Dear shellers:
 
I have been curious about shells found 'ex pisce' or in the case of Dr.
Harry Lee of finding shells 'ex echinodermata'.  Do you cut open the
gut, are shells in various stages of decomposition, how do you go about
doing this?  Are shells like Cypraea fultoni with good color just lucky
finds of freshly eaten shells from recently caught musselcracker fish,
and are there lots more shells which the stomach acid of the fish have
badly decomposed?  Harry, please let us know a little about item 2 . . .
 
Alan.
 
 
Harry G. Lee, MD wrote:
 
>
> At least some heart urchins [including one which I identified as Meoma
> ventricosa ventricosa (Lamarck, 1816), apparently not Moira atropos
> (Lamarck, 1816) of Alan Gettleman, which was said to be one half its size]
> have an voracious appetite for mollusks.  In Jacksonville, as a resource for
> micromollusks, their digestive tracts are more provident than those of
> seastars, and can approach the productivity of batfish.  We have gotten many
> dozens of species by dissecting M. v. v. trawled as Calico Scallop bycatch.
>
> Harry