Thanks, again, for the help.
Below is my latest (and, probably, last) venture into the 'World of Clams.' I
went back to the stream this evening to pick up a live specimen for a snapshot,
to cinch the identification. It took about twenty minutes to get one, but I
found other mollusc-related things and a few neat stones, as well.
The largest shell is empty, is still joined at the hinge and is 3.75 inches
across. (http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/big_clam.jpg)
The live clam is about 0.6 inch across. I somehow managed to capture several
aspects of the soft parts. (http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/clam.jpg)
The single valves and the snail shell can be sized by the valve which has its
inside visible; it too is 0.6 inch across.
(http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/stuffs.jpg)
I doubt that there are any surprises coming out of this creek, except, perhaps,
that Belted Kingfisher I saw last year!
Aloha,
Bob Dayle
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Sounds too big for a sphaeriid (fingernail clam). If the "growth
> rings" were regular concentric sculpture, then you had Corbicula.
> Despite most of the literature, the main species of Corbicula invading
> the U.S. is probably C. leana. A second species is known only from
> the southwest (also invading Europe and South America), which may be
> true fluminea (of which manilensis is a synonym).
>
> Unionids may show bands of color or weak irregular growth lines, but
> no regular concentric sculpture in our species.
>
> As sculpture rather than growth rings, they form fairly quickly and
> without direct connection to environmental factors. Tiny juveniles
> already have several concentric ribs.
>
> Corbicula range from oval (not very elongate) to nearly triangular in
> some large old individuals in lakes. Most unionids are more
> elongate.
>
> --
> Dr. David Campbell
> 425 Scientific Collections Building
> Department of Biological Sciences
> Biodiversity and Systematics
> University of Alabama, Box 870345
> Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345 USA
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
> To leave this list, click on the following web link:
> http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
> Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
> click leave the list.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|