Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section
of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the
'#' link.
- aeolid nudibranchs
Both dorid and aeolid nudibranchs are suborder members of the order Nudibranchia, with aeolids
(a.k.a. eolids) being a type of nudibranch possessing cerata rather than a feather-like
external gill on the back and no rhinophoral sheath. Most of the
photos shown on my page are dorid nudibranchs, as are most of the species I have
encountered. Generally, aeolids are longer and thinner, and dorids are shorter and fatter.
Dorid nudibranchs are named for the sea goddess, Doris, daughter of Oceanus and mother of
the Nereides. Aeolids are named after the Greek god, Aeolis, god of the wind.-
- anterior
toward the head or front-
- ahermatypic coral
the opposite of hermatypic; corals that do not possess zooanthellae (see
hermatypic)
- banca
An outrigger-equipped, manually constructed, canoe-shaped wooden boat commonly
used in the Philippines. Often brightly colored, these ubiquitous boats far outnumber
other means of sea transport. The smaller bancas typically use small lawnmower-type
engines, and large bancas often use second-hand car engines imported from Japan. Normally
the motor is directly coupled to the drive shaft and propeller, with no reduction
transmission in between. -
- bancero
Banca driver (banca means boat in the Philippine language Tagalog)-
- batangas
city on the southern coast of the main island of Luzon in the Philippines about an hour
and a half drive from Manila; well known for its dive resorts and diversity of sea life.
- benthic
-
- bottom-dwelling; living on the substrate or sea bed
- bilaterally symmetrical
descriptive term applied to animals that can be divided into two equal halves by a line
drawn down the center. -
- branchial plume
respiratory structure or external gills, usually located on the dorsal side toward the
posterior
bryozoan
- small, aquatic, colonial animals; also known as "moss
animals"
- Capone Islands
Two small islands about 1/3 mile off the west coast of Luzon, the main Philippine island
where the capital city of Manila is located. Divers commonly refer to "Big
Capone" and "Small Capone". Big Capone is about 1/4 mile long, and Small
Capone is about 1/10 mile long. Both have excellent beaches with sand and shells.
Unfortunately the reefs near the islands have fallen prey to the destruction caused by
local dynamite fishing.-
- carapace
A large, hard shell covering an animal's back; part of its shield-like
exoskeleton.. Animals with a carapace include turtles, most crabs, horseshoe crabs, and
sea spiders.-
- carnivorous
meat-eating; describes an animal that feeds on other animals-
- ceras (plural
cerata)
long respiratory structure containing parts of the nudibranch digestive system and
occurring in parallel groupings along the dorsum
- cheliped
specialized front leg with a large pincer claw known as the chela, seen on
arthropods such as crabs or lobsters-
- commensalism
in a symbiotic relationship, an association that is clearly to the advantage of one
species while not harming the other
- dermis
outer layer or skin-
- detritus
organic fragments of plant or animal matter
-
- dimorphism
occurring in two distinct forms, as in sexual dimorphism, describing
physical differences in the sexual forms of an organism.-
- diurnal
describes animals that are active during the day and hide
during the night.
dorsal
referring to the back or upper surface.-
- dorid nudibranchs
Both dorid and aeolid
nudibranchs are suborder members of
the order Nudibranchia, with aeolids (a.k.a. eolids) being a type of nudibranch possessing
cerata rather than a feather-like external gill on the back and no rhinophoral sheath.
Most of the photos shown on my page are dorid nudibranchs, as are most of the species I
have encountered. Generally, aeolids are longer and thinner, and dorids are shorter and
fatter. Dorid nudibranchs are named for the sea goddess, Doris, daughter of Oceanus and
mother of the Nereides. Aeolids are named after the Greek god, Aeolis, god of the wind.
- dorsum
top surface or back-
- dynamite fishing
An extremely harmful method of fishing responsible for widespread destruction of reefs
throughout the world, especially in the Philippines. During my five-year stay I witnessed
a pronounced decline in the reefs near the Capone Islands -- when I left virtually all of
the reef above about 30 feet in depth had been noticeably damaged by dynamite fishing. A
tactic typically employed by local subsistence fishermen, soda bottles are filled with an
explosive substance and a fuse. The fuse is lit and the bottle dropped into the water from
a boat, where it sinks a few feet and explodes. The resulting blast can be heard for a
mile away on the surface, and many miles underwater -- if you are within a mile underwater
you think your dive buddy's scuba tank exploded, and if you are very close your eardrums
may be ruptured (as once happened to two members of our dive club). After the explosion,
the fish near the blast (the ones that don't sink) float to the surface, where they are
scooped up by the fishermen. The reef within a radius of fifty feet or so of the blast is
destroyed, which eliminates the habitat for the fish, making them scarcer and less
likely to be caught using normal fishing methods. The subsistence fishermen are the
ultimate losers, since they depend on the reef for fish to eat, and the fish all seem to
disappear due to destruction of their habitat. Dynamite fishing is illegal in the
Philippines, but despite widespread government efforts to educate rural fishermen it is
very common. Click here to see a photo of an unexploded
dynamite charge.
- (empty)
- facultative
symbiosis
-
- a relationship in which one partner may, but does not have to, live with
another in order to survive (i.e., the relationship of most host sea anemones to
anemonefishes)
- family
a group of related genera (plural of genus)
- genus
a group of related species-
- gill
respiratory structure
gorgonian coral
a group of corals also known as "horny corals",
this group of multi-colored animals includes sea fans, sea whips, and sea
feathers. They are related to the "soft corals", and both belong
to the subclass Octocorallia, with eight-part symmetry. Also see "soft
coral" and "stony coral".
- hard coral
-
- see "stony coral"
-
- herbivorous
plant-eating; describes animals that feed only on plants-
- hermatypic coral
-
- A reef-building coral with symbiotic zooanthellae in the tissues. The
zooanthellae utilize carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce organic compounds that are
absorbed by the coral as food, providing the overwhelming majority of nutrition needed by
the coral colony. Corals that do not have zooanthellae are called ahermatypic corals, and
must rely on capturing prey with the stinging cells in their tentacles.
-
- hermaphroditic
possessing functional male and female sex organs in the same individual
- (empty)
- (empty)
- (empty)
- larva (plural larvae)
a developmental stage in an animal: the larva hatches from an egg, looks very small and
different from the adult form, eats different food, and usually lives in a different
environment from the adult. The veliger is the typical larval stage of molluscs.
- macro photography
Type of photography employing use of special lenses or attachments allowing close-range
photos of a given subject - macro 1:2 means the subject is projected on the negative at
half life size, macro 1:1 is life size image on the negative (in this case the dimensions
of a 35mm negative) - 2:1 is twice life size projected on the film (about postage-stamp
size image, projected on to a larger 35mm negative).-
- malacology
the study of molluscs; specifically, members of the phylum Mollusca ,which
contains approximately 100,000 living species and 60,000 described fossil species.-
- mantle
a type of tissue on the body surface occurring only in molluscs.-
- metamorphosis
the change from larva to adult
morphology
the form and structure of an organism
or one of its parts-
- mutualism
form of symbiosis in which two species associate together for their mutual
benefit
- nematocyst
Microscopic harpoon-like stinging organ produced by cnidarians (jellyfish and corals) and
contained within a special cell, called the cnidoblast.-
- Nikonos V camera
Amphibious camera designed by Nikon - very well-suited for macro photography owing to its
small size and simple design, though not very durable under heavy use (unfortunately I
have owned four). One unique feature of the Nikonos V compared to earlier versions of the
Nikon amphibious cameras is its Through-The-Lens (TTL) light metering capability, enabling
the camera to regulate the degree of strobe illumination automatically based on the
internal spot-meter reading.-
- Nikonos RS camera
Amphibious camera designed by Nikon to supersede the Nikonos V. Designed as a
single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera, it is much more expensive, selling for well over 2000 US
dollars (camera body only). It has been discontinued due, presumably, to reliability
problems. Earlier generations of Nikonos cameras had rubber o-rings for water seals; the
RS has silicon seals, complicating routine maintenance.-
- nocturnal
describes animals that hide during the day and come out at night.-
- notum
the top surface or dorsum
- obligate symbiosis
-
- a relationship in which one partner is obligated (must) live with another
for survival (i.e., anemonefishes cannot survive without anemones and are therefore
obligate symbionts of sea anemones)
ovoviviparous
producing eggs that develop within the maternal body (as of
various fishes or reptiles) and hatch within or immediately after extrusion
from the parent
oviparous
producing eggs that hatch outside the body; most fish,
amphibians, birds, insects and reptiles are oviparous
- papilla
small bulge on the body surface-
- parasitism
a symbiosis in which one partner benefits, but the other partner is harmed-
- pelagic
living, floating, or swimming in the water column above the bottom; a whale is
said to be pelagic, meaning it lives in the open water of the ocean-
- photosynthesis
the manufacture of carbohydrate food from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of
chlorophyll, by utilizing light energy and releasing oxygen-
- plankton
marine plants and animals that drift with the ocean's current; they are usually very small
but some are large-- including jellyfish-
- plastids
egg-shaped body in plant tissues that contains chlorophyll and is able to
photosynthesize-
- posterior
tail end
prehensile
- adapted for seizing or grasping
especially by wrapping around, such as a prehensile tail
preopercle,
preoperculum
bone between the cheek and the gill cover-
- proboscis
feeding structure on an invertebrate, sometimes extendable and equipped with jaw-like
structures for holding prey
- (empty)
- radula
a ribbon of chitinous teeth, found only in molluscs-
- rhinophore
paired, tentacle-like sensory apparatus found on the head-
- rosette
rose-shaped in appearance; arranged in a fashion resembling a rose flower
- SCUBA
Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus-
- sea anemone
Primitive invertebrate animals belonging to the phylum known as either Cnidaria
(pronounced with silent "C") or Coelenterata ("se-len-ter-a'-ta). They have a
single body cavity that serves as stomach, intestine, circulatory system, etc., and one
body opening (the mouth) through which everything passes, in or out. The mouth is
surrounded by finger-like tentacles, typically containing stinging cells called
nematocysts. The tentacles are used for catching food and transporting it to the mouth or
for defense.-
- serpulid
descriptive of a family of polychaete worms, Serpulidae,
that live in a rigid calcarious tube secreted by the worm. Differ from the sabellids,
of family Sabellidae, that live in flexible tubes constructed of sand grains
embedded in mucus. Terms such as tube worm, fanworm, feather-duster worm,
Christmas-tree worm, peacock worm, and other common names may be applied to
serpulid or sabellid worms, or sometimes both, depending on the reference
source.-
- soft coral
-
- corals that do not surround themselves with a hard,
calcified skeleton, and that are members of subclass Octocorallia of class
Anthozoa (compared with the hard corals that are members of subclass
Hexacorallia). The names indicate the number of arms about the mouth of the
coral and the number of symmetric segments of the body ("hex"
means six and "octo" means eight). Soft corals come in a wide
variety of pastel-like colors and are closely related to gorgonians (also of
subclass Octocorallia). Also see "stony coral" and "gorgonian
coral".
-
- stony coral
-
- also known as hard or true corals, marine invertebrates of
subclass Hexacorallia, class anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria. The most familiar
class of corals, with a hard calcareous skeleton, with a color that depends
on the algae living symbiotically within the white skeleton. Types of stony
corals include mushroom, star, staghorn and brain coral. Also see "soft
coral" and "gorgonian coral".
-
- strobe
For purposes of underwater photography, artificial light device or flash device used to
restore wavelengths of light filtered out by water - the deeper the depth, the less the
presence of natural light. With depth, natural light disappears in order according to
wavelength - reds disappearing first, violets last. The photos shown here were exposed
utilizing either a Nikonos SB-102 or SB-103 strobe positioned a few inches from the
subject.-
- striae
shallow, narrow grooves or indented lines-
- striated
possessing striae as a characteristic-
- symbiosis
A close association between two species generally (with the exception of parasitism)
seeming to be unharmful to either member, or, more likely, beneficial to one or both.
Parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism are the three types of symbiotic relationships. (see facultative symbiosis and obligate symbiosis)
- taxonomy
Classification of plants and animals into established groups or categories on the basis of
their natural relationships.-
- translucent
Visible but not opaque, able to see through but not transparent.-
- tritoniid
member of a family of nudibranchs (family name: tritonniidae, suborder Dendronotoida)
that feed exclusively on soft corals.
- (empty)
- veliger
free-swimming larval stage found only in molluscs, in which the larva has a small
shell.-
- ventral
underside; lower part of an animal or shell.
viviparous
producing living young instead of eggs from within the body
in the manner of nearly all mammals, many reptiles, and a few fishes
- (empty)
- (empty)
- (empty)
- zooanthellae
single-cell dinoflagellate (golden-brown) algae living symbiotically
within the cells of some cnidarians (members of phylum Cnidaria or Coelenterata; includes radially symmetrical ocean animals such as sea
anemones, corals, hydroids, and jellyfish)-
- zooplankton
type of plankton composed of small animals; mainly small
crustaceans and fish larvae
- (empty)
Revised: Dec 1, 2008.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Jeffrey Jeffords.
All trademarks or product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective
owners.