Psilaxis oxytropis is found in lagoon sandy areas. At times they can be very common, crawling over the sand even in daylight. Other times they may be entirely absent. They appear to feed on fire anemones such as Actinodendron arboreum. This species is very similar to Psilaxis radiatus, and there does seem to be some intergrading in color. Apparently one of the features that distinguishes the two species is brown staining on the protoconch (the earliest whorls of the shell) in P. oxytropis while that in P. radiatus is pure white. It seems a small difference, and I am not completely convinced that the two species, at least the specimens found at Kwajalein, are truly separate.
Several shells at the base of the anemone Actinodendron arboreum, a couple of them with their feeding proboscis embedded in the anemone's body.
With egg masses.
Actinodendron arboreum, the fire anemone species Psilaxis oxytropis has been observed feeding on.
These would seem to be lighter color forms.
Created 18 April 2017
Updated 30 March 2020