Hi all
Petuch lists quite a number of Cypraea from South Florida in his book
"Atlas of Florida Fossil Shells" Using his stratigraphic
designations, they are as follows:
PINCREST FAUNA OF THE TAMIAMI FORMATION: Siphocypraea cannoni, S.
trippeana, S. transitoria, S. penningtonorum, S. parodizi, S.
carolinensis, S. floridana, S. hughesi, S. kissimeensis, S. alligator,
S. sarasotaensis, S. lindae, S. marilynae, S. crocodila, S.
hertweckorum, S. ketteri, S. metae, S. kalafuti, S. pilsbryi, S.
diegelae, Cypraea campbelliana
CALOOSAHATCHEE FAUNA OF THE OKEECHOBEE FORMATION: Siphocypraea
mulepenensis and S. problematica
GRIFFIN PIT UNIT OF THE OKEECHOBEE FORMATION: Siphocypraea griffini
BERMONT UNIT OF THE OKEECHOBEE FORMATION: Cypraea morinis, C.
portelli, C. spengleri
FORT THOMPSON UNIT OF THE OKEECHOBEE FORMATION: Cypraea cervus peilei
In the Chipola Fomation of the Florida Panhandle I have found
Cypraeorbis chilona and Cypraeorbis heilprini. I have not yet however
found Cypraeorbis tapeina from the Shoal River Fm. There are quite a
number of Eocene cypraeas that I have in some of my reference books
that I have not found including Sulcocypraea vaughni from Mississippi,
Sulcocypraea healyi from Alabama and Cypraeorbis ventripotens from
Lousiana. I have found several different species of Cypraea from both
the Ingilis and Crystal River Formations (Ocala Ls.) of Central
Florida, however most of these are internal casts. One from the
Crystal River Fm. I collected in matrix with both the external mold
and internal cast. I filled the mold with latex and when it dried was
able to wrap it around the internal cast. The original shell had
heavy spiral lines across the shell (the subgenera escapes me at this
moment). I have also collected a species of Cypraea from the
Oligocene Flint River Fm. of Georgia and received in a trade a Petuch
described species Cypraeorbis kendrewi from the Oligocene Suwanee
limestone of Florida.
Michael Reagin
Cleveland Heights, OH
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Fossil cypraeids
Author: Conchologists of America List <[log in to unmask]> at
Internet-APBiotech-America
Date: 9/29/98 10:18 AM
Hi David, and Lindsey,
>Most of the Pliocene cowries of the southeastern U.S. are Siphocypraea
>carolinensis (Conrad, 1841), including most if not all of the odd "species"
>or "genera" from south Florida.
>
I'd like to see this topic stay on Conch-L. It is of interest to many.
Lots of us are fossil mollusk collectors. And I'd like to hear more about
what actually is carolinensis. One of the hardest pills I had to swallow
when I first got interested in fossils (brachiopods here in KY, actually)
was the way they change through time and geographical distribution.
I have a little fully mature cowrie (37 mmX 20.5mm H X 24mm W) I found in
the APAC pit in 1988 that seems to me to look a lot different from all the
others I collected there. It is much more humped posteriorly, sloping
sharply toward the anterior end, and it has heavy and high lateral calluses
-- 2/3 of the way up on the body whorl side.
There is no lateral extension on the callus anteriorly or posteriorly as in
some Siphocypraea (and Zoila). It has sharpish little teeth, 18 on the outer
lip. I would have to guess it is a Siphocypraea though. It has a rostrate
quality, and that very open, though heavily callused-over, posterior canal,
similar to a real mature C. tigris. No fossula has developed. Aperture
widens anteriorly. It was identified at the collecting locality by Ed Petuch
as "sarasotaensis." Any ideas?
Lynn Scheu
Louisville, KY
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