Abstract
The burrowing mechanism of a coral borer, Lithophaga nigra, from Penhu island was studied from 1984–1985. Chemical analysis, behavioral observation, anatomy, functional morphology and electronmicroscopic data revealed that this organism is not a chemical borer, as previously believed, but a mechanical borer with a very specially modified internal organ and an external shell configuration that enables it to function as an extremely efficient regenerative mechanical file.
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Communicated by R. S. Carney, Baton Rouge
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Fang, LS., Shen, P. A living mechanical file: the burrowing mechanism of the coral-boring bivalve Lithophaga nigra . Mar. Biol. 97, 349–354 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397765
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397765