Haminoea linda, South Pacific. The shells of these and similar opisthobranchs are transparent and colorless. The color and pattern seen here is on the mantle and is showing trough the clear, transparent shell. When the animal dies, the shells often wash up on beaches and are hard to distinguish from the bubbles produced by waves splashing on the shore, hence the name "bubble shells."
John B. Burch (photographer; copyright holder), Mollusk Division, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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To cite this page: Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2013. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at http://animaldiversity.org.
Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
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