colleagues, especially Mediterranean ones,
Something is bothering me
Salensky 1882: 347 on Psygmobranchus protensus (reported to be a synonym of
Protula tubularia):
"abondamment dans le golfe de Naples. .. . Elle pond une enorme
quantite d'oeufs qui s'accolent au bord externe de la coquille. Reunis en
boule, leur forme rapelle celle d'une poire. Les oeufs sont revetus
exterieurement d'une substance gelatineuse; ..." (I purposely left out
diacritical marks, they will be maltreated by some machines).
LoBianco 1888: 404; 1909: 586 on Psygmobranchus protensus first,
Protula tubularia later:
"I nidamenti gelatinosi contengono uova rosso e sono deposti sull'orlo del
tubo calcareo dell'animale. .."
Two explicit statements that Protula tubularia shows a form of brood care,
between april and august. Nevertheless, in the over 200 literature records
of the taxon (for what is is worth) I have seen, I noted no further
reference to this habit. Myself, I collected quite a few "Protula", though
admittedly probably not in the reproductive period, and I have never seen
such behaviour. In more recent diving guides I have seen colour
photographs of the fairly common taxon, no reference to red gelatinous
masses.
Who can tell me more about this?
dr. Harry A. ten Hove
Institute for Systematics and Ecology
Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam
POB 94766, 1090 GT AMSTERDAM
TEL. 3120 5256906
FAX. 3120 5255402
http://www-zma.bio.uva.nl/departments/Coel/coeleng/harry.html
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