richkent88

SHELL OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2019

Our April Shell of the Month is for the shell crafters. It is a set of 20 Cypraea vitellus Linn, 1758 commonly know as the Calf Cowry. Cypraea vitellus is one of the most common medium sized cowries, It inhabits the reef in shallow water throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region. It’s a fawn colored shell covered with white spots. The margins have closely spaced thin vertical whitish lines. T here is little variation in size and pattern. The shell is immediately recognizable. Juveniles are banded, the banding covered over as the shell matures.
These shells were purchased in bulk and came with no collection date. I imagine these twenty will be turned into wonderful little critters or whatever the shell crafter may imagine.
Donated by Richard Kent. Next month we shall return to specimen shells.

SHELL OF THE MONTH – FEBRUARY 2019

Cypraea pulchella (Swainson, 18230, Mergui Archipelago, trawled 100 meeters by fishing boats, Andaman Sea, Myanmar
Cypraea pulchella (Swainson, 18230, trawled by commercial fishing boats @100-150Meters off Hainan Island, South China Sea, China

Not only is Cypraea pulchella (Swainson, 1823) one of the most sought after cowries, it is also one of the most distinctive. Its deep brown teeth that extend across the base make it impossible to confuse with any other. The common name for this elegantly pyriform shell is the Pretty Cowrie and pretty it is.
The dorsum is pale, faintly mottled with light brown and typically has a large dark chocolate colored blotch on both the right and left side of the dorum, but not always. Less attractive specimens have the blotch on only one side or the other. The most interesting specimens have multiple blotches or one huge one in the center and they bring the highest prices. The occasional specimen has no blotch at all! (specimen #2 in our raffle). Normal size is between 35-45mm. Shells retail in the $15-25 range and two to three times that for the exceptional spectacular specimen.
Originally the north-western Indian Ocean variety, Cypraea pericalles (Melvill & Standen, 1904) was a distinct specie, separate from the more common Pacific one, but recently Cypraea pericalles has been downgraded into a subspecies. When the names were first described there was a gap in the range, but this was due to the nonexistence of shelling in Burma and Thailand. Specimens that come from the Andaman Sea (this area) often appear to be an intermediate of the two, but are usually sold as pericalles. The difference is that the original pericalles has shorter teeth, is less callus, and is of smaller average size, with a less pronounced blotch. Possibly the two subspecies fully intergrade.
Cypraea pulchella favors deep water, is variable in size and pattern and is widespread though uncommon in distribution. Most specimens on the market come form the Philippines, South China and Thailand. There are two other distinct subspecies, one unique to the southern Philippines and the other quite rare from New Guinea. The true pericalles from the west coast of India is currently very difficult to obtain.
Today with revisions of nomenclature the proper name is Ficadusta pulchella (Swainson, 1823). For old time collectors these revisions in Cypraea are hard to accept.
Donated from the collection of Richard Kent.

February Program

Our Program for February is Dr. Thomas Annesley,

Thomas Annesley is “Active Professor Emeritus” at the University of Michigan and Deputy Editor of the journal Clinical Chemistry. He has always had an interest in oceanography and spent summers in California, where his uncle dropped Tom off at the coastal tidepools on his way to work and the picked Tom up on his way home.

Tom has been listed in Who’s Who in Medicine Academia, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in America. He has published more than 200 articles and presented more than 175 invited lectures in 10 countries.

At the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum Tom does public lectures, beach walks and the live tank talks. He is also President of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club.

The title of his talk is “Cone Snails, Tennis Rackets, Pain Medications, and the Broward Shell Show”

Tom’s presentation will focus on scientific discoveries involving cone snails and their toxins. But as with many advances in science, there are elements of luck, happenstance, intrigue, mistakes, and creating lemonade out of lemons that contribute to the story. Dr. Annesley will show us how the supposedly unrelated topics of tennis, pain medications, and even the Broward Shell Show fit into the story of cone snails.

Shell show 2019 Photos

January 2019 Program

This month we are going to have Gene Everson as our guest speaker. Gene is a past President of the Broward Shell Club.Serving twice in 1978-79 and again 1982-1984 but now living in Louisville, Kentucky.
As an airline pilot Gene got to travel and anytime he got the opportunity he would dive. He has dove in just about every temperate Ocean and Sea, foregoing the Arctic and Antarctic.Gene is a world class shell exhibitor and has won more trophies for his exhibits than any person in history.
This month he will be giving us a program on “Shell Collecting in Mozambique and Madagascar”.
He recently took a trip with Silvard Kool and just his stories dealing with travel will test the patience of the calmest person alive.
Come travel with Gene and Silvard as the shell East Africa.

SHELL OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2019

Venerupis philippinarum (A. Adams and Reeve 1850)
by divers 10m in muddy bottom
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam 2018
Interesting large collection of assorted colors and patterns!
21 specimens size 29-42mm

Venerupis philippinarum (A. Adams and Reeve 1850) is commonly know as the Manilla Clam or Japanese Cockle. The Manilla clam is a popular edible clam and is enjoyed around the world. Originally found on the coasts of the Philippines and India, it has been introduced worldwide and is now one of the important bivalve raised in aquaculture.

It is a burrowing clam, adaptable to various habitats. These specimens were living in shallow waters on a muddy bottom in Viet Nam.

The shell is oval and sculptured with with radiating ribs. What makes philippinarum interesting is that it paints its shell in varying patterns. It is species like this that exhibit such variety that makes shell collecting a fascinating hobby. This fascinating assortment in the raffle is representative of the wide variety of patterns and colors of the shells.

We have no idea if these clams had been consumed first. They were purchased from a dealer in Singapore who stated he obtained them from Vietnamese fishermen. Donated by Richard Kent

SHELL OF THE MONTH – NOVEMBER 2018

Cypraeaovula capensis capensis (Grey1828)
SCUBA at 10-12M on rock wall
Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet the icy Antarctic waters below the coast of South Africa. In the sheltered bays a rich unique marine fauna has developed with an array of indigenous cyrpraea including a couple of oddballs that make shell collecting such a fascinating hobby.

Cypraea capensis is one such shell. It’s like no other. From a distance it looks likes a typical cowry, but on closer inspection one sees fins that originate in the aperture and completely cross over the base and dorsum encircling the shell and meeting the teeth on the opposite end. The shell is a pale uniform mushroom color with an irregular brown blotch and has a discernible mantle line. The dorsum is glossy. There is little variation in color and pattern from shell to shell. Even the blotch is fairly consistent.

Capsnsis lives on rocks in both moderate and deep water with deep water specimens bringing vastly higher prices. There are a few named varieties.

Before the popularity of SCUBA, virtually all specimens were dead collected on the beach. As the diving season is rather short, few capensis come to the market each year, making it a difficult shell to obtain.

Our specimen is of good size, 30mm and should be considered gem. Similar shells bring about $40 on the market. It was originally purchased in a small dealer’s lot from a South African diver/collector and is from the collection of Richard Kent. This is an intriguing shell to look at; one can spend much time studying its appearance.

November Program

For November, we have one of our favorite malacologists back with us. Dr. Jose Leal. Science Director and Curator of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island will be telling us about a wonderful research cruise he worked in September. He worked with Dr. Greg Herbert (the cruise’s Chief Scientist) from the University of South Florida in one of his annual surveys to map molluscan communities on the central part of Florida’s continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. The group of four scientists also included Dr. Paul Larson from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Rebecca Mensch, National Shell Museum Marine Biologist. The scientists and a group of Dr. Herbert’s USF students sailed on the R/V Weatherbird II, the 115-ft flagship of Florida Institute of Oceanography’s small fleet. From their website: “The Research Vessel (R/V) Weatherbird II is home ported on Bayboro Harbor at the University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg Campus. She is equipped with advanced laboratories, oceanographic devices, and sensor technology designed to enable scientists and students to study and learn about various aspects of the ocean’s biological, chemical, geological, and physical characteristics.”

Dr. Leal’s presentation will showcase and discuss a selection of uncommon and unusual mollusks and shells collected in the occasion and incorporated into the USF collection.”

October Program

Our program for October will be Dr. Ed Petuch. Ed recently retired from teaching Geology at Florida Atlantic University. Ed has written over 22 books mainly on the mollusks of Florida and the Caribbean. He is an expert on both Recent and Fossil Shells and named over 1200 mollusks both recent and fossil

Long known by many of the members of the Broward Shell Club, since he was a graduate student at the University of Miami, last year Ed donated many books from his library to the club. Ed has had a close relationship to many of our club members, naming many species of shells for both Alice and Bob Pace, Kevan and Linda Sunderland, Lynda Zylman and myself including others.
He is an expert on both Recent and Fossil shells. He has named over 1200 species of mollusks.

Ed is one of the most vibrant speakers you will ever hear and I know this program will be amazing. He will be presenting “Jewels of the Everglades: The Fossil Cowries of Southern Florida”—-

“The cowrie shells of Pliocene and Pleistocene Florida represent the single largest evolutionary explosion of cypraeids found anywhere on Earth. To date, 105 species of fossil cowries have been found in our local quarries and shell pits, including some of the rarest and most beautiful fossils known from anywhere in the world. Because of the special geology of the Everglades area, our fossil cowries are also the best-preserved in the world, often having the original shine and color pattern. With the exception of two species that are known from the fossil beds of the Carolinas, all the other cowries are found only in southern Florida, making these shells the most desirable fossils in our local area. Specimens of several of the largest and most beautiful species will be on display after the talk.”

Ed’s program will be based on his newly published book:
Jewels of the Everglades: The Fossil Cowries of Southern Florida, by Edward J. Petuch, David P. Berschauer and Robert F. Myers. This is available exclusively through the San Diego Shell Club for $95.00 plus shipping and handling ($5.00 in the USA). The Cypraeidae of Plio-Pleistocene southern Florida produced the single largest radiation of cowrie shells, known from one locality, ever found anywhere on Earth. With the exception of two widespread early Pliocene species, all the rest of the fossil cowries found in southern Florida were completely restricted to that region. Even within this relatively small area, many species and species groups of cowries had very limited geographical ranges, often being restricted to select reef tracts or estuarine environments and having ranges of only a few hundred square miles. This book contains over 350 images of over 100 species of fossil cowries from over four million years (covering the Pliocene to the Holocene) beautifully illustrated on 104 color plates, together with maps and in situ pictures of these unique fossil jewels. Hurry and get your copy while supplies last.

There is still time to order it and have Ed sign it at the club meeting. Here is the address and website or go to San Diego shell club and find the section labeled store.
this is a DO NOT MISS program, so see you Oct. 10.

P.S. If you can bring a refreshment to share that will be appreciated. We will probably have a large crowd this month.

SHELL OF THE MONTH – OCTOBER 2018

Swiftopecten swiftii (Bernardi, 1858)
trawled at 60m fishing fleet
Sapporo, Japan

Pectens, scallops as they are commonly known, are the most collected bivalve. Pectinidae is an extremely large family that are worldwide in distribution and are found in tropical, temperate and even arctic seas.

They are most interesting to observe when alive as they jet propel themselves across the ocean floor. They make a very popular meal and are a standard item at seafood restaurants.

There are about 500 different recent species. They all have two valves with an almost round outline, with radiating ribs and two ears on each side of the shell. Pectens are fascinating to collect because of the wide variety of colors and patterns found in many species.

Swiftopecten swiftii (Bernardi, 1858) is a large solid shell growing up to 4” in size. They are easy to distinguish from all other pecten due to their elongated triangular shape and unique sculpture. (Most all pecten are roundish). They grow in spurts as can be clearly seen in the photo. At the conclusion of each growth cycle the shell forms knobs, as does Florida’s Nodipecten nodosus (Linnaeus, 1758).

This specimen is the typical purplish color. Rare specimens are yellow, pink, albino and even maroon! One side is always colored and the other whitish. A color set is extremely difficult and expensive to obtain. Seeing one is quite impressive!

Swiftopecten swiftii (Bernardi, 1858) has a limited range from the north of Japan to the Russian mainland. This Japanese specimen is donated from the collection of Richard Kent. For those who collect scallop shells, swifti is a must.