Aha! St. alatus appears to have a higher spire and deeper interior color.
(probably more differences in the mollusk.) And, yes, I have seen St. pugilis
on a Sanibel beach by the thousands. Excercize of the day was pitching them
back in the ocean.
        Q-Man

"Marlo F. Krisberg" wrote:

> I don't believe you'll find S. pugilis on Florida's west coast.  Anyone out
> there disagree?
>
> Marlo
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists of America List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Linda Bush
> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 6:42 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Another Elementary Question
>
> Yep, It's Me Again!
>
> How do you tell Strombus alatus from Strombus pugilis?   Are
> they both found in the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota.   If I were to go by
> color alone, I would have both species.   But I am not sure.
>
> Can someone help?   Abbott says something about the angle of the lip; is
> this a good indicator?
>
> Thanks!
> Linda