not a Flamingo, but it is a Tongue. Whatzit?

[Doc]

Seen at Connie's Dream, off of CoCoView Resort, Roatan. It was shot in the first week of April, but I am assured it was "no fooling" !

What is this critter?

Further background and discussion at http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/ccv/vpost?id=1050398

Anyone?

 

[knotical]

Pretty clearly Cyphoma.
The two most common Caribbean Cyphomas are Cyphoma gibbosum (flamingo tongue),
and Cyphoma signatum (fingerprint).
The photo doesn’t really look like either one. Perhaps this is a variant?

 

[archman]

Well, I don't know what it is. Neither does Leslie, from her comments on Digital Diver's board. But she sent the pic out to a specialist, so I'd wait to hear back on that.

 

[LeslieH]

Well, I don't know what it is. Neither does Leslie, from her comments on Digital Diver's board. But she sent the pic out to a specialist, so I'd wait to hear back on that.

We sent the picture to Dirk Fehse, a german specialist on the family Ovulidae. In 2003 Dirk published a revision of the genus Cyphoma so if anyone should know what this animal is it's Dirk. His reply was that he had never seen it before, it was probably a new species, and he would very much like to have some specimens so he could work on it. Let me add that shell species are often named for the people who collect them.....

 

[DennisW]

Way cool if you found a new species.

 

[archman]

New species... that's good. I was about to tag it as an exotic and throw another one of those exciting tantrums everyone loves so much.

I'll have to show my professor the pic. No doubt she'll start hunting for the things too. Hmmm... I'll ask the moderators if I can get this thread temporarily stickied, so more people can see the thing.

Hey RoatanMan, is that the only pic you have of the thing? If you have others, could you post them?

 

[Dee]

Roatan Man didn't take the photo. It was taken by a young man during his first photo class while staying at CCV. I think that's the only photo of it.

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/p...ost?id=1050398

 

[diverrick]

Your right about it being there on the South side Of Roatan. I took a couple of pics of it after the the folks at Dockside dive center had said they had seen it, I asked the Dive master if he ran into it, would he kindly point it out to me so I could get a shot of it.
I would have to agree on G. Cyphoma but after that it clearly is not Gibbosum, or Signatum. This will be interesting Hey Roatan Man, do you know who first found it? I thought they said it was one of the divemasters. Maybe they'll name it after him Or better yet, how bout Cyphoma Tulio. That would be fitting IMHO