Help with these live shells from Oman plz

[david_touitou]

Hello all,

A friend of mine shot these little guys in Oman :

<i>"I found this tiny mollusc (about 10 to 15mm) crawling about in the sand.
At first I thought it was a nudibranch, but after noticing it's syphon, I decided it was some type of shell.
It was hard to focus on something that small with the camera.
It seemed to merge with the background when I was looking at it with my eye and I lost it a few times.
Eventually it crawled under the sand and after a few seconds emerged.
Then it did it again, but I never saw it re-emerge. I guess from it's behaviour it was hunting.
I have attached below two photos of it.

If you have any idea what it is or know someone that does, please let me know."</i>

<img src="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808416" alt="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808416" style="border:0" />

<img src="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808421" alt="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808421" style="border:0" />

<i>"I've just been diving in the south of Oman, where I photographed several of these distinctively marked shells.
I estimate that they were about 2cm long.
I have no idea what they are, if you do, please let me know."</i>

<img src="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808425" alt="http://www.badongo.com/t/640/4808425" style="border:0" />

Thanks
DAVID  <span class="petit">--Last edited by David on 2008-12-01 21:04:47 --</span>

[mauro]

The first one is from Family CYSTISCIDAE, probably in Genus Gibberula.

Mauro

[dave r]

David, I would say the second picture would be Fasciolariidae, maybe Pleuroploca or Latirus but I have never seen anything that blue. Is it a periostracum? could it possibly be lignaria?
Dave

[sakura-of-the-sea]

WOW! The second snail looks fluorescent! Beautiful photo!