Shells

Shell Art and Shark Eyes Cannibalism

During the Sanibel Shell Show and Fair in March, architect and designer Charles Barr presented an elegant, contemporary-looking piece of artwork displaying Shark Eye shells, Neverita duplicata. The shells were deployed in three identical groups, each containing four rows of four distinct sizes, each row with five shells each, for a total of 60 shells. A close look revealed that many had been drilled by predatory gastropods. Drill holes (red lines in photo) were in 26 shells, or about 43% of the

Shell of the Week: The “Hollow” Alphabet Cones

The photo shows two shells of Alphabet Cone, Conus spurius Gmelin, 1791, that have been clipped by predators, most likely Stone or Flame crabs. The resulting gashes reveal that the earlier whorls, located inside the shell, have disappeared. Some cone snails, as other gastropods do, are known to dissolve their internal shell structures. One of the ensuing benefits, in particular to cones snails that feed on fish or mollusks, is that the new, roomier internal space enables the animal to swallow la

Shell of the Week: The Dog-head Triton

Ranularia cynocephala (Lamarck, 1816) has a sturdy shell that reaches 70 mm (about 2.8 inches). The shell has squarish whorls, a long siphonal canal that may be recurved, and may bear a varix, which denotes the occurrence of a growth stop). The shell sculpture consists of strong spiral cords crossed by weaker axial ribs. The outer lip of the shell aperture is garnished internally with 7 strong, white teeth. The shell color is usually golden-brown, often with a whitish spiral band near the middle

Shell of the Week: The Little Horn Caecum

Meioceras nitidum (Simpson, 1851) reaches only about 2.5 mm (0.1 inch). Caecum snails are mostly uncoiled, resembling little cylinder or tubes; they lose the coiled, early shell whorls at the end of the juvenile stage. The Little Horn Caecum has a tubular shell with bulbous mid-section, and very faint white and grayish markings set on a translucent background. Their shells can be found by sifting and sorting through the sands of Sanibel and Captiva and other parts of the western Atlantic. The im

“Spongy” Rough Scallops

The Rough Scallop, Aequipecten muscosus (W. Wood, 1828), is one of three species of shallow-water scallops consistently found on the coast of Southwest Florida. Ten years ago, in February 2010, the beach at the east end of Sanibel Island was swarmed by large numbers of empty Rough Scallop shells. That in itself would be unusual, as the species is anything but common. But, in addition the large numbers present, both valves of those Rough Scallop shells were covered with sponge colonies. A little

Shell of the Week: The Dark Worm Snail

The shells of Petaloconchus nigricans (Dall, 1884) are long, narrow, brown tubes sculpted with longitudinal ridges. As with other members of the family Vermetidae, the Dark Worm Snails live in agglomerations that form massive structures. The largest such cluster from Sanibel in the National Shell Museum Collection was found in September 2016 by Michael Reardon. That cluster (photo) measures 23 cm (about 9 inches), and the largest shell aperture diameter in this cluster measures about 3 mm (about

The Atlantic Fig and Her Egg Capsules

The Atlantic Fig Snail, Ficus papyratia (Say, 1822), makes a thin shell that is shaped like a slender fig or pear. The shell opening, or aperture, tapers gently toward the end of the anterior canal. The shell color is pinkish-gray to light-tan, and is sculptured with a delicate net-like pattern. The animal is cream-colored with dark and whitish spots.The photo of the live fig snail above was taken in 2015 on Kice Island, Collier County, Florida, by Amy Tripp. The snail’s mantle covers almost com

Sea Slug Highlight: The Ragged Sea Hare

Bursatella leachii pleii (Rang, 1828) reaches 80 mm (3.15 inches) in parts of its geographic range in the western Atlantic. The vernacular (common) name derives from the presence of characteristic branched papillae, which impart a “disheveled” aspect to the slug. The species lacks the parapodia (wing-like expansions) that are typical of the larger sea hares in the genus Aplysia. It also completely lacks a shell in the adult stage (a shell is present in the larva and juveniles).Given the proper c

FUM 2020: Thank You!

Thank you to all who participated in the eleventh meeting of Florida United Malacologists last Saturday, February 15, at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. The event was the best attended since its inception, with 73 registrants checking in. The event took place in the newly renovated auditorium on the second floor of the Museum. Fifteen presenters kept the audience on their toes via a wide range of topics, including the Museum's new Beyond Shells living exhibits, how to keep octopuses "

Cool Local Snail: Cloudy Periwinkle

The Cloudy Periwinkle, Littoraria nebulosa (Lamarck, 1822), is found along the coast of Southwest Florida, living above the high tide line, mostly on dead tree trunks and branches. Periwinkles are marine gastropods that became almost completely independent of the aquatic environment. They feed on microalgae and fungi that grow on hard surfaces above the high tide line. Females return to seawater to lay egg their egg capsules, but, other than that, they spend their entire lives in the terrestria