Thursday, April 25, 2013

Hermissenda crassicornis, round 2


Species: Hermissenda crassicornis
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Opisthobranchia

Just a quick update on our little Hermissenda friends:

We are now 7 days into the veliger stage, and unfortunately a good chunk of our population has died  (likely due to overcrowding). The good news is that those that are left are going strong, and should begin to metamorphose in 27-51 days. When I have the opportunity to go collecting, I will introduce some thecate hydroids to their bowl in an attempt to induce earlier metamorphosis.

In the mean time, here are some of our remaining veligers having fun. See if you can find the eye spots behind the velum (the ciliated, figure-eight-shaped foot protruding from the shell):


- Andrew Miller

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