>By the way, Lynn Scheu, bless her heart, tracked down
>the cowry for me and sent a scan.  It is, for sure:
>
>Sulcocypraea vaughani Johnson, 1889


I believe Sulcocypraea is currently considered an ovulid, despite its
cowry-like appearance.  It is more common than Cypraeorbis in the Gulf
Coast Eocene and also occurs in the Eocene silicified fauna near
Orangeburg, S.C.

Incidentally, the Gulf Coast Eocene faunas are typically a lot smaller than
those in the limestones in the Carolinas and Florida.  Not sure if this is
gigantism or dwarfism.

The gigantism in mollusks at the cold end of their ranges has been
attributed to a lack of suitable breeding conditions.  The energy that
would be put into reproduction is put into growth instead.  However,
Florida and mid to outer shelf of the Carolinas was probably warmer rather
than colder than the Gulf.


David Campbell

"Old Seashells"

Department of Geological Sciences
CB 3315 Mitchell Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315
USA

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919-962-0685
FAX 919-966-4519

"He had discovered an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus"-E. A. Poe, The
Gold Bug