I suppose everyone else already knew or would have expected this, but in
my ignorance I was surprised to find, amongst shells I collected
yesterday, two Cryptonatica janthostomoides with second opercula.  In the
small of the two, the primary, outer operculum was broken, width-wise.
Underneath it, attached to it, was a replacement operculum, only about
halfways developed.  It is not fully as wide, nor is it full thickness,
but it is not merely part of the attached supporting flesh; it is hard,
like the operculum.

In the larger of the two specimens exhibiting this, there appears to be
nothing wrong with the outer operculum; it is not broken, but it is
followed by another fully developed operculum of essentially the same
size.

They don't cast off opercula as they grow, do they?  I have been assuming
that they simply continue to enlarge their opercula as they expand their
shells.

Among perhaps a hundred C. janthostomoides of various sizes I have
examined, these are the first two like this I have observed.

As long as I keep finding something different, each trip is worthwhile.
Sorta like daily life, eh?

Please enlighten me:  Who is it who calls himself "the Prince of Tides,"
and does someone refer to R. Tucker Abbott as "Our Tucker Rabbit?"

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