an animal (unknown to me) - edit.:a Scaphopod

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:26 am

A marine planctonic animal. Its "house" was 550 µm long. I thought it could be a protozoon (or a larva from a snail?).
Obj. 10x, DIC.

Franz

BJ · Post by BJ » Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:22 am

Hi Franz,

Once more something special!

I have not seen this myself, and I am not confident with my identification, but I think it may be the larva of a scaphopod, perhaps a Dentalium species. There are several species which occur in the Mediterranean.

Compare your specimen with figure 4 in this pdf:

http://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/hp/sasaki/p/029.pdf

The eccentric distal end and the ribbing on the main part of the tube are similar.

kind regards
Brian

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:54 pm

Hello Brian,

thank you for this valuable hint. I am now convinced that this is a member of the Scaphopods (tusk shell). It is the first time that I see something like this, even I did'nt know that this class of molluscs exist.
I found also something interesting about Dentalium:
"Shells of the genus Dentalium were culturally significant with Pacific Northwest natives (Amerinds)until the late 1800s. The shells were collected on strings and used as necklaces and money".
cfr. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/s ... opoda.html

Franz

BJ · Post by BJ » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:15 am

hi Franz,

I think that this use of Dentalium as an ornament was quite widespread and common in prehistoric times. I have seen perforated shells from the mesolithic in a small museum here in Portugal.

even used in Italy !!

http://www.museoarcheologiconuoro.it/in ... /dentalium

Everything you show us in the forum seems to have an interesting story!

Thank you...and looking forward to your next posting,

kind regards,

Brian