Hi Shelley,

I can't really answer your question, but I can comment on it.  I have
never dealt with Punctacteon eloiseae specifically, but I have collected
some of Eloise's cousins, Pupa sulcata, Pupa solidula, Pupa nitidula,
and some of the less primitive bubbles in the superfamily Acteonoidea.

Some of the Bullina and Hydatina species have a shell that is either
too small for the entire retracted animal, or almost too small.  These
are the only ones that I've seen regurgitate their meals when attempting
to retract into their shells.  I usually see this when I drop a live
specimen
in ethanol to preserve it, though not all of them react this way.  This
behavior may explain why it's been difficult for researchers to study the
stomach contents of animals in these families.

My guess is that the thick-shelled Acteon and Pupa species are less
likely to empty their stomachs while retracting, since they are capable
of retracting completely into their shells without having to scrounge
for every possible picoliter of space.

You can get some good information on the Acteonidae and related
familes from the Sea Slug Forum.  The URL is:

http://207.254.123.101/species.htm

Cheers,



Don
Pago Pago, American Samoa

----- Original Message -----
From: "Shelley Hanson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 4:54 PM
Subject: Re: Shell related articles in "Aramco World"


> I just joined CONCH-L yesterday, and recieved this message from you today.
I
> have studied shells and mollusks all my life through books, not direct
> observation. Your message was perfectly timed because my question concerns
a
> mollusk from Oman. I am interested in finding out the connection of the
> Eloise Acteon to the Bubble family.  Do you know if they behave in the
same
> way?  By that, I mean that I read that Bubbles will expel the contents of
> their stomachs before withdrawing into their shells.  Do Acteons do the
same
> thing?  Does anyone know why they do this?
>
> I would appreciate any information you have on this subject.  I understand
we
> are supposed to include a brief background on ourselves.  Is there a
special
> form for this?  I honestly don't know if I am writing to everyone right
now,
> or just to the author of this message.
>
> Thank you for your guidance,
> Shelley Hanson
> E-mail:[log in to unmask]
>