We have recently been on the lookout for a type of parasitic shell in the Balcis family that have been found on a variety of Echinoderms including seastars, urchins and brittle stars. The shells are smooth to the point of being slippery and the shells themselves are pure white and transparent enough to reveal the animal inside. There seem to be a number of very different animal colorations suggesting more species at Kwaj than originally thought. This one was feeding on this odd species of sea mouse. 7mm
24 September 2012