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GALLERY



 
Philine
pittmani Gonzales & Gosliner, 2014
 
Philine pittmani
Maximum size:  13.5 mm.

Identification:  This is a slender species that has a translucent cream body flecked with white. The shell has a broad aperture that "flares" apically and lacks spiral striae. The gizzard plates are massive with the largest equaling the shell in length.

Natural history:  Philine pittmani is a moderately rare burrowing species found along the edges of sand basins and in Halimeda kanaloana beds at depths of  9-15 m (30-49 ft). It lays a lozenge-shaped to spherical, white egg mass containing a tangled egg string. The mass has a sticky surface and acquires a coating of strongly adherent sand. Hatching occurs in 5-6 days in the laboratory.

Distribution:  Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Midway: possibly widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific.

Taxonomic notes:  Live animals were first recorded in Hawaii from Black Rock, Maui by CP on Oct. 17, 1995. Shells were found by CP in sand samples from Midway Atoll provided by PF in 1993.

Photo:  CP: Makena Landing, Maui; Aug. 12, 2002.

Observations and comments:

Note 1:  ( )
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