#new zealand mollusc

[drhoz]

#2636 - Dosinia anus - Coarse Dosinia

AKA  Cytherea (Artemis) anus, and Dosinia horridus, tuangi-haruru, ringed dosinia, coarse dosinia, or coarse biscuit shell. A common surf clam around the islands of Aotearoa, buried in clean sand down to about 15m depth. The largest and heaviest species in the genus, occasionally exceeding 80 mm in diameter.

Timaru, Aotearoa 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.

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Image Source: Here

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

[shark-of-tha-day]

shark of the day: northern spiny dogfish, squalus griffini

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

northern spiny dogfish are small dogfish sharks. they can reach lengths of up to around 1.1 metres(~3.6 ft). the northern spiny dogfish can be found in deeper waters near the sea floor around reefs and sandy bottoms located around new zealand in the southwestern pacific ocean. they feed on small fish, cephalopods, molluscs, and crustaceans.

[fubberio-yaps-about-fish]

First Fish Yap Post - Labridae!

I figure it fit for the first post in this blog to be about my favourite fish family ever - Labridae - the wrasses, parrotfishes and cales.

Introduction Labridae is a diverse (and extremely cool!) family of fishes, encompassing nearly 700 species, and occur in tropical and temperate marine waters worldwide - none inhabit freshwater. Typically, they are elongate, small to medium in size and colourful, and the greatest species diversity is found on tropical coral reefs.

This green fellow is Thalassoma lunare - the Moon Wrasse. By all means, a fairly 'typical' wrasse.

Taxonomy The number of species included within Labridae has increased over time, not only by the description of new species, but also from species from other families being reclassified as members of Labridae - notably, the parrotfishes (formerly family Scaridae) and the cales (formerly family Odacidae). The parrotfishes and cales were always considered to be close relatives of Labridae, but genetic studies have shown that these groups are deeply nested within Labridae, and thus should be classified in this family. The closest living relatives of Labridae, based on genetic evidence, appears to be the curious family Centrogenyidae, the false scorpionfishes.

This is Scarus rivulatus - the Surf Parrotfish. Formerly placed in the family Scaridae, but along with all other parrotfishes, is now included in Labridae

Siphonognathus caninis - the Sharp-nosed Weed-whiting. Formerly placed in Odacidae (a family of temperate marine fishes found only in southern Australia and New Zealand), but along with all other Odacidae species is now included in Labridae.

Diets and Feeding This is where the labrids really get interesting. The vast majority of labrids are carnivorous - typically subsisting on crustaceans, molluscs and other invertebrate prey. The 'typical' carnivorous wrasses possess simple, peglike teeth to break down their (often shelled) prey, but many groups show interesting specialisations to the mouth, jaws and teeth to exploit other food sources.

The aforementioned parrotfishes and cales are largely herbivorous, and have specialised tooth structures to facilitate this diet - in parrotfishes, their teeth have fused into a thick, parrot-like beak to scrape algae from rocks. In doing this, the top layer of rock is also scraped off and ingested, to be later excreted as the fine white sand on tropical beaches that humans find so appealing. So next time you find yourself on a gorgeous tropical beach, don't forget that you're standing on a giant accumulated mound of parrotfish poo! The cales take a similar but different approach to herbivory - they too have fused beaklike teeth, but use them like a pair of garden shears to clip mouthfuls of algae and seaweed.

Some wrasses are plankivorous, aggregating in shoals that hover at the edge of the reef to pick at plankton floating by on the currents - this guild includes the likes of the genus Cirrhilabrus and smaller species of Thalassoma.

The Slingjaw Wrasse (Epibulus insidiator) has a most unusual mouth structure that allows it to massively extend it's jaws, forming a frankly absurd tubelike structure to allow it to slurp up small fish and shrimp that may be hiding in small crevices. The ability to protrude the mouth out like this is common amongst ray-finned fishes, but few can do so to the ridiculous extent of the Slingjaw Wrasse. I HIGHLY recommend looking up a video of the slingjaw in action, it's super cool.

Epibulus indidiator (Slingjaw Wrasse) showing off it's frankly absurd jaw protrusion. When the jaws are retracted, they sit flat against the rest of the head.

The various species of tubelip wrasses are specialists on a very strange diet - the mucus secreted by corals. As the name suggests, these fishes have unusually long and fleshy lips that come together to form a sealed tube, with which the fish uses to create a tight seal against a piece of coral and sucks up the mucus.

Labrichthys unilineatus, one such species of tubelip wrasse. Look at those lips!

Perhaps the best-known feeding specialisation in wrasses is that of species that clean other fishes of parasites, food waste and dead skin. Many wrasse species engage in cleaning behaviour as juveniles, but a few (such as the genus Labroides, the well-known 'cleaner wrasses') continue this behaviour into adulthood, and make it their primary source of sustenance. These small, striped wrasses will set up 'cleaning stations' on the reef, attended by one or more cleaner wrasses - typically, a reef with have several of these stations. Most sedentary fish species will simply visit the cleaning station closest to their territory, but wider-ranging species are willing to travel considerable distance to visit the stations that offer the best service, so competition between cleaning stations is fierce to provide the best services to win these picky customers. The cleaner wrasses will give preferential treatment to non-local fish to win their favour, and can individually recognise hundreds of fishy customers from different species. Even large, predatory fish species are accepted customers, and the cleaner wrasses will happily enter the mouths and gills of groupers, sharks and eels to clean them. Only on very rare occasions will such a predator eat a cleaner wrasse - the benefit of the wrasse's cleaning services is greater to the predator than the immediate caloric benefit of consuming the wrasse, so the wrasse can swim straight into the mouth of predatory fish with impunity.

Labroides dimidiatus (Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse), the best-known species of the genus Labroides.

Sex-swapping and Reproductive Strategies An extremely interesting (but not entirely unique) trait of the wrasses is their ability to change sex, and the reproductive systems this enables. Almost all wrasses are born females, and can become male later in life. Often, juvenile female wrasses will join harems, consisting of numerous juveniles and adult females, and a single male. In these harems, there is a strict dominance hierarchy, with each fish harassing those lower in the ranks than itself. This constant low-level stress inhibits the hormone production that would cause a female wrasse to transition into a male - except for the most dominant fish, which is free to transform into a male. Usually, the dominant male will bear different colouration and patterning to the other fish in the harem, making the boss easy to pick out from the rest. The dominant male in a wrasse harem will frequently spawn with the adult females. However, if the dominant fish is removed from the harem (eg. if he dies, or is kicked out after losing a dominance contest to another wrasse), the most dominant female will become male to take his place. The behavioural change is almost instantaneous - the new dominant fish will become more aggressive - but the change in colouration and gonads can take a few weeks to a few months.

Female Thalassoma amblycephalum (Blunthead Wrasse)

Dominant male of the same species. It's easy to see how often, male and female of the same wrasse species can be incorrectly identified as being different species - even by scientists!

Intelligence and Tool Use Perhaps, 'intelligent' is not a word often used to describe fishes, but wrasses would certainly be among the brainiest of the fishes. The previously mentioned Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse is one of the few fish to have demonstrated self-awareness via the mirror test (although the mirror test has rarely been attempted on fishes, so perhaps the number of self-aware fish out there is higher than we realise), and several wrasse species (particularly the tuskfishes of the genus Choerodon) have been observed to use tools. Tuskfishes have a pretty fearsome set of teeth that they use to break through the shells of their prey, but that alone is not enough to break the thickest of clam shells - so they use tools to smash the clams. A tuskfish, upon finding a clam too solid to bite through, will carry it in it's mouth to a habitually used rock or knob of coral, and with the clam still in it's mouth, flick it's head to hit the clam against the rock to break it. Only rarely does this work the first try, but the tuskfish is persistent, and will repeatedly hit the clam until it breaks, allowing the fish entry to consume the flesh inside.

Choerodon anchorago (Anchor Tuskfish), one species that has been observed to use tools to break open clam shells.

Sleep Labrids have some pretty interesting behaviours to avoid being eaten while they sleep (although it could be argued fish do not truly 'sleep', saying 'sleep-like resting state' every time is too wordy so I'll just say 'sleep'). Many species will burrow into the sand to sleep, to hide from predators - a behaviour that can be alarming to the beginner saltwater aquarist, who may be terrified to find that their newly-acquired wrasse has suddenly dissappeared when the tank lights are turned off! Other species (especially the parrotfishes) produce a bubble of mucus to sleep in, like a sleeping bag made of snot. They make a new bubble every night, the purpose of which is to conceal the fish's scent from predators as it sleeps in a crevice or under a head of coral, as well as to prevent parasites settling on the fish's skin. In the morning, the fish will eat it's way out of it's mucus bubble.

A parrotfish (I'm not sure which species exactly) sleeping in it's mucus bubble.

Oh, and did I mention that some wrasses are drop-dead GORGEOUS???? Just LOOK at these

Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus - Monsoon Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura - Blueside Fairy Wrasse. This colour form of the species with the yellow spot on the flanks was previously considered a seperate species (Cirrhilabrus ryukyuensis), but has been reclassified as a colour variant of C. cyanopleura.

Macropharyngodon meleagris - Leopard Wrasse

Gomphosus varius - Pacific Bird Wrasse. Boy, why you so nose??

Cheilinus undulatus - Humphead Maori Wrasse. This is the largest species in the family Labridae (reaching a whopping 2.3 metres!), and unfortunately also one of the most threatened - it is heavily fished for the seafood trade, and it's slow growth makes it easily overharvested.

Lachnolaimus maximus - Hogfish

[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)

[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.

[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)

[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

[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