On one of the slides of Millepora sp., this unknown object was observed last night. It reminded me of a possible egg or egg mass I had observed on M. platyphylla on Guam, probably in 1986.
[Next day: I am thinking about Foraminifera, but this is minute. Perhaps a developmental stage? Calcarea?]
Coincidentally, the day after I first observed this object, I stumbled upon this description of the putative egg I observed on Guam. I cannot validate the nature of either object, at this time.
An egg cluster was observed on colonies of Millepora platyphylla on
Guam, in clusters the spacing of which seemed to mimics the pattern of pores of the corallum. These clusters, extremely difficult to see
on the surface of the colony, seem an almost perfect example of
camouflage mimicry.
The egg or egg cluster resembled a doily with the spherical egg set in the middle. Each egg was attached to the surface of the corallite by root-like projections from the doily, which apparently is an attachment device, and might, as well, protect the egg from nematocysts of Millepora platyphylla.
It is not known what kind of fish (sic) lays this egg. The spacing pattern of the egg cluster, the its near invisibility on Millepora platyphylla, and several repeated observations conspire ta suggest a specific association.
Thinking this to be a fish egg, I placed it in a vial, probably in ethanol, and passed it to Professor Steve Amesbury at UOG Marine Lab, the ichthyologist at the time. I have not been able to locate that vial in recent correspondence.
Further observations
Note that the darker spots, organized into an array are spaced similarly to what are possibly holes or pores in the paler dish-shaped structure. Note the shaft of a nematocyst. The mystery deepens.
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