Hello Harry & Mario Here in Texas, we have been finding one of the Olivella's quite commonly at the mouth of the Brazos River on the south side of the Jetties (Freeport/Quintana, Texas). This is just an hour south of Galveston ... I have also found it and what appears to be another O. species down in South Texas at South Padre/Boca Chica/Port Isabelle. There as been consistent disagreement on the species ID for both of them. It would be nice to resolve it before the new Texas book comes out. Harry, are you willing to take a crack at it? Leslie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Harry G. Lee" <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:42:16 -0500 Subject: Re: Olivella pusilla Dear Marlo, Here are some of my notes on the Tiny Dwarf Olivella: Olivella pusilla (Marrat, 1871) Tiny Dwarf Olive [5] 8.5 mm. Intertidal flats, N. Davis Shores, St. Augustine. FC! 8/77. (FC). Intertidal flats, N. Davis Shores, St. Augustine. FC! 7/3/78. (FC,HL). O. mutica and O. pusilla are closely related and variable species. Certain color forms create an uncanny interspecific resemblance, but O. pusilla usually has a darker brown tint to the columella and inner aperture. Furthermore, it is smaller, more slender, less callused at the shoulder, has a less denticulate posterior columella, smaller protoconch, and different egg capsule morphology (Perry and Schwengel, 1955; Payne, 1962). Rather scarce in E. FL, [St. Lucie and Palm Beach Cos. (HL)], but abundant and widespread the state’s Gulf coast. Sinistral specimen from Port St. Joe, FL. (HL). As you can see, this species has not been found in northeast Florida since the late Fred Chauvin (FC) collected it in the 1970's. Fred was a very keen and careful collector. My St. Lucie Co. record is based on a specimen collected by L. R. Zylman intertidally at St. Lucie Inlet in 7/87. In the Historical Era, St. Augustine has been host to an occasional northern straggler. The eminent C. W. Johnson (1890; 1919) reported finding the tropical species Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758 (Bleeding-tooth Nerite) and N. versicolor Gmelin, 1791 there during the 1880’s and in 1919, but we know of know of no subsequent records despite Fred Chauvin's yeoman work. It is possible that the latter is a misidentification of N. fulgurans, which lives close by today, but there is no mistaking the Bleeding-tooth Nerite. Henry Russell (1941) reported N. tessellata Gmelin, 1791 from Jacksonville, but that record must be viewed with skepticism. Harry Harry G. Lee, M. D. 4132 Ortega Forest Dr. Jacksonville, FL 32210 USA voice (904) 389 4049 email: [log in to unmask] look at www.jaxshells.org ------------------ From: marlo <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:51:15 -0500 Subject: Olivella pusilla Abbott places O. pusilla in "Florida." Gunther H. W. Sterba in his "Olividae A Collector's Guide" describes O. pusilla as "The most abundant species of Olivella in Florida according to Olsson, 1956." I have indeed found O. pusilla to be one of the most abundant in Florida, but not found recently in NE Florida. So, I'm seeking first-hand records of any finds of live O. pusilla in NE to mid-eastern Florida in the last 10-15 years. Has anyone found live O. pusilla north of Palm Beach recently? Click here < http://z14.invisionfree.com/Conchologist_Forum/index.php?showtopic=409> to see images of O. pusilla on my website. Marlo Merritt Island, FL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------