3 replies to this topic

[bmorescuba]

Just back from a lovely week in Bonaire.

Saw these chains of transparent, bell shaped casings with solid spherical centers floating everywhere. 10-60fsw, floating in the middle of the water column, floating above coral, landing on coral. Pretty small, one unit of the chain 1-2mm. Almost always, many fish were feeding on them, but most often Trunkfish and Sharpnose Puffers. Especially when they were floating in mid-water column, they were quite mesmerizing and almost looked like they had locomotion, but that could definitely have been an illusion.

I figure they have to be egg sacs of some kind, but then I'm wrong more often than not. My attachment shows a Trunk and a Cow chomping down. They were really quite prevalent and I'm curious as to exactly what they were.

Here is an image from someone else in my group for more reference: Flickr Egg?

Thanks for any help!

[liquidguru]

These are pelagic tunicates that form a chain under certain circumstances. They are in the Caribbean Reef Creatures book at the end somewhere..

Some links:

Link 1

Link 2

Edited by liquidguru, 29 April 2012 - 06:43 PM.

[bmorescuba]

How wrong I was!

I see that now - the very last entry in Reef Creature ID.

Thanks a lot!

[Leslie]

Two posts in a row on the same critter! This looks to be the giant salp Thetys vagina.

http://jellieszone.com/thetys.htm
http://www.richardhe...L-salp_5530.jpg