Keyhole Sand Dollar, detail
Close up of the petalloid section of a Keyhole Sand Dollar, Mellita quinquesperforat, showing the rows of circular podial pores, each with a linear conjugation groove, When the sand dollar is alive these pores accommodate the ducts of respiratory tubes, which are specialized gills.
Mellita quinquesperforata, is a species of sand dollar, in the echinoderm order Clypeasteroida. It is native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean where it buries itself in soft sediment in shallow seas.
Found on Carolina Beach in North Carolina.
Keyhole Sand Dollar, detail
Close up of the petalloid section of a Keyhole Sand Dollar, Mellita quinquesperforat, showing the rows of circular podial pores, each with a linear conjugation groove, When the sand dollar is alive these pores accommodate the ducts of respiratory tubes, which are specialized gills.
Mellita quinquesperforata, is a species of sand dollar, in the echinoderm order Clypeasteroida. It is native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean where it buries itself in soft sediment in shallow seas.
Found on Carolina Beach in North Carolina.