>I thought of Calliostoma as living on rocks on ocean-side environments. But
>I found a beached C. euglyptum on the sound-side of Atlantic Beach, NC. What
>are their habitats?
>
>David Kirsh
>Durham, NC

They live in many habitats, including mud at upper bathyal depths
(say 600m+ for C. alertae). I have seem ROV images of C. foveauxanum
on dewatering chimneys at 300m; the chimneys stick out of the sandy
mud bottom. C. selectum lives on sandy bottoms midshelf. C.
punctulatum and its near-identical sympatric
C. granti live on intertidal rocks among mussels as well as on soft
midshelf sediments.

I believe they are sponge-eaters. So where there are sponges, there
too should be Calliostoma.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
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