FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS EXHIBIT A PREFERENCE FOR SPECIFIC OCTOCORAL MORPHOLOGIES

The flamingo tongue snail (Cyphoma gibbosum) is a small marine gastropod that feeds exclusively on gorgonian octocorals. Not only does it use them as a food source but also as a substrate for egg deposition and mating grounds- in short, its entire life cycle is completely dependent on these soft corals. However, the octocorals are morphologically diverse, including such forms as the sea rods, sea fans, sea plumes, and sea whips, each of which may be of differing value to the flamingo tongue snail. In January of 2024, we observed population distributions of flamingo tongues on different octocorals within Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve (SBWEMR) in Roatan, Honduras to determine if this species demonstrates a preference for one morphological group of octocorals over another. Using a roving diver approach we located octocorals inhabited by flamingo tongue snails, and determined the number of snails present, as well as the morphology of the host octocoral. Our data suggest a preference for sea rods over other octocorals. This preference indicates that octocoral biodiversity may be more significant than is often considered, given the overwhelming focus on scleractinian stony corals in conservation efforts. Therefore, more conservation efforts should be focused on the preservation of these octocorals to ensure the prevalence of dependent species like the Flamingo Tongue. 

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