#new zealand mollusc

[drhoz]

#2415 - Xenostrobus neozelanicus - Little Black Mussel

AKA Hauea and Flea Mussel, Modiolus ater, Modiolus neozelanicus, and Mytilus ater.

A small mussel found around New Zealand and the Auckland Islands. Like other mussels, a filter feeding bivalve that are usually found in intertidal environments. One genus is found in freshwater, and one subfamily lives in the deep ocean.

Puritutu Rock, New Plymouth, New Zealand.

[dougdimmadodo]

Blue-Green Chiton (Chiton glaucus)

Family: Typical Chiton Family (Chitonidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Like other chitons, the Blue-Green Chiton is a heavily armoured eyeless mollusc related to marine snails which relies on its strong aragonite-based shell to defend it from potential predators as it slides slowly along on a frilly "foot", clinging to surfaces beneath it as it travels using a layer of thin-yet-sticky mucus and the suction-cup-like shape formed by the foot's frilly rim. Although they lack any conventional eyes, the 8 armoured plates of a chiton contain numerous lens-like structures (also made of aragonite) which focus light onto a retina-like membrane, allowing the chiton to perceive light and possibly basic shapes above them in order to identify potential predators, giving them an opportunity to grip more tightly onto the surface beneath them to prevent them from being flipped over to expose their unarmoured underbelly (although if this does happen they are also able to curl up in order to leave as little of their foot exposed as possible.) Found in coastal and estuarine waters surrounding New Zealand and Tasmania, Blue-Green Chitons spend much of the day concealed in rocky cracks or under large stones and emerge at night to feed, using a spiny tongue-like structure that extends from their tiny downwards-facing mouths to scrape algae off of the rocks beneath them. The name of this species refers to the variety of colours seen on the shells of different individuals; while typically dull green, individuals with blue, yellow or pale brown shells are also frequently reported.

-------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

Also see here for a very cool video explaining how chiton "eyes" work.

[strawbebearts]

Pokemon Challenge 2024! #1092 Snata.

Snata is a Bug/Ground type based on New Zealand's giant carnivorous land snails! You read that right - they can grow almost up to the weight of a small duck and eat other insects found on the forest floor. The Māori word for land-based molluscs like snails and slugs is ngata (the 'ng' at the start is pronounced softly as a dipthong).

Sorry for going quiet for a while - I ended up being admitted to hospital for gallstone complications and was in for a week including a minor operation, and it's taken me the better part of another week to get back on my feet since I was discharged Saturday. I haven't drawn anything since I got out but I'm feeling the itch.

Find the rest of the Te'Roa set in my master post!

[charring58]

Abalone (/ˈæbəloʊni/ ⓘ or /ˌæbəˈloʊni/; via Spanish abulón, from Rumsen aulón) is a common name for any small to very large marine gastropod mollusc in the family Haliotidae, which once contained six subgenera but now contains only one genus, Haliotis.[1] Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, now rarely, muttonfish or muttonshells in parts of Australia, ormer in the UK, perlemoen in South Africa, and pāua in New Zealand.[

[doctor-fancy-pants]

On Invertebrate Nookie

Wandering the wilds of Reddit, I came across a comment thread about sex ed.

A user lamented with understandable frustration that parents who wanted “abstinence-only” sex ed seemed to think that “if we don’t teach them about sex, they won’t know enough about it to have it!” and they are *not* wrong.

I felt the need to reflect on that statement, as follows.

It made me think of koalas.

Koalas are… not smart. Their brains are pretty smooth. Eucalyptus leaves are very low in nutrients so there’s not a lot of energy for anything other than sitting in a tree eating more eucalyptus leaves.

They still manage to breed without any outside intervention.

That’s just vertebrates. Let us consider the invertebrate phyla. Sea slugs or nudibranchs (a non-monophyletic group of shell-less marine molluscs) are almost exclusively hermaphroditic.

Some species, when they copulate, manage “reciprocal fertilisation” — ie, since they both have eggs that need fertilising, they deliver sperm to each other at the same time. Depending on how they’re put together, this means that you might see two nudibranchs connected at one very odd point (usually side by side).

Photo taken from this New Zealand conservation blog, worth a read!

(seriously it just looks like they’ve built a bridge, it’s weird.)

Seems to me like it takes a certain amount of coordination to negotiate two-way fertilisation in one’s fuckery plans.

Let’s STEP. IT. UP.

Two individuals? Two way fertilisation? That is barely intermediate level!

You want MASTERY when it comes to invertebrate sex? Yer marine biologist got you covered.

Sea hares (not rabbits, they’re also shell-less marine molluscs) link up end to end, to form a chain of fucking — sometimes several individuals in length.

[check out this dude’s blog post on the subject if you’re curious.]

The brains of the giant sea slug Alypsia are SO simple that they are used by neurological researchers as model organisms to visually map learning and memory. The human brain has millions of neurons.

Alypsia has about 20,000.

AND YET.

MULTIPLE INDIVIDUALS SIMULTANEOUSLY SWAPPING GAMETES AT THE SAME TIME.

So what these parents are saying, in essence, is “this sea slug is smarter than my child.”

In the absence of any literature, any pornography, any education on the topic whatsoever — when the hormones start tugging on the bell-ropes, that bell is gonna ring.

They will figure it out.

Alright, thank you for attending marine invertebrate biology outrage hour, sex education is a damn human right so we can avoid messing up each others’ lives at a young age because we have more complex life goals and needs than a sea slug.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, you’ve been a wonderful audience.

[correction: while I thought I’d seen nudibranchs side by side with *two* bridges, I can’t find images, so I’m guessing my brain merged the sea hares and the other nudies in my memory. Mea culpa.]

[cepho-facts]

Cepho fact #10

The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the biggest known invertebrate in the world, and has the largest eyes of any known creature.

Colossal squid specimen from the Museum of New Zealand.

This massive size is an example of abyssal gigantism, also called deep sea gigantism, which is a tendancy for deep sea species to grow much larger than their shallow sea counterparts. One of the reasons for this is that, unlike terrestrial organisms, aquatic organisms can be large without gravity effecting their ability to move in the same way it does on land.

[bestgullpoll]

Round 1, Side B: Match 14

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a silver gull standing on a rock. The right is a Bonaparte's gull standing on a rock. /End ID]

The silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) is the most common gull of Australia. They are also found in Aotearoa New Zealand and New Caledonia. They typically measure 40-45 cm (16-18 in) in length and 94 cm (37 in) in wingspan. They have white underparts and head, light grey upperparts and wings with black and white tips, and bright red legs and bill. They feed on worms, fish, insects, and crustaceans.

The Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) breeds in northern North America and migrates to winter farther south. At 28-38 cm (11-15 in) in length and 76-84 cm (30-33 in) in wingspan, it is the third smallest gull. They have white underparts, grey upperparts and wings with black tips, black head, white eye-crescents, orange-red legs, and black short, thin bill. They feed mainly on insects, as well as eggs of spawning salmon, small crustaceans and molluscs, and steal food from other birds.

silver gull image by Peter Prokosch

Bonaparte's gull image by Ken Schneider

[life-around-me-yura15cbx]

Oxychilus draparnaudi, or Draparnaud's glass snail, is a species of small land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc.

Class:Gastropoda

Subclass:Heterobranchia

Order:Stylommatophora

Family:Oxychilidae

Genus:Oxychilus

Oxychilus draparnaudi is large for a zonitid glass snail, also called the dark-bodied glass snail with a shell of about 14 mm in maximum dimension. The shell is glossy and is a translucent yellowish-brown and gold in color, somewhat whiter underneath. The visible soft parts of the animal are a very unusual strong dark blue, mixed with grey.

This animal is omnivorous, and preys upon native land snails.

Native to western Europe and the Mediterranean. Introduced to Russia, North America, South and North Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The species occurs in humid deciduous forest habitats, but in most parts of its European range it occurs synanthropically in parks, urban gardens, compost heaps, urban waste grounds and also in greenhouses. Во дворе, на земле под доской.

47/22 Northcross Drive, Oteha, Auckland 0632

7PJC+J4X Auckland

-36.7183750, 174.7203580

наземные моллюски беспозвоночные улитки брюхоногие

[brookston]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Commonwealth Day (Belize)

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

European Day of Parks

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services For Children Day

National Mike Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

World Tarot Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

4th Wednesday in May

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day [4th Wednesday]

National Brown Bag It Day [Last Wednesday; also 5.25]

National Senior Health and Fitness Day [Last Wednesday]

World Orienteering Day [4th Wednesday]

World Otter Day [Last Wednesday]

Independence Days

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Empire of New Prussia (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Kingdom of Africa (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Kingdom of Sycamore (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Lunataria (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Neo-Dumnonii Kingdom (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pilatia (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Pontormo (Artology)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 21 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 6 (Ren-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 4 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 23 Bīja; Twosday [23 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2023

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 32)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Commonwealth Day (Belize)

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

European Day of Parks

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services For Children Day

National Mike Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

World Tarot Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

4th Wednesday in May

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day [4th Wednesday]

National Brown Bag It Day [Last Wednesday; also 5.25]

National Senior Health and Fitness Day [Last Wednesday]

World Orienteering Day [4th Wednesday]

World Otter Day [Last Wednesday]

Independence Days

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Empire of New Prussia (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Kingdom of Africa (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Kingdom of Sycamore (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Lunataria (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Neo-Dumnonii Kingdom (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pilatia (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Pontormo (Artology)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 21 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 6 (Ren-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 4 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 23 Bīja; Twosday [23 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2023

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 32)

[drhoz]

The Great ACT-NSW-NZ Trip, 2023-2024 -Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui

The Head of Māui's Fish - specifically, the area around New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, deriving from the legend of the fishing up of the island by the demi-god Māui. The harbour is the mouth - an area of reddish-purple rock facing onto Cook Strait was the bait Māui used.

Wellington's placement makes it one of the windiest cities in the world, and the narrow strait and howling gales makes for complicated tides and a shocking number of shipwrecks. The geology makes for some fun times too - the Haowhenua (Māori for 'land swallower') earthquake around 1460 AD raised the harbour area by 6 meters, turning some islands into the Miramar Peninsula. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake moved a 150km stretch of the Wairarapa fault 20m along and 8m up. in some respects this was convinient timing, since the city had been desperately short of flat land at the time, and now part of the harbour wasn't harbour anymore. It's now the central business district of the city.

Every public building in New Zealand we went into had a warning plaque that the building was earthquake prone - one of the museums in wellington had that, BUT also suggested, if the quake was a particularly big one, you might want to head to the top floor rather than out into the street. Because Wellington is also tsunami prone. The 1855 quake produced one that reached 11m above sealevel.

The hills are also festooned with delightfully eccentric architecture, and more than a few funicular lifts so people can actually get to their homes from street level. One person had a funicular installed because their dog was getting elderly and struggled with the stairs.

Most of the species I saw were along the shoreline - at the harbour and ferry terminal in the city, out around the edges of the Miramar Peninsula, and out on Cook Strait at Pariwhero/Red Rocks.

The geology at Pariwhero is quite interesting - much of the basement rock in New Zealand is greywacke, a dark sandstone derived from turbidite deposits acculmulated at the edge of the Australian tectonic plate. At Pariwhero there are also deposits of argillite, a finer-grained rock quite useful for stone tools. And basalt - but the volcanic rocks are 50 million years older than the greywacke and argillite surrounding them. That's because the basalt was originally a set of seamounts - underwater volcanoes - scraped off the Pacific Plate as it subducts under what would one day be New Zealand, buried 10-15km deep, and pushed back to the surface again as more and more stuff gets piled up on the accretionary wedge and the entire area gets folded over double and concertinaed. Most of the colour in the local rocks is the result of iron leaching out of the basalt over tens of millions of years, and the argillite was deposited in the lee of the seamounts.

[shuttergremlin]

[molluscfacts]

Colossal Squid Examination: Highlights

Te Papa has a new colossal squid! 

Watch highlights from the colossal squid examination as specialists in squid biology from Auckland University of Technology undertake research on this rare find. This colossal squid and the specimen already on display at Te Papa are the only two of their kind caught intact – ever! Large colossal squid specimens in good condition are rarely available to scientists, so this latest example has caused great excitement.

From The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

[wlwaerith]

can’t believe i forgot to post these. some pretty shells that i found on the beach yesterday :3 the joint? clasp? idk the word that connects them has gone stiff so i can’t close them anymore, but when i first found the lighter one it could hardly stay open. they’re pipi shells! pipis are a kind of mollusc endemic to new zealand that often wash up on beaches on australia’s east coast

[sciencespies]

Earthquake creates ecological opportunity

https://sciencespies.com/nature/earthquake-creates-ecological-opportunity/

Earthquake creates ecological opportunity

A University of Otago study has revealed how earthquake upheaval has affected New Zealand’s coastal species.

Lead author Dr Felix Vaux, of the Department of Zoology, says earthquakes are typically considered devastating events for people and the environment, but the positive opportunities that they can create for wildlife are often overlooked.

For the Marsden-funded study, published in Journal of Phycology, the researchers sequenced DNA from 288 rimurapa/bull-kelp plants from 28 places across central New Zealand.

“All specimens from the North Island were expected to be the species Durvillaea antarctica, but unexpectedly 10 samples from four sites were Durvillaea poha — about 150 km from the nearest population on the Kaik?ura Peninsula,” Dr Vaux says.

The range expansion of the seaweed seems to be associated with the, often forgotten, 1855 Wairarapa earthquake — New Zealand’s strongest recorded earthquake since European colonisation, at magnitude 8.2.

“Uplift and landslides around Wellington cleared swathes of coastline of Durvillaea antarctica, and this seems to have allowed a previously South Island restricted species — Durvillaea poha — to colonise and establish itself in the North Island.

“This exciting discovery highlights that frequent tectonic activity may be reshaping New Zealand’s biodiversity, including its marine environments, and it reminds us that recent events — such as the 2016 Kaik?ura earthquake, may have long-lasting effects on the environment.”

Dr Vaux believes an increase in the species diversity of bull-kelp in the North Island is likely to be positive for the intertidal community as Durvillaea provides a sheltered habitat for numerous animals — including crustaceans, molluscs such as p?ua, spiders and fish.

“Our discovery is exciting because it indicates that tectonic disturbance can not only change population structure within a species, but it can also create ecological opportunity and shift the distribution of organisms.

“While many range shifts have been linked to climate change, tectonic disturbance should not be overlooked as a potential facilitator of range expansion. In our fast-changing world, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the forces that shape the distribution of species,” he says.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Otago. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

#Nature

[dailybrewedblog]

Are You A Professional Fisherman In Australia? Find Life-size Portraits Of Fish Species.

If you are a fisherman looking for some life-sized portraits of Australian fish species, then here is the list of some amazing fish species found in Australia. 

1. Leopard Coral Grouper: The Leopard Coral Grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish. It is mainly found in the western Pacific region. This Australian fish species is widely distributed from Southern Japan to Australia and from the eastern coast of Thailand and Malaysia to the Solomon Islands, the Caroline Islands, and Fiji.

2. Bidyanus Bidyanus: This silver perch Australian fish species is a medium-sized freshwater fish that is found in the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. This fish species is omnivorous, feeding on insect larvae, molluscs, annelid worms, and algae. 

3. Striped Marlin: This fish species is a species of marlin, found mainly in tropical to temperate regions in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. They made a record in game fish with a weight of 190 kg and a length of 4.2 m. they are amazing predators. 

4. Tailor: This Australian fish species are found around the world, so it is known by different names in different locations. It is called tailor in Australia and New Zealand, elf and shad in South Africa. It is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. 

5.  Australasian Snapper: The Australasian Snapper is a species of porgie found in the coastal waters of Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and New Zealand. Although it is called snapper, it doesn’t belong to the snapper family.  

6. Common Yabby: The Common Yabby is an Australian freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family. It is a vulnerable species of crayfish. Their color varies greatly and depends on the water clarity and habitat. They can reach up to a maximum length of 30 cm but are common of about 10-20 cm long.

Tiger Shark: This Australian fish species is not just found in Australia, but also in other tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands. These fish are named so because their body has dark stripes down the body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern.