David Kirsh wrote:

> Just came back from 3 days on Grand Bahama. When I poked sea hares, they
> squirted purple ink.
>
> What is the function of the ink? Is it a noxious substance? Is it to
> camouflage? Is it to startle?
>
> Another burning weekend question: I checked all the gorgonians I could, but
> only  found one flamingo's tongue, Cyphoma gibbosum. (I put it back, since I
> already have one). I have yet to find a single C. macgintyi or signatum or
> even Simnia acicularis. Are these staying on particular anthozoans or are
> they not very selective? Are there websites that depict some of these
> colonial creatures?   Cyphomas are really interesting creatures....they aren't
> necessarily always on the gorgonians....often at the bottom or just wondering
> out and around.  We find both gibbosum and signatum in the Abacos.
>
> Here's another question: what makes Chicoreus florifer dilectus the
> subspecies of C. florifer and not the other way around?   They are SO much
> alike.  American Seashells shows them as different....dilectus being from
> Florida and usually smaller  and Chicoreus florifer from the Bahamas and much
> larger.



>
>
> David Kirsh
> Durham, NC