Listers,

Just back from Belize and the question of the week is: how common is it for adult Strombus gigas to have yellow apertures?

There I was, snorkeling in no more than a foot of water in Thalassia grass. In front of me was a S. gigas with the aperture facing open to me, its inner lip the usual rich pink and its outer lip BLAZING yellow. And lined up through the center of the aperture were three live Chicoreus pomum.

Looking more closely, I could see the Strombus' operculum barely visible inside, so this was a live one. I couldn't see what the C. pomum were doing and didn't want to disturb their activity. The Strombus' outer lip was thin and there was a small tear at one corner of it.

I decided on leaving this specimen. I saw juveniles (without flared lips) with distinctly yellow interior color on the outer lip side.

The next day I returned to see if I could bring the yellow gigas back to the dock to get a digital image but...I couldn't find it. I assume if the C. pomum were attacking it, the process of devouring it would take more than a day and they would leave the shell in any case.

I see Jim Miller's got a nice image of a Bahamian specimen at http://www.jaxshells.org/yellowj.htm.

David Kirsh





"When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal." - Richard Milhous Nixon

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------