picture, you will see a very fine line in the middle. All that is left at that point is a nearly white shell, with the slug inside! Tomorrow I will look up the “familyname” Greetings! Claudia

Thanks Claudia,
would be good if you can find out more! I tired to goolge it but.....

You should try http://www.fishbase.org/

It’s is the first time I see this and next to
the wowness-factor of being new it is also
a very beautiful picture.

Hi again, ‘t was a little late last night, but now i looked it up in the carribean guide.
I’ts deffinitely a snail, I think, Cyphoma, but don’t know wich one, the collor and print is the determination, it’s a gastropoda and subclass prosobranchia

Yours also is feeding on a gorgonia, whatever the print or color, they all attach to and feed on gorgonians in all types of habitats, and the mantle normaly is extended over the shell.
You might try to find it with this information and specify the name by the print of the mantle. Succes!!!

I’ll try to attach a picture of a flamingo tongue, (cyphoma gibbosum) you’ll see what i mean.
Greetings, Claudia

Hi Claudia, I know the flamingo tongue and were to find it (Caribbean).
I think what makes Matthias picture so special is the location were the
shot was taken. I have not seen that in Thailand, yet. If it is a relative
to the flamingo tongue it is really on remote holidays. 

hi mathias,

what you saw is a Crenavolva Tigris and, yes it is a snail. it belongs to the family of the Ovulidae. It occurs inbetween japan, east australia to indonesia and thailand. in the debelius snail and nudibranch book is even one fullpage shot of this crenavolva taken by mark strickland - taken in thailand.

congatulation for that shot,

serge

Serge,
thanks a lot for the identification. I “googled”, Crenavolva Tigris, and found “Tiger Egg Cowrie - Crenavolva tigris - Ovulidae - ca 2cm”

Thanks to my dive guide, otherwise I would have past by the tiny thing...... indeed a lucky shot on the first trip with my new camera. First I was not convinced about the depth of field, I that thinking I would have to use a greater F stop. Finally I think, if everything would be sharp then the picture might look flat. Even the little thing at the very front at the mid-bottom of the image would be sharp.

thanks to all,