Hi All,

I am new to this list.  Many of you I know outside Conch-L but I'd like to
introduce myself.

My name is Andre Poremski from Wisconsin, USA.  I'm relatively "new" to
this community, however I have been specializing in Conidae since I was
12...ok maybe not to my current level, but I collected only beach cones
from my family Florida trips (mostly spurius atlanticus and anabathrum)and
gave away or left the rest on the beach.  My love for Conidae was
ignited!  Now I specialize in Conidae from the Western Atlantic, Caribbean
and Panamic Provinces only. I am well aware that I am entering a "brave
new world" of shell collecting as the hobby is getting tougher by the
year, and I also haven't chosen the easiest area to specialize...but I'm
ready for the challenge.

I will have many questions I hope some of you can answer, but I'll list
one today:

What is the health of the larger Conidae species of Utila Island,
Honduras?  I know the area is now protected and thus prohibited of any
collection, but I'd like to know if C. sunderlandi, harlandi, and the
interesting densely patterned spurius are still alive and well.  I know
that some areas in the Bahamas have been hit pretty hard by hurricanes, so
I'm trying to access the health of some of my favorite species.

Also, I have a bunch of Utila spurius that are all around 30 mm.  Many
dealers have told me this is a dwarf population, but I don't believe
it...the lips are not mature on these specimens like the stunted ones I
got from Yucatan.  Can this population exceed 50mm?

Thanks,
Andre

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