Cypraea annulus and Cypraea moneta: BC #3 candidate information

[BrianPlankis]

Hey all,

In preparation of Breeding Challenge #3, I thought it would be wise to research each potential target animal to see what could be found in the scientific literature and online before we make our decision on which one to attempt.

I plan on organiziing these threads more in the future, but I wanted to start this one on Cypraea annulus (The ring cowrie) as I just read an article on their reproduction tonight:


Katoh, M. 1989. Life history of the golden ring cowrie, Cypraea annulus, (Mollusca: gastropoda) on Okinawa Island, Japan. Marine Biology. 101(2), 227-234


I photocopied the article tonight and here is some information from the article:

Adult Food:
"The cowries were fed fresh filamentous green algae (e.g. Enteromorpha intestinalis) from May to July. Since the filamentous algae were not found in situ after July, the preserved brown alga Undaria pinnatifida was given thereafter." (p228)

Egg mass characteristics:
"egg-mass color changed from yellow to violet during the brooding period in the laboratory..." p 230

"Within 5 days of spawning, the color of the egg mass changed from yellow to violet..." p 231

"...veliger larvae emerged after 8 d. The brooding periods of two other females were 6 and 9 d in October and December respectively. Veliger larvae emerged both in the morning and in the afternoon. The females nipped and tore off the egg capsules whilst the veligers emerged and, after emergence, moved away and left the emptied capsules on the site. The size of veligers was 0.13 mm one day after emergence from the egg capsules" p 231

I just have to say it is very cool the female helps the eggs hatch, wouldn't that be fascinating behavior to observe?

Breeding season:
"Brooding females were observed in the field throughout the study period." p 230

Spawning frequency
"Five females in the aquaria spawned three to four times each between July and November 1984 under ad libitum food supply, equivalent to seven to ten times per year. High water-temperature and high food availability may have caused these high frequencies, which are significantly higher than the estimated frequency of five times per year in the field." p 233

Unfortunately the author did not attempt to raise the veligers, so there is no information on first food nor length of time they stay in the phytoplankton phase and no obvious references that mention this information.

There is one reference on C. moneta:

Renaud, M.L. (1971). Aspects of the biology and ecology of Cypraea moneta at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands. M.S. Thesis. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

I will try to get this reference soon.

There is also a table of a literature search of life-history data on 16 species of Cypraeidae and all noted "Size at emergence" is 100-373 micrometers.

If anyone runs across information on this cowrie, especially a first food for the larvae and and how long they stay in the veliger stage, please add it to this thread.

Brian

[reeformadness]

Don't know what's in this but I will try to find it.

Tanaka, Y. 1980
Venus the Japanese Journal of Malacology 39(2): 117-122

Egg cases, eggs and hatched larvae of C. vitellus were observed. Egg cases over which the mother lies for protection are pyriform measuring 2.5 .times. 1.5 mm and contain some 600 eggs each. Swimming veligers escaped from egg cases on the 12th day. Veligers measure 190 .mu.m in shell length, with bilobed velum. Emptied egg cases were eaten by the mother.

[charlesr1958]

I have searched quite a bit on finding a first food and have come up empty, but if anyone knows of a first food for other cowry herbivores, I would be willing to bet that the ringed cowry would need something similiar if not the same.

I really do need to figure out some way of cultivating such foods as it seems every time there is a breeding challenge, it is with those species that I could literaly come home with a bucket full of them. Pocilioporas...all over the place...Scutus...very common...ringed cowry...boat loads....lol Not to mention a great many other snail herbivores. Okay...thats it...am going to have to break down and beg my sister in Calif. to price brine eggs and phytoplankton, am sure if I think of something she did as a kid that she would rather her husband not know about, I could probably blackmail her into it...lol

Chuck

[BrianPlankis]

I have searched quite a bit on finding a first food and have come up empty, but if anyone knows of a first food for other cowry herbivores, I would be willing to bet that the ringed cowry would need something similiar if not the same.

Chuck

I think with the previous cowrie egg effort (http://www.projectdibs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199)we had, that an acceptable first food might be DT's reef blend phytoplankton mix. Granted they are different species of cowrie, but it is at least worth a shot. I will continue to try to get my hands on the master's thesis above and look at other literature as well, as identifying a single first food could be a good thing.

Brian

[reeformadness]

Tanaka, Y. 1980
Venus the Japanese Journal of Malacology 39(2): 117-122

Unfortunately this article is in Japanese from my understanding. I have come up empty as well. There doesn't seem to be much out there. But that makes this breeding effort all the more important.

[reeformadness]

I have a couple of what I think are C. annulus. I might get some more and hope maybe I can get some egg masses.

[BrianPlankis]

I have a couple of what I think are C. annulus. I might get some more and hope maybe I can get some egg masses.

Where did you get yours? One thing we need to determine for each BC#3 candidate is the availability of the animals. If we can only get two Breeders attempting them, it won't be nearly as good as 10.

Brian

[reeformadness]

Aquaspot...

[reeformadness]

http://www.withinmysite.com/main/pagemaker/catalog.php?sid=101&pageid=10239&type=category&id=581

Mine is what is listed as milk-grazer...don't know what species I have for sure

[BrianPlankis]

http://www.withinmysite.com/main/pagemaker/catalog.php?sid=101&pageid=10239&type=category&id=581

Mine is what is listed as milk-grazer...don't know what species I have for sure

Thanks for the link, that is very helpful. The link lists the milk-grazer as: Erosaria annulus, which is a synonym from Cypraea annulus, so if they have the ID correct, it would be a ring cowrie.

Brian

[reeformadness]

I did find some information in the library on cowries. Much is not very helpful, but I did find some good diet stuff. Hopefully some good references too. Unfortunately, nothing on the food requirements of the early stages and nothing specifically on C. annulus. It seems that spawning is fairly common, but I still haven't found any literature about raising the early stages. One reference looks like it might be what we're looking for, but I will have to wait till next week mot likely to get it. It is:

D'Asaro (1970) Egg capsules of prosobranch mollusks from South Florida and the Bahamas and notes on spawning in the laboratory. Bull. Mar. Sci. 20:414-440.

This is supposed to have information on C. spurca acicularis.

[reeformadness]

These are articles I found that are useful:

Bandel (1973) Notes on Cypraea cinerea and Cyphoma gibbosum from the Caribbean Sea and description of their spawn. The Veliger 15(4):335-337.

Osorio et al. (1993) Diet of Cypraea caputdraconis as it relates to food availability in Easter Island. Pacific Science 47(1):34-42.

Osorio et al. (1999) Aspects of the reproductive activity of Cypraea caputdraconis from Easter Island. Pacific Science 53(1):15-23.

Crovo (1971) Cyprae cervus and Cypraea zebra in Florida - one species or two? The Veliger 13(3):292-295.

Osorio et al. (1992) Egg mass and intracapsular development of Cypraea caputdraconis from Easter Island. The Veliger 35(4):316-322.

Hayes (1983) The influence of diet on local disributions of Cypraea. Pacific Science 37(1):27-36.

and here's one of interest to me that might not be of interest to anyone else

Cernhorsky (1964) The Cypraeidae of Fiji. The Veliger 6(4):177-201.

[reeformadness]

Here are some references that might be good:

D’Asaro (1969) The egg capsules of Jenneria pustulata with notes on spawning in the laboratory. The Veliger 11(3)182-184.

Lebour (1932) The larval stages of Simnia patula. Journ. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 18(1):105-115

Webber (1977) Gastropoda: Prosobranchia. Pages 1-114 in Reproduction of marine invertebrates. Vol. 4. Mollusks: Gastropods and Cephalopods. Academic Press, New York.

Kume and Dan (1968) Invertebrate Embryology. NOLIT Publishing Houe: Belgrade. 605 pp.

Wilson (1985) Direct development in southern Australian cowries. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36:267-280.

Griffiths (1961) Sexual dimorphism in Cypraeidae. Proc. malac. Soc. Lond. 34:203-206.

Natarajan (1954) On the breeding habits of the cowrie Erronea errones. Curr. Sci. 23:225-226

Natarajan (1957) Studies on the egg masses and larval development of some prosobranchs from the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Sect B) 46:170-228

Schilder and Schilder (1961) Sexual differences in cowries. Proc malac. Soc. Lond. 34:207-209.

Taylor (1975) Planktonic prosobranch veligers of Kaneohe Bay. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Darling (1965) Observations on the growth of Cypraea spadicea. Veliger 8(1):14-15.

Kay (1960) The functional morphology of Cypraea caputserpentis and an interpretation of relationships among the Cypraeacea. Int. Rev. Gen. Hydro. 45(2):175-192.

Renaud (1976) Observations on the behavior and shell types of Cypraea moneta at Enewetak, Marshall Islands. Pac. Sci. 30(2):147-158.

Taylor (1975) The living cowrie. In Taylor and Walls (eds.) Cowries. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune, New Jersey. 287 pp.

[charlesr1958]

Hopefully monday's weather will allow me into the ocean, which I can then gather up a handfull of these cowries and at least get some good photos which can be used for ID purposes? I have plenty of grazing available in my sump and can keep them there as well and see if they will at least breed also.

Chuck

[reeformadness]

Where are you located? Sounds like paradise. One important thing I left out that I found was that some of these species are generalists and others are very specific about what they eat (e.g. one species of sponge). So a variety of food is probably best. Charles, you have the benefit of collecting them in their own environment. Let us know what you find.

[reeformadness]

Current Science article is online

http://www.ias.ac.in/j_archive/currsci/23/7/225-226/viewpage.html

[reeformadness]

http://www.cowrys.org/capcowry/MALACOL1.HTM

Sample of a whole site dedicated to cowries. Ton of references.

[reeformadness]

http://www.spc.int/coastfish/news/Trochus/Trochus12/Troc12-22-Hamel.pdf

[Iris]

The Eggs from Cyprea annulus

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurigelege.jpg

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurigelege1.jpg

clutch after 7 days visibly darker

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurieier.jpg

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurieier1.jpg

[Iris]

microscopical view of an egg

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurilarve3.jpg

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/img/kaurilarve1.jpg
larvae 2 days after hatching

i feed them with DT´s Phyto and Chaetoceros calcitrans

but then i had a accident with the glass :eek:

[reeformadness]

Beautiful pics! Good luck with everything. Hope your accident wasn't too bad.

[BrianPlankis]

Link to Iris' page with pictures of Cypraea annulus pictures from page 2 of this thread:

http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/andere/cyprea_annulus_engl.htm

Brian