Love at Snail's Pace

Two Hawaiian Turban Snails (also known ‘alilea, pupu mahina or Turbo sandwicensis) have a romantic exchange on a coral reef. Their Hawaiian name, pupu mahina, means moon shell , describing the shape of the operculum or trap door from which the mollusk itself emerges. The snails, which are endemic to Hawaii, grow to about three inches.

Surrounding them, is brown leafy algae (also known as Sargassum or seaweed); pink, purple and maroon coralline alga; and red and brown macro algae. Green and blue mat zoanthids (Zoanthus pacificus and/or Zoanthus kealakekuaensis) cover the rock on which they are sitting. These corals are normally found in shallow water and often in tidepools and form a crust as they grow. The coral is made with full murrine pieces about ¼” in diameter to match their polyp size.

Four other corals appear on this piece: (1) branches of a Bushy Staghorn Coral (Acropora valida), the tallest tan branch with darker tan polyps; (2) Irregular Rice Coral (Montapora dilitata ), striped yellowish tan branches of which as shown here with different colors of complex murrine polyps (pink and yellow mouths); (3) Branch of a Bushy staghorn coral (red murrine ) is small striped yellow one (over shell) with pink and red polyps or mouths; a brown branching montipora capitata coral (a Hawaiian species of acropora); (4) at bottom, another branching acropora with green polyps. Three types of coral and the two matting corals utilize complex murrine with cane to illustrate the polyp structure and the tentacles around the mouth used to bring in food; a traditional prunt technique provides textures to make the polyps.

Blown, Solid Sculpted, and Hot Assembled Glass

Done solo.