Harry Pristis Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 The answer you got seems rather dismissive. I just don't see how your objects shaped like cauliflower florets were produced by torpedo-shaped clams. Are there ANY identifiable burrows, mold or cast, in the objects you collected? http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Hey John, sorry I missed the post earlier...they are interesting for sure! I am interested in what Roger is seeing/describing. Which items in the first photo did you send to Roger/did he actually see? Did you take a photo of just what got sent--just trying to understand the context. Thanks! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 14 hours ago, Harry Pristis said: The answer you got seems rather dismissive. I just don't see how your objects shaped like cauliflower florets were produced by torpedo-shaped clams. Are there ANY identifiable burrows, mold or cast, in the objects you collected? I'm going to clarify with him what he means. After thinking about it for a while, I imagined a surface similar to what Ken was proposing except not a dissolved surface, but one packed with small shallow clam holes that then got filled. These pieces would be the cast from that surface. There are no identifiable "burrows" in any of the pieces I've found although I have 1 small piece where the "bumps" have a longer aspect ratio. I'l get a picture when the sun comes up. 6 hours ago, Plantguy said: Hey John, sorry I missed the post earlier...they are interesting for sure! I am interested in what Roger is seeing/describing. Which items in the first photo did you send to Roger/did he actually see? Did you take a photo of just what got sent--just trying to understand the context. Thanks! Regards, Chris I didn't take a picture of the pieces I sent to Roger Chris, but they all look about the same except for the small piece I'm going to take a picture of this morning for Harry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Fischer Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Looks kind of like gastropods to me, but I don't really know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sacha said: I'm going to clarify with him what he means. After thinking about it for a while, I imagined a surface similar to what Ken was proposing except not a dissolved surface, but one packed with small shallow clam holes that then got filled. These pieces would be the cast from that surface. There are no identifiable "burrows" in any of the pieces I've found although I have 1 small piece where the "bumps" have a longer aspect ratio. I'l get a picture when the sun comes up. I didn't take a picture of the pieces I sent to Roger Chris, but they all look about the same except for the small piece I'm going to take a picture of this morning for Harry. Hey John, thanks for the reply.. I should have said this earlier but I was particularly interested if they all showed "linings" especially one of the cauliflower shaped ones. I think that might be one of the keys to the ID. Regards, Chris Edited May 4, 2021 by Plantguy added detail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 34 minutes ago, Plantguy said: Hey John, thanks for the reply.. I should have said this earlier but I was particularly interested if they all showed "linings" especially one of the cauliflower shaped ones. I think that might be one of the keys to the ID. Regards, Chris Not sure what you mean by "linings" Chris. @Harry Pristis Here are pictures of the little piece. I think I could see these as casts of a colonial type of bivalves protective "burrow". Especially as Roger says "complete" (the rounded bumps) and "partial" (the broken off bumps) borehole linings. We'll see what he says in his response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 24 minutes ago, Sacha said: Not sure what you mean by "linings" Chris. I think (with my limited understanding) that burrows of crustaceans (mainly shrimp) which are often made in soft muddy environments are often lined with fecal pellets to strengthen the walls and keep them from collapsing. I would not think that mollusk burrows would be so lined as they would lack the dexterity do to so. Looking forward to hearing Roger's clarification so that we too will learn a bit more about Lithophaga. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 Here's Roger's update. @Harry Pristis, @digit, @Plantguy...a colonial mollusk. "Correct. These are multiple specimen closely packed together. Lithophaga and several other bivalves (e.g., Botula; Gastrochaena) bore into rock and coral. Sometimes the coral or rock erodes/dissolves away leaving behind the borehole linings. Next time you find a coral head with holes in it, break it open to see some of these in place." Now, as an aside, I've soaked the little piece in vinegar for the last 3 hours and had no reaction at all. So I would surmise that the original limestone surface with the depressions on it was covered in a silica rich ooze which hardened and then the limestone eroded away leaving the casts of the multiple depressions. In this layer at Zolfo, there are plates of chert with cemented silica sand and the limestone or dolostone is gone. This sits on a clay layer (usually) with dolostone below that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I guess different clams leave different "borehole linings." The clams that bore into dugongid ribs leave no linings that I've noticed. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) I guess so. Edited May 4, 2021 by Sacha clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Thanks for the update. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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