ID Help Please

Brian Mayes · Gender: Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 24 Location: UK

Found this in Perhentians, Malaysia on a type of soft coral, but can't find and ID for it in my reference books.

wei · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 37

I am not familar with the animal, but from the shell my guess is that it is of the genus Margovula, possibly species tinctilis or bimaculata.

Brian Mayes · Gender: Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 24 Location: UK

Thanks Wei.

The banding on the shell ties up with Margovula bimaculata, but I think my find in the Perhentians, Malaysia, is outside it's recorded range of Australia, Philippines and Indonesia.

wei · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 37

I'm not sure about its distribution, but if it's recorded from the South China Sea, its occurence off West Malaysia isn't surprising. Still, a nice find, and an even nicer photograph!

Brian Mayes · Gender: Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 24 Location: UK

I don't know if it's been reported in the South China Sea and haven't found a reference to that. Do you know of one? btw. I think you mean East coast Malaysia.

wei · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 37

Lorenz & Fehse (2009) pg 208 figures a shell from S. China Sea.

Brian Mayes · Gender: Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 24 Location: UK