In the Bahamas, empty Peanut shells of the land snail genus Cerion commonly
wash down to the ocean from the shoreline dunes where the snails live on
sea grape foliage. Small marine hermit crabs living in the shallow rocky
tide pools then move into the empty Peanut shells, causing newbie
collectors to wrongly assume that they are marine shells. I have also
found living Cerion with epiphragm-covered apertures drifting just offshore
like wayward flotsam (is there any other kind?).
Rich
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www.worldwideconchology.com
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At 07:13 PM 3/17/2004, you wrote:
>On the matter of adventitious shells,
>
>While these P. septemvolva may have been living when found under the
>seaweed, as Andrew stated, empty mollusk shells can be transported some
>distance from their natural habitat. Sometimes the vagaries of wind and
>watercurrent can actually produce a concentration of such remnants. Such
>can be the case with landsnails swept into waterways and deposited in
>riverine drift. An account of such an occurrence and its conchological
>exploitation (including not only one, but two Polygyra spp.just to maintain
>the thread) appears at <http://www.jaxshells.org/freshwat.htm>.
>
>Harry
>
>
>At 04:00 AM 3/17/2004, you wrote:
>>>>A club member brought me shells, dead collected, that she found in
>>>>great number under a mass of seaweed. I am no expert in land shells,
>>>>but according to R.T. Abbott - Compendium of Landshells, p.134, I
>>>>believe they are
>>>>Polygyra septemvolva, Say, 1818. I was surprised to see land snails on
>>>>our gulf beach.
>>>>Is this an unusual place to find Polygyra?
>>
>>Land & fluvial snails wash into the sea and then may be washed
>>ashore, especially after flooding.
>>
>>I have seived landsnails out of beach windrows and dredged freshwater
>>hydrobiids from 340-620 m in a canyon.
>
>Harry G. Lee
>Suite 500
>1801 Barrs St.
>Jacksonville, FL 32204
>USA
>Voice: 904-384-6419
>Fax: 904-388-6750
><[log in to unmask]>
>Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
>www.jaxshells.org
>
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