Dear Cloud Your species sounds like a member of the family Teredinidae or Teredo Worms. These are actually a bivalve. The shell is at the end of the tube (?the indentation) and the animal makes a long tube through the wood. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the Caribbean species. Regards Geoff >From: Cloud Zhang <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Conchologists of America List <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Vita Marina >Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 19:56:39 -1200 > >Dear Lynn and Conch-ler: >I'm sorry for the Vita Marina, but I'm an American Conchologist's >new reader, when I browse through the Vol. 28, I find it's a good >publication. I agree your "One can't cuddle up for a good read >with a computer screen. Nor can one take it to the breakfast table with >a good cup." Also I thinking a Publication the material is more important >for it's long life, and the interesting illustration will be attract the >subscriber >always like to see it, or want to hold it, so it can still and in the >strong live. >I like doing something for the American Conchologist, if I can. I was got >some images with my Digital camera, they are maybe ordinary, are for I >build a webpage, but before put them on, I like to ask if you interest some >for the publication? One I more interest, a specimen find it at just passed >the Christmas day. A "Dragon shell" (not Worm shell!) I say so because >it's so big, I have no see or hear before (or maybe I need more experience) >anyway it's not so often can see it. At the location it was about 280mm in >length, 12mm and 3.7mm in diameter at two ends, shell pure white, thin, >hard and very fragile. It was stick on a piece long wood under side, that >wood hard like ston, it's float on shallow water at a small and quiet cove, >after turnover the wood then I saw it, the body about 11", the head deep >down into the wood's center. I had do my best job try to taking it out but >it still break, only obtain two big pieces one is tail 110mm; other one is >part >of body 135mm and some small pieces. The end of the tail is open and a >small notch at front, much thick and strong more than body shell. The >soft part was full length with the shell. I'd took some live images but >only >select three, two before work:side with a hammer, and one is after shell >break show inside soft part, and of course some home works. >So, if you interest please let me know, and I need somebody tell me >what's this species name. Any advice are grateful. > >Best wishes, and good luck for all in the new year! > >Deng Y. Zhang >P. O. Box 3092 >St. John's Antigua >West Indiea > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Lynn Scheu <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 7:42 AM >Subject: Re: Vita Marina > > > > Dear Gijs and Conch-L all, > > > > Pardon the length of this. I have a lot to cover. > > > > It must be repeated that the Vita Marina publication is going to be a > > serious loss to shell collectors everywhere. Gijs, don't think we are > > not desolate! It's only that this comes at a very busy time...lots of us > > are away, distracted, or otherwise "not all here." I just now noticed, > > catching up on things, and am so very saddened! I hope, as do all of us > > familiar with this fine publication, that something can be done to save > > it. But I also, like Gijs, don't see how it can live on without the > > support and the input of many more interested shellers. Some of the > > realities associated with paper publishing need to be better understood > > by subscribers. > > > > As longtime editor of American Conchologist, I can tell you quickly that > > the financial realities are pretty staggering! I do not know how Vita > > Marina has made a go of it so far! Without the membership dues of COA > > members worldwide, our publishing venture would not work. Our total > > publishing costs are nearly $7000 per issue and then one must add about > > $1500 in mailing fees and associated costs. Multiply that sum by 4 > > issues and divide by the number of members COA has (somewhere around > > 1300) and you can see that membership dues don't cover the costs. Even > > the advertising doesn't quite bring the income up to the expenses. But > > COA has the luxury of being a membership organization that offers other > > incentives, and also, we are tax exempt as of 1999. > > > > This sum does not include the contributions of time and money from our > > dedicated volunteers. Contributors bear the cost of their own photos and > > slides, postage, etc. Ross Gundersen and Jim Miller have contributed > > immense amounts of their time and talent. Assistant editor Charlotte > > Lloyd gives unfailingly generously of her time. Kevan Sunderland has for > > many years contributed the centerfold photos and associated costs. The > > Coltros continue to contribute interesting columns and lovely photos of > > shells and collecting localities in South America. Paul Monfils, Tom > > Eichhorst, Kurt Auffenberg and others contribute regular columns and > > more. And who can forget Gary Rosenberg and his fine Conchatenations > > column? Or "Henry A. Martens" and his superb landshell collecting > > expeditions? Or the work Rich Goldberg did for many years? And then > > there are Bret Raines and "Tall One" Betty Jean Piech who raised money > > at auction for a scanner for our use. And Lori Schroeder (preceded by > > Bobbie Houchin, Howard Roux, Glen Deuel and Walter Sage in their time) > > does a quality job managing advertising. Our Editorial Board (Harry Lee, > > Jose Leal, Emilio Garcia, Emily Vokes, Tom Watters, Don Dan, Gary > > Rosenberg and Don Shasky) are always there for us. And, lastly, the > > editor works long hours at the expense of sleep and family relations. > > These names are just the tip of the iceberg on which our publication > > floats! Many names should be mentioned here! This is a great time to say > > thanks, here at the end of the year and the Millennium. Thanks to all. > > But that's not my (primary) purpose at this time. > > > > My intent in the above listing is to say that without massive support it > > wouldn't go. And that is my true purpose here. Vita Marina is also > > amply and very capably staffed. But paper publication of periodicals for > > shell collectors is increasingly difficult to fund. Even with all the > > desktop publishing aids, and the computer preparation of photos, the > > printing companies keep escalating their costs (to keep their earnings > > up, I sometimes think). In spite of the increasing interest in shell > > collecting because of increasing ease of travel, wider publicity of the > > hobby online and increasing disposable income, obtaining quality > > material for publication is difficult. > > > > Also, web publishing is undoubtedly hurting the paper publishing effort > > as much as it is helping. Note that the first thought Helmut expressed > > after his regrets at the loss of Vita Marina was his concern that the > > website continue. We tend to think of the web as our everything when it > > comes to shell collecting resources, references and enrichment. But what > > happens when the list goes down or our computers fail us? Crashes and > > data losses are common disasters. Are we willing to give up the paper? > > Most of us will undoubtedly cry "No Way!!!" Note the continued influx of > > new shell books. And they sell. Ask Guido, Patty, Maria and the > > Janowskys. One can't cuddle up for a good read with a computer screen > > and a keyboard. Nor can one take it to the breakfast table with a good > > cup of coffee and a roll. Coffee tends to get real cold while one stares > > into the big square eye, and rolls turn to rock. > > > > I'd guess that if we saw the periodical publications issue by issue, > > we'd buy them all in a flash! Yet they don't come that way. We have to > > subscribe, put all our money out front. So we squawk about costs and > > don't do it. Yet, really, the cost of a good publication is less than a > > lot of shells we buy every month. But folks, it is as simple as this! > > If we don't support the publications we love, we won't have them. Among > > others: gone is Hawaiian Shell News; there used to be a great New > > Caledonian pub called Rossiniana; Tom Rice and his Of Sea and Shore > > have struggled in the past; Steve Long and his Opisthobranch Newsletter > > died for lack of financial support. What else? Apex/Arion has recently > > scaled back. And several worthy club publications would never dare go > > larger. > > > > Yes, what Gijs says is true...Americans are not as aware of the > > excellence of Vita Marina as they could be. And this is undoubtedly part > > of the problem. I have tried in the past to make readers of American > > Conchologist aware of this fine publication, but have not kept up with > > this PR job as well as I could wish. > > > > So permit me, in a second post to the list, to run through some of the > > beautifully illustrated and excellently written articles it has featured > > in the past few years! Just so you'll know what you are going to miss. > > > > A suggestion for someone out there: Conch-L is a super medium for > > reviews of the malacological and conchological journals. It would do the > > publications good and it would do us a world of good. Anyone willing to > > take the job on? > > > > Another suggestion: if you don't subscribe to Vita Marina/Spirula, give > > some really quick thought to doing so and put your money where your > > heart is! Write Jean Paul and Gijs. Show support. > > > > Lynn Scheu > > Editor, American Conchologist since 1987 > > Conchologists of America > > Louisville, KY _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.