Scotch bonnet - Phalium granulatum (Von Born, 1778) - Cyprus

Family:Cassidae

 Is a medium-sized to large species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Cassinae, the helmet shells and bonnet shells. The common name "Scotch bonnet" alludes to the general outline and color of the shell, which vaguely resemble a tam o' shanter, a traditional Scottish bonnet or cap. The shell is egg-shaped and fairly large, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) in maximum dimension, with a regular pattern of yellow, orange or brown squarish spots. The surface sculpture of the shell is highly variable: the surface can be smooth and polished, have grooves, be granulated, or even be nodulose on the shoulder of the whorls.

This species lives intertidally and subtidally on sandy substrates, and is found primarily in the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic Ocean, from North Carolina to Uruguay. It is the most common species in this subfamily in North America. A similar-appearing sea snail in the Mediterranean Sea and Northern Atlantic Ocean, Semicassis granulata undulata, is currently considered to be a subspecies. The exact taxonomy of this species has been unclear in the past: as well as the current combination Semicassis granulata, 38 other combinations and synonyms exist.

In the spring, the adult females of this species lay eggs in tower-shaped structures. The eggs hatch as veliger larvae, which can float in the plankton for up to 14 weeks before settling onto the seabed as tiny snails. Crabs are a predator of this sea snail. After the death of the snails, if the shells are still intact they are often used by hermit crabs.

In 1965, in the US, the Scotch Bonnet shell was named as a state symbol of North Carolina, the first designation of a US state shell.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos and video by George Konstantinou
Underwater photos  Akrotiri by Kostas Aristeidou

Pelican's foot - Aporrhais pespelecani (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

Family Aporrhaidae.

A shell of Aporrhais pespelecani, from  Cyprus

Aporrhais pespelecani, common name the "pelican's foot" (or more precisely "common pelican's foot" to distinguish it from congeners), is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aporrhaidae.

Until the early 20th century the scientific name was usually written with a hyphen and spelled "pes-pelicani"

The specific name pespelecani is Latin, and means the same thing as the common name: "pelican's foot". This name is based on the shape of the three-pointed (or four-pointed) expanded outer lip of the adult shell, which resembles the webbed foot of a sea bird such as a pelican.

The specific name is often spelled pespelicani by analogy with the modern spelling of the word "pelican", however this is incorrect. It was not the original spelling as used by Linnaeus, the original authority of the species, which he called Strombus Pes pelecani. The rules of the ICZN state that the original spelling of a species name is the correct one, even in cases where the word was originally misspelled, or is not in line with current spelling. However in this case, the specific name must now be written as one word, not two, and cannot be hyphenated.

This snail lives in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea and also in the Black Sea

This species of sea snail lives below the low tide level, in the sublittoral zone, from 10 to 130 m depth, on mud or muddy sand. The empty shells do sometimes wash up on beaches however.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos by George Konstantinou

Purpuradusta gracilis (Gaskoin, 1849) - Cyprus

 Family Cypraeidae,

A lessepsian migrant
Purpuradusta gracilis is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. 
Lessepsian migration (also called Erythrean invasion) is the ongoing migration of marine species across the Suez Canal, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, more rarely in the opposite direction. It is named after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat in charge of the canal's construction.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos by George Konstantinou

Dirty cowry - Erosaria spurca (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

Family Cypraeidae

Shell of Erosaria spurca from Cyprus

Erosaria spurca, common name the dirty cowry, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries
The shells of these very common cowries reach on average 23–28 millimetres (0.91–1.10 in) of length, with a minimum size of 12 millimetres (0.47 in) and a maximum size of 39 millimetres (1.5 in). They are very variable in pattern and colour. The surface is smooth and shiny, the dorsum basic color is whitish or yellowish, with a variegated orange-brown, yellow ocher or reddish indistinct spotting on the dorsum. The yellowish margins are crenulated or bordered by a series of dimples. The base is whitish or cream, sometimes with shades of orange and some dark spots near the edge, while the teeth are usually large and white. In the living cowries the mantle is greyish, with quite long tree-shaped sensorial papillae.
Erosaria spurca occurs in the central and southern Mediterranean Sea (southern Italy, Crete, Malta, Lampedusa Island, etc.), in the Red Sea (introduced) and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean along the West African coast (from Morocco to Angola, including Ascension Island, Canaries and Cape Verde Islands).
These cowries commonly live at 2–20 metres (6 ft 7 in–65 ft 7 in) of depth, but they can also be found in deeper waters up to 50 metres (160 ft). During the day they are usually hidden under rocks, in crevices or in underwater meadows of Posidonia oceanica, as they start feeding at dusk.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos by George Konstantinou

Conus ventricosus mediterraneus (Hwass in Bruguière, 1792) - Cyprus

Family:Conidae

Conus ventricosus mediterraneus is a subspecies of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

The size of an adult shell varies between 13 mm and 63 mm. The color of the shell is yellowish brown, pink-brown or olivaceous ; sometimes chocolate-brown, very closely nebulously spotted and reticulated ; and sometimes interrupted-lined with chestnut, with a narrow, light band below the middle. The elevated spire is rudely gradate and maculated. The interior of the shell is light chocolate, with a light band. 

This subspecies occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean off Senegal.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos by George Konstantinou

Greater argonaut - Argonauta argo (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

Family: Argonautidae
Argonauta argo, also known as the greater argonaut, is a species of pelagic octopus belonging to the genus Argonauta. The female of the species, like all argonauts, creates a paper-thin eggcase that coils around the octopus much like the way a nautilus lives in its shell, hence the name paper nautilus. The Chinese name for this species translates as "white sea-horse's nest". A. argo was the first argonaut species to be described and is consequently the type species of the genus. A. argo is the largest species in the genus and also produces the largest eggcase. Live animals have a characteristic blue sheen on the first arm pair and around the eyes. The eggcase is characterised by two rows of small, sharp tubercles running along a narrow keel, smooth ribs across the walls of the shell, and a thickening along the shell aperture, which forms distinct protrusions or 'horns' on either side. Argonauta cygnus Monterosato, 1889 was described based on a shell which lacked these protrusions, although it is now considered a junior synonym of A. argo. The greatest recorded size of an A. argo eggcase is 300.0 mm.

A. argo is cosmopolitan, occurring in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. A dwarf form exists in the Mediterranean Sea, which was described as Argonauta argo mediterranea Monterosato, 1914, although this taxon is now regarded as invalid.

A. argo is thought to feed primarily on pelagic molluscs. The species is preyed on by numerous predators. It has been reported in the stomach contents of Alepisaurus ferox from the south-western Pacific.

Males of this species reach sexual maturity at a mantle length (ML) of 8 mm. Females mature at about double the size of Argonauta bottgeri and Argonauta hians. They begin to secrete an eggcase at 6.5–7 mm ML. Eggs are usually laid when females reach 14–15 mm ML, although the size at which this takes place differs across the animal's range. A small A. argo residing in an 88 mm long eggcase was estimated to be carrying 48,800 embryos.^[7] Females grow to 100 mm ML, while males do not exceed 20 mm ML

In the open ocean, A. argo has been observed attached to jellyfish. This behaviour has been known for a long time, although little was understood about the relationship prior to the work of Heeger et al. in 1992. In "Predation on jellyfish by the cephalopod Argonauta argo", Heeger et al. describe their observations of a female A. argo found atop a host jellyfish. The argonaut was seen holding on to the aboral (exumbrellar) surface of the jellyfish using its lateral and ventral arms. The authors found that about half of the animal's aboral surface was damaged and large pieces of mesoglea were missing, presumably removed by the argonaut. Additionally, two holes, apparently bite marks, were found in the center of this area with channels leading from these holes into the gastral cavity of the jellyfish. The argonaut presumably used these channels to suck food particles from the gastral cavity. Heeger et al. suggested that "the association provided shelter or camouflage for the argonaut"

Observations of captive A. argo females suggest that the expanded webs of the dorsal arms may aid the animal in feeding. Mark Norman mentions that "when food was touched against the spread webs, an arm shot out of the shell in a sweeping action, grabbing the prey". It is speculated that argonauts do not actively hunt, but employ this method to catch animals that bump into them in the open ocean.

A. argo is occasionally involved in mass strandings along the South African and southern Australian coastlines. The strandings are seasonal and generally occur between April and August, towards the end of the animals' spawning season.

A damaged beak of a female A. argo (ML = 40.0 mm; caught at 20°56′N 175°33′W), measuring 4.30 mm in hood length and 7.80 mm in crest length, is mentioned in A Handbook for the Identification of Cephalopod Beaks.

The type specimen of A. argo was collected in the Mediterranean Sea and is deposited at the Linnean Society of London. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Kormakitis by George Konstantinou

Emerald nerite - Smaragdia viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

 Family Neritidae

Smaragdia viridis. common name the "emerald nerite" is a species of small, green sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites.
The distribution of Smaragdia viridis is disjunct, consisting of the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea.

The shell is oval, depressed, light green with a yellowish hue, smooth and shiny. The shell often has interrupted fine bands or lines in white and/or purple. The columellar region of the shell is greenish white, broad, convex, margin curved and with fine teeth. The maximum length of the shell is 7.5 mm.

The visible soft parts of the animal are the same shade of green as the shell.

Smaragdia viridis is a marine littoral species. It is documented to feed directly on seagrasses, rather than on their algae epiphytes, as is the case with many other seagrass-associated snails. The species it feeds on are different in the two different areas of its distribution. In the Mediterranean the species has been recorded feeding on Posidonia oceanica, Zostera marina and Cymodocea nodosa whereas in the Caribbean it consumes Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  by George Konstantinou

Persian Conch - Conomurex persicus (Strombus decorus) (Swainson, 1821) - Cyprus

Family Strombidae

A lessepsian migrant

Conomurex persicus, common name : the Persian Conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs
The shell size varies between 35 mm and 75 mm
This species is found in the Mediterranean Sea along Greece, in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf
Lessepsian migration (also called Erythrean invasion) is the ongoing migration of marine species across the Suez Canal, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, more rarely in the opposite direction. It is named after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat in charge of the canal's construction.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  by George Konstantinou

Umbrella slugs - Umbraculum mediterraneum (Lamarck, 1819) - Cyprus

Family Umbraculidae.

Umbraculum, common name the "umbrella slugs" is a genus of unusua sea snails or false limpets, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Umbraculidae.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  by George Konstantinou

Tricolia pulla (Linnaeus) - Cyprus

Family Tricoliidae.

Tricolia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Phasianellidae.

This genus formerly belonged to the family Tricoliidae.

This genus consists of small species with a head without frontal lobes. The shell is ovate, elongated, and imperforate. The radula has a broad, simple median tooth, overlying the bases of the inner laterals. These are subrhomboidal, produced at their outer angles into wings which overlie the bases of the adjacent tooth outward, and have denticulate cusps. The outer lateral is narrow, not produced on the outer angle. The marginal teeth have long simple cusps, The columella is smooth, arcuate, and not dentate.

The species occurs in all tropical and subtropical seas. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  by George Konstantinou

Nassarius circumcinctus (Adams A., 1852) - Cyprus

Family Nassariidae,

Nassarius circumcinctus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.
The shell grows to a length of 15 mm.
This species occurs in the Mediterranean Sea.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.Photos Eftakomi 11/4/2013  by George Konstantinou

Abra sp. - Cyprus

 Family Semelidae

Abra is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Semelidae. Members of this genus are mostly under 1.5 centimeters long, and have thin shells which are usually white. These bivalves normally live under the surface of sandy and muddy sediments, in the neritic zone.

They are considered an important food source for flat fish.

.Photos Akrotiri 5/9/2015  by George Konstantinou

Potamides conicus (Blainville, 1829) - Cyprus

Family Potamididae

 Is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae
This species occurs patchily along coastal habitats in the eastern and southern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as in Libya, Sardinia and Malta. In Egypt, it is found inland in saline lakes such as Birket Gessebaya, Birket Maragi, Lake Qarun and the Bitter Lakes (Taraschewski and Paperna 1981).

.Photos Akrotiri 5/9/2015  by George Konstantinou

ΕΞΩΤΙΚΟΙ ΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤΕΣ - Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου (Απο αθρο μου στον Φιλελευθερο)

ΕΞΩΤΙΚΟΙ ΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤΕΣ

>Πανέμορφα κοχύλια έχουν «εισβάλει» στη Μεσόγειο Θάλασσα

Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου (Απο αθρο μου στον Φιλελευθερο)

Εδώ και 30 χρόνια μελετώ και συλλέγω κοχύλια απ’ όλες τις θάλασσες του κόσμου μαζί με τη σύζυγό μου Φάνη, με ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρoν ως επί το πλείστον για τα μικρά αλλά πανέμορφα κοχύλια του τόπου μας.

 Μετά τη διάνοιξη της διώρυγας του Σουέζ δόθηκε η ευκαιρία σε πολλά θαλάσσια είδη του Ινδικού Ωκεανού και της Ερυθράς Θάλασσας όπως ψάρια, φυτά και κοχύλια να εισβάλουν στη Μεσόγειο Θάλασσα.
Πολλά από αυτά τα είδη-εισβολείς εγκλιματίστηκαν και ενσωματώθηκαν στο μεσογειακό θαλάσσιο περιβάλλον. Μάλιστα πολλές φορές οδηγούν σε τροποποίηση φυσικών οικοσυστημάτων με αποτέλεσμα την καταστροφή πολλών τοπικών ειδών.
Η διάνοιξη της διώρυγας του Σουέζ η οποία έγινε από το Γάλλο F. Lesseps το 1869, αποτελεί ακόμη μια επέμβαση του ανθρώπου στο φυσικό περιβάλλον, έστω και αν έγινε για αναπτυξιακούς λόγους.
Είναι χαρακτηριστικό ότι τα είδη αυτά ονομάζονται και λεσσεψιανοι εισβολείς από το όνομα του Γάλλου
κατασκευαστή της διώρυγας.
Οι εισβολείς αυτοί υπολογίζονται περίπου στο 10% της πανίδας της ανατολικής Μεσογείου και σ’ αυτούς
συμπεριλαμβάνονται πέραν των 200 ειδών κοχυλιών. Συγκεκριμένα στην Κύπρο εντοπίστηκαν 44 είδη νέων κοχυλιών.
Μετά από έρευνες και μελέτες που έχω κάνει τα τελευταία χρόνια, έχω εντοπίσει και αναφέρει ακόμα έξι είδη εισβληδικών κοχυλιών, τα οποία πρώτη φορά αναφέρονται στην Κύπρο. Η ανακάλυψη αυτών των έξι νέων ειδών για την Κύπρο οφείλεται στη διάνοιξη των οδοφραγμάτων και στην ευκαιρία που μου δόθηκε να εξερευνήσω τη θάλασσα του νησιού μας στην κατεχόμενη πλευρά του.
Τα είδη αυτά έχουν εγκλιματισθεί με μεγάλη επιτυχία και αποτελούν μέρος της κυπριακής πανίδας.
Η επιτυχία προσαρμογής των ειδών αυτών οφείλεται στις κλιματολογικές αλλαγές του πλανήτη, οι οποίες
έχουν ως συνέπεια να παρουσιάζονται στη Μεσόγειο όλο και πιο ήπιοι χειμώνες, καθώς τα είδη αυτά προέρχονται από θερμές θάλασσες.
Τα νέα είδη τα οποία έχω αναφέρει είναι τα κάτωθι:
1] Dendrostrea frons
2] Gafrarium pectinatum
3] Paphia textile
4] Fulvia fragilis
5] septifer forskali
6] Psammotreta praerupta

Photos by George Konstantinou