Abstract |
Egg capsule micromorphology of eight species of neogastropods (Chicoreus florifer dilectus, Phyllonotus pomum, Cantharus multangulus, C. cancellarius, Conus floridanus floridensis, C. jaspideus stearnsi, Granulina ovuliformis, and Marginella aureocincta) was studied with light microscopy by examining very thick, toluidine blue stained sections. Laminae exposed by fracturing the sections, and their reactions to the stain provided the characters used to describe micromorphology. The results showed that muricaceans and buccinaceans have complex but microstructurally similar egg capsules, while conids and marginellids have egg capsules with taxonomically distinct microstructural characteristics. |