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Flamingo Tongue Snail
The flamingo tongue snail (''Cyphoma gibbosum'') is a species of small but brightly colored sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the cowry allies. Distribution This is the most common of several species in the genus ''Cyphoma'', which lives in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to northern coast of Brazil, including off Bermuda, in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and off the Lesser Antilles . Three species of ''Cyphoma'', known as ''Cyphoma gibbosum'', ''Cyphoma signatum'' and ''Cyphoma mcgintyi'' have been found to be genetically similar even though their phenotypes suggest otherwise. The species of ''Cyphoma signatum'' and ''Cyphoma mcgintyi'' can be distinguished from their different patterns; whether having a fingertip pattern or brown dots. However, if these two species were being distinguished based on their morphological features, it would be difficult to differentiate them. The genotype of these sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soft Coral
Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different from "true" corals (Scleractinia). These can be found in suborders Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, and Stolonifera. They are sessile colonial cnidarians that are found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the deep sea, polar waters, tropics and subtropics. Common names for subsets of this order are sea fans and sea whips; others are similar to the sea pens of related order Pennatulacea. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Others may be whiplike, bushy, or even encrusting. A colony can be several feet high and across, but only a few inches thick. They may be brightly coloured, often purple, red, or yellow. Photosynthetic gorgonians can be successfully kept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
