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Jim Lyles' Dasycaris or Periclimenes shrimp?





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Posted by Dave on June 25, 2008 at 19:38:29:

I really enjoyed Jim Lyle's Lembeh report. I only was able to spend 1 day there shooting HD video but after seeing those images, especially the black and white striated batfish, I need to get back and for longer this time! I did get some great HD footage of a purple rhinopias as well as the so called electric flame scallop (it's really a file clam, not a scallop) producing noticeable arcs of white light in its mantle.

I also got a kick out of his style where he posts the scientific names of each subject as the names and their often times ancient Greek origins are fascinating in themselves.

I have learned that if a species is within a genus but not exactly known or unidentified, the "sp" is added after the first name, as in Dasycarus sp, which Jim labeled one of his shrimp subjects. I believe that is the name of the Dasycaris zanzibarica shrimp which resides as a commensal to whip coral stalks in Jim's photo.

I shot a subject that looks identical to my admittedly middle aged eyes while in the Philippines, and I believed it to be a Periclimenes zanzibaricus shrimp on a whip coral. For what I can find so far on the internet the subjects look identical.

We have an identification thread going with my HD video of a zanzibaricus shrimp here as well as links to the Dasycaris version where we are trying to come up with a consensus as to why two animals that look identical have different genus names but both ending with a derivative of zanzibaricus, which means "of Zanzibar".

"Periclimenes" I believe is a derivative of the Greek "Periklymenum" which is a honeysuckle, a flower that changes shape. I believe that word was the source for the Greek Mythological character Periklymenos, a shape shifting character in Jason and the Argonauts.

PERIKLYMENOS (or Periclymenus) was the eldest of son of Neleus, king of Pylos, who was granted the ability to shape-shift by his grandfather Poseidon. When Herakles attacked the kingdom, Periklymenos assumed the form of a lion, an ant, a snake, a swarm of bees and an eagle, but was nevertheless vanquished by the hero. -Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Interesting thing is many of these ancient Greek derived scientific names do not have a consensus as to proper pronunciation.

Anyway, anyone who weighs with opinion or thoughts on this, whether at the thread link or here, it's appreciated.

Dave



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