Pleuroploca (now Triplofusus) gigantea, Kiener, 1840 Collected by diver in 20′ depth off Clearwater, Florida.
Yes…this is THE Florida State Shell, the Horse Conch and most of us are very familiar with it. It is found throughout Florida and was thus the perfect candidate for our state shell. It is a carnivorous specie and will attack the like of Strombus gigas and many other species to the point that Bahamians who find this shell rarely in the Bahamas always eliminate it for that reason.
48th Annual BROWARD SHELL SHOW
January 19-20, 2013
Hosted by the nonprofit Broward Shell Club, the Broward Shell Show offers an opportunity for shell-loving enthusiasts to enjoy an exciting weekend immersed in the wonderful world of shells.
Thousands of beautiful and unusual shells from around the world will be on display and for sale. Weekend Attractions include: Competitive displays by dozens of collectors; Shell Artists showcasing their designs; International Shell Market featuring shells, shell craft, jewelry and educational shell books; a Shell ID Station where beginners or advanced shell collectors can bring their seashells for identification; Raffle items including a spectacular Sailor’s Valentine made by Brandy Llewelyn valued at $2,700, and Door Prizes.
This year, the Shell Show will add an exciting new feature. Five interesting, educational programs will be presented during the shell show. There will be a program on seashells and one program on shell craft each day. Additionally, for those of you who like to purchase on-line, there will be a program on buying shells on Ebay. Please visit our Facebook page for additional information regarding the guest speakers,
Saturday, January 19:
12 pm – Shell Show Judge Dr. Harry Lee – Audubon’s Shells
2pm – Club member Tom Ball – Buying Shells on Ebay
4pm – Shell Show Judge Emily Savage – Basics of Arranging (Shell Craft)
Sunday, January 20:
12pm – Dr. Richard Kirk – Searching Around the World for the Most Beautiful Scallop
2pm – Jae Kellogg – The Art of Flower Making in Shell Craft
Take your picture with Sonny Ogden’s “Killer Clam”. We invite you to attend the 2013 South Florida shelling event of the year!
January 19-20, 2013
Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE 6 St, Pompano Beach, 33060. Hours: Saturday, 1/19/13 10am – 6pm, Sunday, 1/20/13 10am – 4pm Admission and parking are free.
For more information, call 305-467-4412 or write: nancygaldo@gmail.com
www.browardshellclub.org, www.facebook.com/groups/BrowardShellClub/
Scientific Shell Show Judge – Dr. Richard Kirk
Richard Y. Kirk graduated with a Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for the Department of Veteran Affairs until his retirement in 2007.
He has been active in both the Conchologists of America (COA) and the Academy of Natural Sciences / Philadelphia Shell Club, founding the annual Philadelphia Shell Show in 1983, as past club president, auctioneer, scientific judge and co-chairing the National COA Convention in Philadelphia.
Richard was named “Fellow” at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, 2011 and is currently co-authoring a new encyclopedia of shells with Dr. Gary Rosenberg, Paul Callomon and Sue Hobbs.
Richard tells his rather humorous story. “When I was 4 years old, I did something “good” and mom decided to reward me, so she took me to the basement and brought out a round red can with an Indian on it (baking soda?), opened it and it was full of beautiful shells, she said from India, she allowed me to pick just one as my reward. It took me about an hour to choose on shell, and that night I went downstairs and took the whole can! With shells it was love at first sight! I still have that first shell, it was a busycon contrarium and those shells in the can as it turned out were not from India but from Florida. I have been collecting ever since, and now have a massive worldwide marine collection that will some day go to the Academy of Natural Sciences, because it includes many species that the Academy does not yet have. My shells are being photographed for the new encyclopedia of shells.”
Scientific Shell Show Judge – Dr. Harry Lee
Harry G. Lee was born and raised in Short Hills New Jersey, where he began the pursuit of conchology at age six. Settling in Jacksonville FL in 1974, he practiced Internal medicine until his retirement in 2006.
Harry received his education at Williams College (biology honors) and medical training at Cornell University, Emory University, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of California San Francisco. He is the author of Marine Shells of Northeast Florida (2009) and over a dozen scientific papers and serves as a Field Associate of the Florida Museum of Natural History and Vice President of The Conchologists of America. He is a Trustee of the Museum of Science and History (Jacksonville) and previously served in that capacity for the Paleontological Research Institution (Cornell University) and the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum (Sanibel, FL). In addition, Harry is on the Editorial Board of The Nautilus and American Conchologist.
Harry maintains a general collection of shells but is particularly interested in American mollusks (land, freshwater, and marine) and the micromollusks of the western Atlantic. He has written over 100 popular articles related to malacology and shell collecting and judged about 65 shell shows.
Artistic Shell Show Judge – Sandy Moran
The very first Sailor’s Valentine Sandy Moran viewed changed her life and her interest grew as she learned more about the history of these objects that spoke so elegantly of a lonely sailor’s love. A person with a fine eye for artistic quality, and a love for all things connected with the sea, Sandy was inspired to realize her own vision of a unique Sailor’s Valentine. Her valentines include patterns and flowers of various unusual seashells. Many of the shells were discovered in old shell collections.
Having reached pre-eminence in her field, Sandy Moran has earned numerous first-place awards, beginning in the early nineties. Additionally, she was a featured artist on a PBS fundraiser show, featured in Martha Stewart magazine, Coastal Living magazine, La Vie Claire Magazine, Yankee Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, as well as in various Florida publications and national television. Additionally, Sandy is Artistic Chairperson of the famed Sanibel Shell Show and a trustee of the Bailey-Mathews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island. Her work is displayed in galleries on Cape Cod, Nantucket and in Sanibel.
Artistic Shell Show Judge – Emily Savage
Emily Savage was born in Perth Amboy, N.J. and moved to Miami, Florida with her familyin 1944. She met her husband Herbert Savage in 1949 and they were married in Miami onOctober 21st, 1950. They have three children, Charlene Butler, Sharon Stewart and HerbertSavage, Jr. and six grandchildren.
Emily was active in PTA Organizations during the years her children were in school, becoming a Life Member. She was also active in the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs and served as the State Junior Director of Florida from 1962-64 when Florida was the Outstanding State in the Nation. In 1963, she was chosen to represent Florida in the Mrs. America pageant.
She moved to Marco Island in 1978 with her family where her love of shells and her interest in them grew. She joined the Marco Island Shell Club where she met several club members who were her mentors. She served as President and is an Honorary Member of the club.
She has won numerous ribbons in various Florida Shell Shows over the years, was awarded the Peggy Bennett Memorial Award for the Best Commercial Artistic Creation, and she has received the Best Commercial Artistic Creation Award three times at the Marco Island Shell Show.
Emily opened her shell shop, Shells by Emily, in 1985 and has been in the same location for the past 28 years. They carry a large inventory of local and imported shells, creating most of the items they sell using a various assortment of shapes and sizes of shells, providing a wide variety of shell creations including wedding favors, cake tops, bride bouquets, corsages, lamps, mirrors, containers, picture frames, and other specialty arrangements for any occasion. The friendships, camaraderie and creativity are the highlights of her day.
At this month’s meeting on Wednesday, January 9th, we welcome back an enthusiastic speaker Christopher Boykin to give a program entitled “Turtles of Florida”. His talk will review the seven families of turtles found throughout the Florida peninsula, as well as the five species of sea turtles that frequent our waters. The speaker will briefly share some natural history characteristics of each species before elaborating on diamondback terrapins, which are a small euryhaline species found exclusively in mangrove and salt marsh habitats. We hope you will come out to learn about one of the world’s most interesting animals, who like you, have a strong interest in keeping their shells :)
Bio: Christopher Boykin has resided in Florida for twenty-two years and works for the Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Program. He participated on research projects as the principle investigator or assistant for more than fifteen species. His primary efforts with chelonians involved nine years of survey efforts with the ornate diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota), which is found along Florida’s west coast.
Our Holiday party will be held on 12/12/1/2 (Wednesday) this year which is our regular 2nd Wednesday meeting night. Appetizers will be at 6PM and dinner at 6:30. It is a pot luck style with the club supplying the meat, ham and turkey. We will have a signup sheet at the November meeting. If you will not be at the meeting please call Carolyn @ 954-545-3657 by November 24th. Some important facts to remember- If you are bringing an appetizer, you need to plan to be there BEFORE 6PM. If you are bringing a dish that requires serving utensils please include
them. If you are bringing a cake that requires cutting, please bring a cake knife. GIFT EXCHANGE GAME: The ever popular Richard will be our game host. Since we are a shell club, we kindly request you purchase a shell related item in the $15-$20 range although liquor and chocolates have been popular. This is always a fun event. If for some reason you do not wish to participate in one part, come for the other!
SCIENTIFIC ENTRY: Scientific entry2013
ARTISTIC ENTRY: Artistic entry2013
BEST OF BEST ENTRY: Best of the Best entry 2013
Entry forms must be received no later than Friday, January 4th, 2013.
Each exhibitor shall submit an entry application to:
Nancy Galdo, 4266 Chase Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33140
Or Email your application attachment to: nancygaldo@gmail.com
SAVE THE DATE!! October 13th WAREHOUSE CLEANING DAY On Saturday. Broward Club members, we invite you to join us at our warehouse on Saturday, October 13 at 10am to clean out our warehouse in preparation for the upcoming shell show season. This annual event was attended by over a dozen people last year and most of us went out for lunch togetherwhen we finished. The location of the warehouse is 1610/20 SW 7th Avenue in Pompano Beach. Let us know at the October meeting if you plan to attend.
A SELECTION OF ORANGE AND BLACK SHELLS FOR HALLOWEEN
Chicoreus brunneus, Link 1807, young specimen, in reef & corals 15 meter, Camotes Sea, Bohol, Philippines
Chicoreus venustulus, Rehder & Wilson 1975, uncommon color variety, in reef corals 10-15 meter, Bohol, Philippines
Cymatium pyrum, Linne 1758, 30meters deep sandy & coral, Tagalinog Island, Phillippines, 2006
Oliva oliva form oriola, Lamark 1811, netted in sandy bottom, Negros Oriental, Philippines 2004
Vexillum citrinum, Gmelin 1791, by diver in reef 15-20 meter, Olango Island, Cebu Philippines 2005
Vexillum vulpecula, Linne 1758, scarce color variety, local fishermen by nets in sand and muddy bottom, near Samar Island, Philippines, June 2009
Conus coralinus, Habe & Kosuge 1970, sand pocket in reef by SCUBA 30meters, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines July 2008
Spondylus foliaceus, Schreibers 1793, color variety (sub-adult), 50meters deep attached to corals, Pamilacan island, Philippines
Strombus urceus, Linne 1758, unusual color variation, local fishermen by nets, off coast Bohol Island, Philippines, 2012
A conch is a conch believed the great naturalist Linnaeus, so in 1758 he classified our shell as Strombus Lambis. This didn’t sit well with his followers who observed a group of conchs with claw like extensions that they believed deserved their own genus. Lamark in 1799 renamed our shell Pterocera Lambis – from the Greek, pteron, wing and keras, a horn. This is in my opinion a fantastic name. Unfortunately in 1798 Roding was also reclassifying the spider conchs and beat Lamark to the punch, hence ourshell is known today by the boring name Lambis lambis, Linnaeus 1758.
To honor his grandmother, Helen Stanley, Lorin Cope, of St. Louis, MO, has donated her huge collection of shell craft material to the Broward Shell Club. We are grateful to Mr. Cope for going well out of his way to drive an SUV, filled with plastic bins holding hundreds of jars of tiny shells, all the way from Ohio to Homestead for us. Additionally, he emptied out a Homestead storage room with countless more plastic bins of shells that were stored for over twenty years. Thank you, Lorin, for your generosity to our club and for honoring your grandmother by looking after her treasures!!!Mrs. Helen E. Stanley (1901-1992) Married to Lorin Stanley. Grew up in Ohio but started going to Florida in 1932 because her husband hated cold weather and they needed to make money during the depression. They were dairy farmers in Ohio and worked in the tomato, bean, and cucumber fields in South Florida each winter. They built their first Florida home in 1946. Helen started collecting, showing and “working” with shells in the 1960’s. A few of her shells were picked up along the beach, but many were purchased and shipped to her in Ohio as well as in Florida. She loved going to Marco Island, long before all the homes, hotels and condos were built, to pick up shells and visit the stores selling shells along the coast. A member of the Greater Miami Shell Club, Helen won Shell Show ribbons and awards during the 70s and 80s for her beautiful shell craft exhibits! One of her most prestigious awards is a wooden plaque from the Greater Miami Shell Club’s 23rd Shell Show in 1985 for Best Shell Art Exhibit.
Tectus triserialis, Lamarck, 1822. Caught in 50 meters deep rocky & muddy bottom, Semirara Islands, Samar, Philippines.
Tectus conus, Gmelin, 1791. On rock and rubble, collected by local fishermen by nets near Rapu Rapu Island, Albay Gulf, Philippines.
Trochus ferreirai, Bozzetti, 1996. Trawled in 50 meters depth, Masbate, Philippines.
Monodonta labio, Linné 1758. Rocky shore in shallow water, Negros Island, Philippines.
The Trochidae are conical shaped gastropods. They are herbivorous and found grazing on seaweed and algae covered rocks. Trochidae are found worldwide in tropical waters and well represented in the Philippines where all of our specimens were collected. These four specimens exhibit the diversity of the family in shape and size, although many come much much smaller and one, Tectus niloticus. grows so large that it dwarfs the largest of these. It is interesting that this family favors reds and greens, two colors not often found in other gastropods. These shells are pearlescent under the outer layer. This inner layer is called “nacre” or mother of pearl in plain English. “Pearlized” specimens of the larger specie are found in the tourist shops. Trochus ferreirai was discovered less than twenty years ago and until very recently sold for over $20 each. Its red and white swirls make it very attractive Specimens of the upside down ice cream cone shaped Tectus triserialis, while not rare, are difficult to acquire. Tectus conus is the most popular of the lot, rightfully so due its large size, elegant shape and beautiful coloration.
Shells donated by Richard Kent
Broward Shell Club 
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