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Margovula bimaculata
They feed on soft coral and gorgonians, and grow to about 2.5cm in length. This species belongs to the family Ovulidae (the ovulids), or false cowries.
Found on coral and rocky reefs. Widespread in the Indo-Pacific region.
Spotted this tiny mollusk at a depth of about 25m at a dive site off northeastern coast of Samal Island. It measured less than 1cm. The 2nd picture shows the cowry shell; the other photos show its mantle extended and also its "foot". (The video is of another individual, spotted at a different time.)
Spotted on May 6, 2012
Submitted on May 20, 2012
17 Comments
Updated this spotting with a video!
Sorry you all ready have it Bloge :)
Banded Egg Cowry / Diminovula bimaculata maybe
http://www.daveharasti.com/nelsonbay/sea...
I found another one: http://animalpicturesarchive.com/view.ph...
Appreciate it, Jolly! :)
Ok. If I'll find anything, I'll let you know.
Yeah, that's the site where I saw the species name. However, there seems to be a disagreement among references regarding the scientific name. Yeah, I'll check if Shauming can help (although last time we discussed cowries, he didn't seem to be very keen). Thanks again!
Hi blogie, I guess you already have a positive ID for this specie. I could not find anything more definite. Try here: http://www.daveharasti.com/nelsonbay/sea... and you can also try to consult shauminglo on this.
Found very similar-looking cowries on the Web, and the species name attached to them is Diminovula margarita. Can't find this scientific name in the usual references, though...
Awesome! Thank you for the info! :-D
Hi Brandon. Those spiny protrusions are part of the animal's mantle. Some cowries have bristle-like protrusions and others have just a smooth mantle. :)
What a neat organism! I wouldn't want to be a soft fleshy coral with this guy around! Are those spiny protrusions a standard shell feature for these guys or is there something else behind them?
Yes, the photos are in correct order. The 1st picture is the very 1st one I took. Then I inadvertently caused the critter to retract because my camera's port disturbed it, and it fell off the soft coral. The 2nd photo shows the shell after I put it back on the coral. After a little while, it started to come out of its shell again, and that's shown in the 3rd & 4th pictures. :)
3rd and 4th shots are cool... are they in correct series..?
Thanks very much, Gerardo & Ashish!
Amazing Organism...Great efforts..!!
Grate series as always Blogie!