20 Species Project

Caleb Dowdy Biology of Marine Life December 10, 2009 Environment Selected: Coast Line

Table of Contents Sunday, December 06, 2009

2:23 PM

Page Number 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

Organism Name

Angelwing Alphabet Cone Shell Atlantic Giant Cockle Atlantic Kittenpaw Atlantic Slipper Snail Black Mangrove Common Jingle Shell Even Prickly Cockle Florida Spiny Jewelbox Florida Worm Snail Lettered Olive Shell Moon Jellyfish Parchment Tub Shark's Eye Smooth Sea Feather Southern Surfclam Stiff Penshell Tube Sponge Variable Coquina Clam White Baby's Ear

Angelwings Wednesday, December 09, 2009 4:08 PM

Scientific Name: Cyrtopleura costata

The angelwing belongs to family Pholadidae and are related to shipworms. Angelwings bore into peat, muddy clay, or rotten wood on the bottoms of open bays. Angelwings live with much of their soft parts outside their shells. Like other bivalves the Angelwing is a filter feeder.

http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/ANGELWING.htm

http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/ANGELWING.htm

Alphabet Cone Shell Sunday, November 29, 2009 12:02 PM

Scientific Name: Conus spurius atlanticus Cone shells belong to the family Conidae, distantly related to olives, volutes, vases, and marginellas. Cone shells have radular teeth that function like a harpoon. Cone Shells use a needle-like weapon to inject their prey and enemies with deadly neurotoxin. The Alphabet Cone Shell lives in shallow to moderately deep sand and sea grass beds. The alphabet cone shell is a marine predator as it hunts its prey and immobilizes them with deadly neurotoxin.

http://www.jaxshells.org/1119bc.jpg Screen clipping taken: 11/29/2009, 12:22 PM

Atlantic Giant Cockle

Sunday, November 29, 2009 11:59 AM

Scientific Name: Dinocardium robustum Cockles are related to the family Cardiidae. The Atlantic Giant Cockle goes is also known as the Heart Cockle. The Atlantic Giant Cockle is often separated as a subspecies known as the Van Hyning's cockle. The Atlantic Giant Cockle lives in water as deep as 100ft. The Atlantic Giant Cockle spends most of its time using its strong muscular foot to burry itself in sediments. The Giant Cockle feeds on plankton by filter feeding using a siphon it extends from its body.

http://www.okeefes.org/Favorite %20Photos/Favorite_Photos_2/giant_atlantic_cockle_101_7749.jpg Screen clipping taken: 11/29/2009, 12:31 PM

http://www.jaxshells.org/drs10s.jpg Screen clipping taken: 11/29/2009, 12:33 PM

Atlantic Kittenpaws Friday, November 27, 2009 2:01 PM

Scientific Name: Picatula gibosa The Atlantic Kittenpaw belongs to the family Pectinidae. The Atlantic Kitten paw has a thick tough shell with 6-10 digit-like ribs. Kitten's Paws are common to find on beaches due to their toughness. The Atlantic Kittenpaw lives attached to rocks in waters from intertidal depth to depths of 300ft (91 m).

http://rlv.zcache.com/kittens_paw_seashells_mousepadd1447684446815304257pdd_400.jpg Screen clipping taken: 11/27/2009, 2:46 PM

Atlantic Slipper Snail Friday, November 27, 2009 1:56 PM

Scientific Name: C. fornicata Slipper Snails belong to the family Calyptraeidae and are distantly related to the hoofsnails (Family Hipponicidae). Slippersnails begin life as males that grow into being female. The environmental conditions determine when they strategically switch sex.

http://shellmuseum.org/imgs/swflshells/48/fornicata2.jpg 2:37 PM

Screen clipping taken: 11/27/2009,

Black Mangrove Friday, November 27, 2009 2:28 PM

Scientific Name: Avicenna germinans The Black mangrove (family Avicenniaceae) is distantly related to the Red mangrove(family Rhizophoraceae). The Black mangrove can grow to sizes of 20ft high. Utilizing the vertical pneumatophores the Black mangrove allows its roots to breathe. The leaves of the Black mangrove are coated with a layer of excreted salt. The Black Mangrove plays a vital role in protecting the beach from storms and erosion.

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4H/Other_Resources/Contest/Highlighted_Ecosystem/BlackPr opaguleWeb.jpg Screen clipping taken: 11/27/2009, 3:03 PM

http://www.finexpeditions.com/images/bestblackmangrove.JPG Screen clipping taken: 11/29/2009, 12:59 PM

Common Jingle Shell Friday, November 27, 2009 2:00 PM

Scientific Name: Anomia ephippium The Common Jingle Shell belongs to the family Anomiidae. The Jingle shell comes in several different colors including silver-gray, white, yellow, and orange. The common jingle lives attached to rocks, wood, and other shells in shallow marine waters. Nearly all beached jingle shells have is the unattached left valve. Like other bivalves the Jingle feeds by filtering the water around it.

http://www.okeefes.org/Mollusks/Common%20Jingle%20Shells%20102_3159.jpg

http://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/0001/01-image.jpg

Even Prickly Cockle Friday, November 27, 2009 2:00 PM

Scientific Name: T. isocardia The even prickly cockle belongs to the family Cardiidae along with other cockles. The Even Prickly Cockle inhabits the sandy shallows near beaches and out to about 100ft. The prickles on the shell may be used to help anchor the Cockle in place, or for deterring gastropod predators. The Even Prickly Cockle feeds on plankton and other organic material by filtering the water around it.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/spiny_cockle.jpg

http://www.weichtiere.at/images/weichtiere/muscheln/stachlige_herzmuschel.jpg

Florida Spiny Jewelbox Friday, November 27, 2009 12:14 PM

Scientific Name: Arcinella cornuta Jewelboxes belong to family Chamidae and are related to clamlike bivalves. The reason the Florida Spiny jewelbox has spines on its shell is to help the Jewelbox from being drilled by gastropod predators. Jewelboxes live cemented on reefs and debris at moderate depths. The Florida Spiny Jewel box detaches during youth to grow free in the sandy rubble. The spiny jewelbox is a filter feeder like other bivalves.

http://www.jaxshells.org/spiny.jpg

Screen clipping taken: 11/27/2009, 2:34 PM

Florida Worm Snail Friday, November 27, 2009 2:27 PM

Scientific Name: V. Knorrii Worm Snails belong with the Turrets in the family Turritellidae. The Florida Worm Snail grows wormlike after reaching 1/2 inches in length. Worm Snails grow with sponges on reefs and hardbottom. Wormsnails live attached to the bottom or to other wormsnails and feed on suspended plankton and detritus. The environment around them dictates how large and uncoiled they grow.

http://shellmuseum.org/imgs/swflshells/19/knorrii21.jpg

http://www.jaxshells.org/knor.htm

Lettered Olive Shells Scientific Name: Oliva sayana Lettered Olives have a wide shell with small pointed spire about 1/9 of the total length. The habitat of the Lettered Olive is the near shore or on shallow sand flats. Unfaded shells are covered completely with blurred, brown zigzags. The olive's glossy shell is covered by the bodies’ mantle and large foot. This large foot is what allows them to burrow so easily through sand. Lettered olives feed on coquina clams in the surf zone, and both species scavenge when the opportunity arises. The Lettered Olive is considered a consumer as it feeds on the coquina clams.

http://www.okeefes.org/Favorite %20Photos/Favorite_Photos_2/lettered_olive_walking_100b0641.jpg

Screen clipping

taken: 11/26/2009, 11:20 AM

Moon Jellyfish Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:46 AM

Scientific Name: Aurelia aurita Also known as: Moon jelly, moon jellyfish, common jellyfish, saucer jelly Translucent and usually about 25-40 cm across

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=2346

The medusa is see-through and generally 25-40 cm in size. The moon jelly fish is distinguishable by its four horseshoe-shaped gonads that can be seen on top of its bell. The moon jelly fish is only possible of limited motion; but like the other species of jelly fish it mainly drifts with the current even while it is swimming. The genus Aurelia is found in most of the world's oceans. Aureilia feed on planktons, tunicate larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, fish eggs, rotifers, young polychaetes, diatoms, eggs, protozoans, and other organisms. Aurelia does not have gills, trachea, lungs, or other respiratory parts. Aurelia is such a small organism; it respires by diffusing oxygen from the water through a thin membrane. The basic body structure of the Aurelia is composed of excretory, respiratory, and circulatory systems. Aurelia aurita is known to be prey to including the Leatherback Sea Turtle, Ocean Sunfish, and also fed upon by sea birds.

Parchment Tube Worm Friday, November 27, 2009 1:58 PM

Scientific Name: Chae topteruscariopedatus

Tube worms are in the phylum Annelida, class Polychaeta, which includes segmented worms with bristles. Each tube was formerly U-shaped beneath the sand and was home to a worm with specialized segments using paddle-like flaps, lobes, and cups. Although the Parchment Tube Worm is blind they can glow in the dark by emitting a luminous blue cloud of mucous when disturbed. The Parchment Tube Worm lives near the surf zone.

http://www.frauleindi.com/images/HHNature/ParchmentTubeWorm.jpg

http://candy.brookdale.cc.nj.us/staff/sandyhook/taxonomy/worms/worms.jpg

Shark's Eye Thursday, November 26, 2009 11:23 AM

Scientific Name: Neverita duplicata The Shark Eye belongs to family Naticidae and is related to naticas, baby's ears, and moon snails. Shark's eyes breed in the surf zone. The Shark's eye spends its life in the sandy shallows and the swash zone. Shark's eyes plow through the surf zone in search of clams dissolving them alive with digestive enzymes making the Shark's eye a predatory gastropod.

http://www.pensacolasgreatest.com/SeaShells/SharksEye.jpg 11/26/2009, 11:33 AM

Smooth Sea Feather

Screen clipping taken:

Thursday, November 26, 2009 11:31 AM

Scientific Name: Pseudopterogorgia acerosa Soft Corals belong to the class Anthozoa and are in the order Gorgonacea. Soft corals are colonies of tiny polyps, each with 8 tentacles making them a member of the Octocorals. All members of Octocorals have an internal skeleton. These corals don’t require zooxanthellae to survive, so they can live deeper more turbid areas with less light. Soft coral are made up of flexible rods made of gorgonin (hornlike protein) encircled by tiny polyps connected to each other by a matrix of glasslike spicules. Colonies can reach sizes of 2 meters tall.

http://coris.noaa.gov/about/eco_essays/navassa/media/PSEUDO_400.jpg taken: 11/27/2009, 2:32 PM

Screen clipping

Southern Surfclam Friday, November 27, 2009 12:15 PM

Scientific Name: Spisula raveneli Surfclams belong to the family Mactridae. Some species of surfclam are being commercially harvested for food in the southwest US. Surf Clams live in the sand as close as just off shore to depths of 165 ft. Surf Clams can live up to 35 years of age. Surf Clams are filter feeders, straining plankton out of the water. The Surf Clam serves as prey for several species of shrimp, horseshoe crab, and sea stars. Southern Surfclams are filter feeders like most bivalves.

http://www.jaxshells.org/1001uu.jpg

Stiff Penshell Friday, November 27, 2009 12:25 PM

Scientific Name: Atrina rigida Penshells belong to the family Pinidae and are distantly related to mussels. Pen shells anchor themselves with golden byssal threads, these lead from their pointed end to a small pile of rubble beneath the sand. Once attached Penshells live an almost stationary life style. Penshells are filter feeders like most bivalves. Penshells live in colonies with individuals buried in the soft sediments out to 20ft.

http://www.okeefes.org/Mollusks/Photos_in_Phylogenetic_Order/Stiff%20Pen %20Shell%20102_3177.jpg

http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/shellphotos/stiffpenshell3.jpg

Tube Sponge Friday, November 27, 2009 2:26 PM

Scientific Name: Callyspongia vaginalis All sponges belong to the phylum Porifera. Sponges are simple animals that lack brains or other organs. Sponges have existed for about 500 million years and were most likely the first multi-celled animals on Earth. Sponges grow in place by filtering organic particles from the water. Sponges live their lives out growing in shallow hardbottom or seagrass beds. The tube sponge has individual chimney-like tubes that are about 2 inches wide.

Top:http://home.nps.gov/ser/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/GreenBoxPics/BISC_tube_sponge_o n_reef.jpg

Bottom: http://www.coral.org/files/images/Carib08_2136.jpg

Variable Coquina Clams Scientific Name: Donax variabilis Coquina clams (family Donacidae) are related to tellins. Variable coquina clams have glossy, wedge-shaped shells that have faint riblets and groove-teeth lining their inner margins. Variable coquinas are one of the most abundant and ecologically important mollusks on Florida beaches. Coquinas are designed for living in wave-washed sand, feeding on algae by filtering the bacteria washed on

shore. Coquina's serve as a source of food for many shore birds and fish. Coquina's feed upon detritus and plant material using short siphons. The coquina clam is close to the bottom of the food chain but a consumer non-the-less.

http://www.jaxshells.org/taldon13.jpg

Screen clipping taken: 11/26/2009, 10:44 AM

White Baby's Ear Sunday, November 29, 2009 12:01 PM

Scientific Name: Sinum perspectivum The White Baby's Ear belongs to the family Naticidae with shark's eyes and naticas. The White Baby's Ear is the equivalent to a moonsnail with an expansive aperture. All Baby's Ear's have an extended foot that stretches to ten times the shell size. This enormous foot cannot be retracted into the Baby's Ear shell. The White Baby's

Ear lives in Sandy shallow zones. The White Baby's Ear moves through the sand with a muscular action with the assistance of a copious secretion mucus. This species of Baby's Ear is predatory, feeding on buried bivalves.

http://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/0041/

http://www.jaxshells.org/babylive.htm

Works Cited Page Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:35 AM

Alphabet Cone shell

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Atlantic Giant Cockle

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "Untitled Document." Project Oceanica. Web. 04 Dec. 2009. . Atlantic Kittenpaw

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Atlantic Slipper Snail

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Black Mangrove

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Common Jingle shell

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "Jingle shell clams (Anomiidae) on the Shores of Singapore." Wildsingapore homepage. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. . Even Prickly Cockle

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Florida Spiny Jewel

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Florida Worm Snail

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Lettered Olive Shells

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "Oliva Sayana, Lettered Olive." Creation vs Evolution / Intelligent Design / Creation Science. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . Moon Jellyfish

"Moon Jellyfish." AC Tropical Fish & Aquarium. Web. 04 Dec. 2009. . Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Parchment Tube Worms

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Shark's Eye

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Smooth Sea Feather

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "Coralpedia - Pseudopterogorgia acerosa." Coralpedia - Acropora cervicornis. Web. 04 Dec. 2009. . Southern Surfclam

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Stiff Penshell

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "The pen shell (pinna nobilis)." Designboom. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. . Tube Sponge

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. Variable Coquina Clam

Witherington, Blair & Dawn. Florida's Living Beaches, A guide for the curious beachcomber. 1st ed. Florida: Pineapple, 2007. Print. "Coquina clam (mollusk) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . White Baby's Ear

Rothschild, Susan B. Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life, Third Edition Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Grand Rapids: Taylor Trade, 2004. Print.