Epidendrium aureum
Golden Wentletrap
©Anne Hoggett: Epidendrium aureum about 1 cm high parasitising a Tubastraea polyp on the outer north end of Yonge Reef near Lizard Island.
©Anne Hoggett: Epidendrium aureum about 1 cm high parasitising a Tubastraea polyp on the outer north end of Yonge Reef near Lizard Island. Yellow egg cases of the snail cover the oral discs of nearby polyps.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mollusca
Class
Gastropoda
Family
Epitoniidae
Genus
Epidendrium
Species
Epidendrium aureum
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small, bright yellow snail that parasitises corals in the family Dendrophylliidae.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
species: Epidendrium billeeanum
was thought to be widespread in the Indo-Pacific until Gittenberger and Gittenberger (2005) found it was restricted to the eastern Pacific and described two new species for the Indo-west Pacific, Epidendrium aureum and Epidendrium sordidum. -
Animalia:
species: Epidendrium sordidum
co-occurs with Epidendrium aureum in many parts of its range, often in large numbers and on the same coral host colony. The shells of Epidendrium aureum are slightly larger and "cleaner" than Epidendrium sordidum and the structure of the protoconch differs markedly between the species (Gittenberger and Gittenberger, 2005).
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Web resources
References
- Gittenberger, A. and E. Gittenberger (2005). A hitherto unnoticed adaptive radiation: epitoniid species (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with corals (Scleractinia), Contributions to Zoology, 74(1,2). A hitherto unnoticed adaptive radiation: epitoniid species (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with corals (Scleractinia)↱ LIRS catalog number 90269.
- Page, A.J. (1987). The feeding behaviour and biology of selected corallivorous, prosobranch gastropods from the east coast of Australia, M.Sc. thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane. LIRS catalog number 258.
- Page, A.J. and R.C. Willan (1988). Ontogenetic change in the radula of the gastropod Epitonium billeeana (Prosobranchia: Epitoniidae), The Veliger, 30(3): 222-229. LIRS catalog number 338.