Mikadotrochus gotoi: -200m, By tangle net, Taguin, Balut Island, Davao Occidental, Philippines, 44.5mm.
The « Goto's Slit Shell » is a lovely and gemmate western Pacific pleurotomariid ranging from Amami Islands, Japan to Philippines. A carnivorous grazer feeding mainly on sponges, it inhabits hard substrates of rather deep water around -150~400m. Vast majority of specimens are less than 50mm. in shell length, averaging at about 45mm. In the Philippines these young specimens are only uncomm.on, although large specimens in excess of 55mm. are rare. Outside the Philippines it is a rare species in any size, although this is likely due to lack of tangle net deployments. Extremely large specimens may exceed 65mm. Young specimens have strongly keeled whorls, while large specimens have noticeably more inflated and round whorls. Always has alternating reddish and white patches under the selenizone, although the overall colouration may vary slightly. It is named in honour of Mr Yoshihiro Goto of Japan, an enthusiastic conchologist with a speial interest in the Pleurotomariidae in which he named several new species, for example Perotrochus anseeuwi Kanazawa & Goto, 1991 and P. metivieri Anseeuw & Goto, 1995.