tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42694993181326249852024-03-18T23:06:25.852-04:00Musings from a North Carolina ShellerCarolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-44600787572840110932011-07-05T09:44:00.000-04:002011-07-05T09:44:27.557-04:00Create a Photo Book of your favorite shells and beach life.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm planning to create a photo book of beach life and shells. For better books, visit:<br />
http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/ She has great ideas for books as well as recommendations as to which publisher does the best job.</div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-39532760747869418522010-09-02T02:07:00.001-04:002010-09-02T11:16:08.677-04:00Turtle Hatching<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_KwvTYsI/AAAAAAAATto/_nsfM2aT0_0/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_KwvTYsI/AAAAAAAATto/_nsfM2aT0_0/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a> <br />
Tonight, the night before hurricane Earl brushes by our coastline, a turtle nest 'boiled'. It was the 48<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> night after the eggs were laid. The turtle patrol for Ocean Isle Beach have been monitoring each of our nests for weeks and weeks. Yesterday, the nest's top dropped by 6 inches into a concave shape to let us know the turtles were hatching and moving around below. As the turtles move out of their shell, the sand shifts and is no longer flat on top. That's the way the patrol knows they are down there eating the inside of the shells, getting strong and ready for their march to the sea.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_MFg4ZQI/AAAAAAAATt4/7qmmbWh6NvE/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_MFg4ZQI/AAAAAAAATt4/7qmmbWh6NvE/s320/DSC_0041.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a> As they dig their way out of the nest, there is always an audience waiting anxiously to see these sweet creatures get ready for the swim of their lives.<br />
<br />
The turtles seek light as a guide to the sea. The patrol will dig a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">trough </span> to ease their trek to the ocean and provide a light to guide them. When they have imprinted long enough to know where to return to find their place of birth, the turtles are helped into a tub and brought to the water's edge.<br />
<br />
<br />
The mother turtles usually lay their eggs in the lower part of the beach strand where beach goers walk. After the patrol spots a new nest, the nest is dug up and each egg is carefully placed in a new nest the same shape and in the same order they were laid, counting as they go. This new nest is in a safe place in the dunes, away from beach goers and covered with screening to keep out crabs, fox, opossum and racoons.<br />
After this is done,the waiting begins.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_NDnDXmI/AAAAAAAATuA/7_C43FDs0y4/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_NDnDXmI/AAAAAAAATuA/7_C43FDs0y4/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_LSgRL7I/AAAAAAAATtw/LnC99ImjY1M/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH8_LSgRL7I/AAAAAAAATtw/LnC99ImjY1M/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>Since it's been a very warm summer, the usual 55 days to hatching was a lot shorter. As soon as there is movement at the site, patrol members and visitors keep a nightly vigil waiting for them to hatch.<br />
<br />
People who rent or live on the first row of homes on the ocean front are asked to keep their outside lights out so the turtles won't travel in the wrong direction. Any visitors are told not to have their flashlights on and the awaiting crowd sits in the dark and talk or just enjoy the beautiful night sky - waiting.<br />
<br />
When the boil (many turtles bubbling up to the surface at the same time) arrives, the patrol jumps into action to help the babies to the ocean. The visitors watch this wonderful site as I did tonight. (well now it's technically tomorrow as I write this!)<br />
<br />
<br />
When the tub is brought to the ocean's edge, all visitors are asked to stay on the dry part of the strand and when the turtles are released, everyone stands firmly in place because the tide goes in and out and no one wants to step on any of them.<br />
I've seen some turtles take 15 or more minutes to really get into the water because they kept on being swept back to land over and over.<br />
Tonight, it was one wave and they were gone to make that dangerous swim way out in the ocean to the seaweed mats called the Sargassum sea. Sargassum is a type of seaweed (class) Phaeophyceae, macroalga (seaweed) in the order Fucales.<br />
It's a long and dangerous trip and not many make it because they are a tasty dish to a lot of predators.<br />
<br />
For the ones that do, the female will return many years later to the same beach to lay their eggs.<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-15607944286544627792009-03-26T21:27:00.008-04:002009-08-01T17:46:13.957-04:00Mantis Shrimp, Squilla empusa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS2b-Fgj-I/AAAAAAAAG3c/j2vLgpSQ2W0/s1600-h/DSCN2802.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS2b-Fgj-I/AAAAAAAAG3c/j2vLgpSQ2W0/s320/DSCN2802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113647743930338" border="0" /></a><br /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:script; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} pre {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; tab-stops:45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><pre><span style=";font-family:";font-size:18;" ><span style=""> </span></span><o:p></o:p></pre> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS2wuB19cI/AAAAAAAAG3k/5i4ByNf_3CE/s1600-h/DSCN2803.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS2wuB19cI/AAAAAAAAG3k/5i4ByNf_3CE/s320/DSCN2803.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365114004210841026" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >W</span><span style=";font-family:";" >ell, beach walking has caused me to start researching again.<span style=""> </span>S</span><span style=";font-family:";" >eems that I must be fond of finding weird crustaceans. Besides the barnacle, I ran across a Mantis Shrimp.<span style=""> </span>It’s not a shrimp at all, but is in the crustacean class: Malacostraca. It has it’s own Superorder, Hoplocarida and a single order: Stomatopoda and Family: Squillidae. The one I found has a latin name of <i style="">Squilla empusa</i>. Spotted at dusk on <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Ocean Isle Beach</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">NC</st1:state></st1:place>, it was just wiggling near it’s burrow. The Mantis Shrimp got it’s name from the fact that it looks like a cross between a preying mantis and a shrimp, but is neither.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";" >When I started reading about it I found a large contingent of aficionados on the internet.<span style=""> </span>It seems there are a lot of people who keep them in salt water tanks while others find them to be pests that have sneaked into their tanks in live coral. There are two different types, ones that spear their prey and ones that club their prey. The one seen here spears its prey. The ones that club their prey have been known to even break a fish tank.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""> </span>There are 8 pairs of appendages. The first two are hairy and thin and used for cleaning. The second two are very large and shaped like scythes and are used to stab their prey (or your finger if you try to pick it up). The third through the fifth set are small legs that end in a flat oval shape called chelone. The chelone is used to bring food into the mouth. The last three pairs are long and thin and are used as walking legs. The sharp scythe-like appendage has 6 spines found at the last joint (Hickman 1973). Their strike is one of the fastest movements known in the animal kingdom, taking less then 8 milliseconds to strike, which is about 50 times faster than the blink of an eye (Squatriglia 2001; San Juan 1998, DBW 1998). These claws are strong enough to dig through sand, rocks and even lacerate a hand, which is why they are also known as "thumb splitters", "finger poppers", "killer shrimp" and "thumb busters" (San Juan 1998, DBW 1998, CIMS 2000).They live in sand burrows with many openings and can be found in off shore water up to 150 meters. The <em><span style=";font-family:";" >Squilla.empusa</span></em> is a nocturnal carnivore that feeds mainly on soft bodied animals like fish, shrimps, krill, marine worms, snails and other mantis shrimp (CIMS 2000).</span> <span style=";font-family:";" >http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Squilla_empusa.html</span></p><p><br /><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwYUymqCZMp6vfkGZr2QBTojN1RwQL4INURzA7qAzICkdOX-puZenlbgMBaVpy16xv-QIhiBdCrbw2SdOLU2A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-4952676048081971012008-02-12T23:23:00.005-05:002009-08-01T17:50:47.396-04:00Barnacles - Striped barnacle and Ivory Barnacle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS4qyXYFrI/AAAAAAAAG4E/9Z7IlZfxLjI/s1600-h/DSCN2603.a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/SnS4qyXYFrI/AAAAAAAAG4E/9Z7IlZfxLjI/s320/DSCN2603.a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365116101318940338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7J07_6C5wI/AAAAAAAAB-c/sv34sna3hl0/s1600-h/DSCN2607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7J07_6C5wI/AAAAAAAAB-c/sv34sna3hl0/s320/DSCN2607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166320296663377666" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was walking near the pier on Ocean Isle Beach, NC and noticed all the barnacles on the pier pilings.<br />Surprise, surprise, these are crustaceans! The crustaceans you are used to seeing, lobsters, shrimp, and crabs are in the subclass Malacostraca, but barnacles are in the subclass Cirripedia. They have fewer appendages and segments and their organs are rearranged. In fact, the barnacles that are attached to surfaces are thought to be attached by their heads!<br />Most barnacles are hermaphroditic and they cross fertilize their eggs. They drift though the water and find a suitable place to attach. As they mature, their mantle secretes an external shell. They have plates that interlock by overlapping and in the center they have two sets of plates that act as a door. When in the water, the barnacle opens and closes it’s doors and it extends it’s cirri (feathery legs) and catches any <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jw5_6C5tI/AAAAAAAAB-E/5NQ13L-hiHg/s1600-h/DSCN2603.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jw5_6C5tI/AAAAAAAAB-E/5NQ13L-hiHg/s320/DSCN2603.JPG" border="0" /></a>plankton or detritus in the water. They are filter feeders. After they mature,they put out a chemical which attracts other barnacles. That’s why you will find them in clusters. Most live attached to firm surfaces like pilings (where <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jzvv6C5vI/AAAAAAAAB-U/FfAe4HIVjrQ/s1600-h/DSCN2603.a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jzvv6C5vI/AAAAAAAAB-U/FfAe4HIVjrQ/s320/DSCN2603.a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166318986698352370" border="0" /></a>these pictures were taken), rocks, oysters , boat bottoms or even turtles, whales and crabs .Early naturalists misclassified barnacles as mollusks<br />because of the outer shell-like structure.<br /><br />This is a <strong>Striped Barnacle</strong> <em>Balanus crenatus</em>.<br />It’s interesting because in the North, it is white with grey stripes and south of Cape Hatteras, it’s white with purple stripes.<br /><br /><br />It is very similar to the <strong>Ivory Barnacle</strong> <em>Balanus eburneus</em> which is smooth and white. Seen below.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jw6P6C5uI/AAAAAAAAB-M/T3Nh4CEo0Vo/s1600-h/DSCN2606.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jw6P6C5uI/AAAAAAAAB-M/T3Nh4CEo0Vo/s320/DSCN2606.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Someone sent me a video on bio-luminescence and camouflage in sea creatures and I thought it was very interesting.<br />Click on the link below to watch.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span><span><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:black;" ><a title="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/206" href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/206"><b><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:18;" >http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/206</span></span></b></b></a></span></span><b><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:blue;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:18;color:blue;" > </span></span></b></b></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R7Jw6P6C5uI/AAAAAAAAB-M/T3Nh4CEo0Vo/s1600-h/DSCN2606.JPG"></a> <blockquote></blockquote><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-79650055430885014972007-12-03T19:07:00.001-05:002010-09-02T02:44:26.751-04:00Sea Squirt, Tunicate (Sea Pork) and Parchment Tubeworm<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1Sabp99tDI/AAAAAAAABFI/g8L-vBgwTmQ/s1600-R/DSCN2225.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;">November 30, 2007<span><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="background-color: #666666;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">It was a wonderful day on the beach. Still in the low 70s, the low tide revealed a lot, but, no great shells. In their place were a lot of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicates</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> and parchment tube worms.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">The </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="color: #ffffcc;">Tunicates</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> have a common name of Sea Pork. Some types are called sea squirts because they will squirt water when picked up and squeezed. The picture of the brown sack like animal is a Sea squirt (I squeezed this one as I took the picture so you could see the water coming out of it).</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">“Sea squirts are immobile marine invertebrates which extract food (plankton and organic material) from seawater pumped through a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="color: #ffffcc;">brachial</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> sac in their body cavity. They are called sea squirts because they squirt' seawater. The scientific name for this class of animals is </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="color: #ffffcc;">Ascidiacea</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, so scientists often refer to them as '</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="color: #ffffcc;">ascidians</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">'. They are part of a wider grouping (sub-phylum) of marine invertebrates called '</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicates</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">'. This sea squirt has been tentatively identified as a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" style="color: #ffffcc;">Styela</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="color: #ffffcc;">plicata</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">.</span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH9Etqg3b4I/AAAAAAAATuY/aNjkEnG4QOw/s1600/DSCN2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH9Etqg3b4I/AAAAAAAATuY/aNjkEnG4QOw/s320/DSCN2225.JPG" /></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;">This invasive sea squirt is known by the name Pleated Sea Squirt. Its scientific name is </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="color: #ffffcc;">Styela</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="color: #ffffcc;">plicata</span> (<span style="color: #ffffcc; font-size: 100%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Lesueur</span>,</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1cB8Z99tHI/AAAAAAAABFo/BfNXUUcGofA/s1600-h/DSCN2212.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: #ffffcc;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140579636941272178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1cB8Z99tHI/AAAAAAAABFo/BfNXUUcGofA/s320/DSCN2212.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="color: #ffffcc; font-size: 100%;"> 1823</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">).It is also known as the rough </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicate</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #ffffcc;">The pleated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">tunicate</span>, <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">plicata</span></i> is a solitary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">benthic</span> (an aggregate of organisms that live in the bio-geographic region that includes the bottom of a lake, sea, or ocean and the littoral and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">supralittoral</span> zones of the shore)(that’s got to be a super word to mean so much while saying it so succinctly !) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">tunicate</span> believed non-native to the east coast and the western Atlantic, but occurring there in some abundance. The oval, upright body is covered with a tough and leathery cellulose-containing tunic, with numerous rounded warts and pleated grooves and a pair of short siphons.<br />
Individuals range in color from light <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">tannish</span> white to gray. Thin red or purple stripes on the insides of the four-lobed siphons are evident as cross-shaped markings at the tips of the closed siphons. Individuals can be found singly or in groups (Carlton and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Ruckelshaus</span> 1997, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Kaplan</span> 1999, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">NIMPIS</span> 2002, <a href="http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1293" target="new"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">USGS</span></a>, <a href="http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=952&fr=1&sts=" target="new"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ISSG</span></a>)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1b_Xp99tEI/AAAAAAAABFQ/0piqC4TlSOk/s1600-h/DSCN2213.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140576806557824066" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1b_Xp99tEI/AAAAAAAABFQ/0piqC4TlSOk/s320/DSCN2213.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div><div style="color: #ffffcc;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">plicata</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> is a hermaphrodite, with individuals starting out as functional males and then becoming functional females later in life. Sequential <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">hermaphroditism</span> insures fertilization through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">outcrossing</span>. Sperm and eggs are shed to the water column via <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">excurrent</span> siphons and fertilization is external. (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Yamaguchi</span> 1975, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">NIMPIS</span> 2002).<br />
<br />
<i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">plicata</span></i> is a sessile (permanently attached), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">benthic</span> filter-feeder. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">incurrent</span> siphon takes water into a sieve-like pharyngeal basket that filters out food of the appropriate size class before water is pumped from the animal via the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">excurrent</span> siphon. <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">plicata</span></i> is among the most common introduced <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">ascidian</span> species worldwide. Despite considerable evidence supporting the contention that the organism is not native</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1cB7599tGI/AAAAAAAABFg/ACA7dsqI0kA/s1600-h/DSCN2220.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140579628351337570" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1cB7599tGI/AAAAAAAABFg/ACA7dsqI0kA/s320/DSCN2220.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;"> waters, <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">plicata</span></i> was originally described in 1823 from specimens collected from the hull-fouling community on a ship in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Philadelphia</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">PA.</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> The organism was reported from </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;"> coastal waters ranging from </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">North Carolina</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Texas</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> in the 1880s, and had been reported from </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">California</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> by 1915. It is thought to be native to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Indo</span>-Pacific region. (Carlton and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Ruckelshaus</span> 1997, Lambert and Lambert 1998, Lambert 2001).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="color: #ffffcc;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Styela</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">plicata</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> is a widespread and common fouler of buoys, pilings, nets and other floating or submerged <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">manmade</span> structures. It is also a common fouler of aquaculture cages, bags, and nets. If fouling is severe costly cleaning of culture gear is required to avoid still costlier loss of stocks (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Da</span> Rocha and Kramer 2005).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="color: #ffffcc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Styela_plicata.htm<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Kingdom </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=202423" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Animalia</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Phylum </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=158852" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Chordata</span></a><br />
<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" style="color: #ffffcc;">Subphylum</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=203347" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Tunicata</span></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> Lamarck, 1816 -- </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" style="color: #ffffcc;">ascidies</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, sea squirts, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicates</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, </span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Class </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=158854" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Ascidiacea</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Order </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=158855" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Enterogona</span></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Suborder </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=158856" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Aplousobranchia</span></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" style="color: #ffffcc;">Lahille</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, 1887 </span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Family </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=158937" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Polyclinidae</span></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> Milne-Edwards, 1841 </span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1SaZp99tBI/AAAAAAAABE4/6YbOTP_bTDA/s1600-R/DSCN2219.JPG" style="color: #ffffcc;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1SaZp99tBI/AAAAAAAABE4/iLQWcpJUgGc/s320/DSCN2219.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Genus </span><a href="http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=159038" style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">Aplidium</span></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" style="color: #ffffcc;">Savigny</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, 1816 </span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">Species </span><b style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Aplidium</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">glabrum</span></b><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> (</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" style="color: #ffffcc;">Verrill</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">, 1871)</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH9ESmK50lI/AAAAAAAATuQ/VL75xLgH-mA/s1600/DSCN2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH9ESmK50lI/AAAAAAAATuQ/VL75xLgH-mA/s320/DSCN2219.JPG" /></a><b style="color: #ffffcc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Aplidium</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">glabrum</span></b><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> This is the name of the purple </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicate</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> pictured to the right. It is a colonial (colony) species that has </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" style="color: #ffffcc;">zooids</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> in a clear tunic. I had sent a note with photos to Gretchen Lambert who helps publish the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" style="color: #ffffcc;">Ascidian</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> News out of Seattle WA and she is the one who tentatively identified this animal for me. It seems that it is very difficult to definitively identify the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicate</span> without dissecting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" style="color: #ffffcc;">zooids</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> from the animal and viewing them under a microscope. I'm such a novice, that I have no idea what each </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" style="color: #ffffcc;">zooid</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> looks like. I will continue to research and try to find out. ( I guess my first item of business is to buy a microscope - one that I can take pictures with!)</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">It is interesting that when I was researching information about this </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" style="color: #ffffcc;">tunicate</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> that scientists have been trying to determine the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" style="color: #ffffcc;">cytotoxicity</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> to certain types of cancer tumor cells. The research is very promising for the pharmaceutical industry.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DbmO019JBB2JSgupeGoQM-0RidDm_RwK77mIn7_oU96H8Ych-CUfb7EzrbWi7PXPbNgQdbq7duNs5jiqEP42eze6BBJ0-nGfR5OCbmQaKCdhPS99Bp91KvhTjwTVxYaxlLI9LtWHyMni/s1600/DSCN2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DbmO019JBB2JSgupeGoQM-0RidDm_RwK77mIn7_oU96H8Ych-CUfb7EzrbWi7PXPbNgQdbq7duNs5jiqEP42eze6BBJ0-nGfR5OCbmQaKCdhPS99Bp91KvhTjwTVxYaxlLI9LtWHyMni/s320/DSCN2215.JPG" /></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;">"The </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" style="color: #ffffcc;">Chaetopterus</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> parchment </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" style="color: #ffffcc;">tubeworm</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> feeds by fanning water through its home tube with its wing-</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1SaYp99tAI/AAAAAAAABEw/S9NY3869fwk/s1600-R/DSCN2215.JPG" style="color: #ffffcc;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/R1SaYp99tAI/AAAAAAAABEw/g-lrIaruN1s/s320/DSCN2215.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="color: #ffffcc;">like legs (fan </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" style="color: #ffffcc;">parapodia</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">). A bag of slime is excreted from two feeding legs (</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" style="color: #ffffcc;">aliform</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" style="color: #ffffcc;">notopodia</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">). Water flows into this bag and out through its side, trapping tiny algal and mud particles. At its bottom end, the bag is continuously rolled up into a ball by the food cup. Once the ball is big enough, the bag is rolled up entirely and the compact ball of mucus transported to the mouth over a conveyor belt of whipping hairs (</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" style="color: #ffffcc;">ciliated</span><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> dorsal groove). " Dr. Floor </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" style="color: #ffffcc;">Anthoni</span> www.seafriends.org.nz/indepth/invasion.htm<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-65223136295183987562007-07-21T23:43:00.001-04:002011-05-02T13:55:49.008-04:00Atlantic Calico Scallop and Florida Fighting Conch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQCLj1k9LP4/SnS2b-Fgj-I/AAAAAAAAG3c/IDVAO_jFCaE/s1600/DSCN2802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeNqUbUL4mo/S37u3j0IuaI/AAAAAAAAMzk/wcOsupWcGkQ/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeNqUbUL4mo/S37u3j0IuaI/AAAAAAAAMzk/wcOsupWcGkQ/s320/DSC_0044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>The Calico Scallop</b> <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Argopecten</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">gibbus</span></i> (Linnaeus)<br />
Is a bivalve ranging in size from 1-3 inches. It is almost circular in shape and has equally sized ears. The exterior of the right valve is white-yellowish and usually <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">splotched</span> or striped with colors of red or purple. The left valve is darker in color usually with red, orange or purple <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">variegated</span> with white or yellow- white. This scallop is commercially fished especially off both North Carolina and eastern Florida coasts. It is found only in the ocean and lives in 100 foot depths from Delaware to Brazil. <br />
The live scallop has rows of eyes each having its own lens and retina, but it has no center of vision in its brain and probably can't form an image. It can however distinguish light and dark. It moves by opening and closing its shell. The dark <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">variegated</span> scallops are also calico but a chemical reaction <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">occurred</span> in these shells in which the calcium carbonate had been replaced with iron sulfide when the scallops were buried in the offshore muck and lacked oxygen.(Florida's Fabulous Seashells - Williams/Carmichael)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUTwMNV8LAw/S37u4aPY85I/AAAAAAAAMzs/ucW7sjaj8gA/s1600/DSC_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUTwMNV8LAw/S37u4aPY85I/AAAAAAAAMzs/ucW7sjaj8gA/s320/DSC_0045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Florida Fighting Conch</b> <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Strombus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">alatus</span></i> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Gmelin</span>)<br />
is 2-4.5 inches and is a thick shell and is yellow-brown to reddish brown in color often with pale spots or stripes. It's axial ribs are crossed by spiral cords and gradually become larger and more separated and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">knobbed</span>. It has a stromboid notch on its lower end of the canal. This notch is typical of all true conches - hence, they are in the family of Strombidae.<br />
A herbivore, it feeds on red algae and is found offshore from North Carolina to Texas and Mexico. Like the Atlantic Calico Scallop above, it is also commercially fished <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">chiefly</span> for steaks, chowders and salads.<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: LEFT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-10508710240634446922007-07-18T00:46:00.001-04:002011-05-02T13:58:05.099-04:00Common Paper Nauttilus, Cross-Barred Venus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TC1aEp5STV0/S37uyV4QJfI/AAAAAAAAMzE/pR6kPCVXM54/s1600/DSC_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TC1aEp5STV0/S37uyV4QJfI/AAAAAAAAMzE/pR6kPCVXM54/s320/DSC_0038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The <b>Common Paper Nautilus</b> or Common Paper Argonaut is not really a shell in the true sense of the word. It is actually an egg case secreted by two arms of the female <i>Argonauta argo</i> (Linnaeus). Most shells will be secreted by the mantle of the mollusk, but not this one. I found this in the sargasso grass on Del Rey Beach, Florida on a recent trip there.<br />
The animal is in the class Cephalopoda which is composed of the squid, octopus and nautilus. Most are predatory carnivores.<br />
Only the female secretes the shell, the male Argonaut is much smaller and does not have a shell. They are usually found in tropic or temperate seas. The female can grow to the length of 2 feet and produce a shell as big as 14 inches long, these are nowhere near that size. They swim near the surface of the water and prey upon pteropod mollusks and small pelagic fish. Sailfish in turn, prey upon them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Io3QRo3XQK8/S37uz5hV8GI/AAAAAAAAMzM/dCiWT5iAYD8/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Io3QRo3XQK8/S37uz5hV8GI/AAAAAAAAMzM/dCiWT5iAYD8/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Cross-Barred Venus</b>, <i>Chione cancellata</i> (Linne) are one of the most plentiful shells on the island. They seem to come in a variety of colors depending on the sediment in their environment. They are heavy with strong, raised concentric ridges and rounded ribs that form a network of raised lines. Found in shallow waters, they are the main food source of the green and blue crab as well as moon snails. When you come across some with 'ready made holes for stringing', those have been likely drilled by the moon snail.<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-64542512698222627582007-07-16T01:07:00.001-04:002011-05-02T14:00:17.607-04:00Seashore Creatures - Cannonball Jellyfish and Portuguese Man-of-War<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Cannonball Jellyfish</b> (<i>Stomolophus Meleagris</i>) Class Scyphozoa<br />
I hadn't gotten around to putting these on the blog, but I definately enjoyed finding them. On the 8th of June, there were quite a few jelly fish and a few Portuguese man-of-war on the beach, along with a lot of sargassum weed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3U7BmHSEfzk/S37u-E8Rw6I/AAAAAAAAM0Q/BfVG5JpIagA/s1600/DSCN0913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3U7BmHSEfzk/S37u-E8Rw6I/AAAAAAAAM0Q/BfVG5JpIagA/s320/DSCN0913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The Cannonball Jellyfish is 5-7 inches high and 7-9 inches wide. It floats near shore and is found from the Chesapeake Bay to Texas, the Bahamas and the West Indies. The books don't have a caution about this animal.<br />
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The <b>Portuguese Man-of-War</b> (<i>Physalia physalis</i>) is another story.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jm5nwfLgU2E/S37uk2CAz2I/AAAAAAAAMxk/Nwo02y4Ghvs/s1600/DSCN1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jm5nwfLgU2E/S37uk2CAz2I/AAAAAAAAMxk/Nwo02y4Ghvs/s320/DSCN1712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It's class is Hydrozoa and It can be found up to 12 inches long and 6 inches high by 5 inches wide. It floats by being gas filled and is iridescent blue and pink with tentacles of different lengths, some being more than 60 feet long and containing stinging cells.<br />
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The books warn that it is highly toxic and "the tentacles contain one of the most powerful poisons known in marine animals and can inflict severe burns and blisters even when the animal is dead on the beach." (National Audubon Society Field Guide To Seashore Creatures)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGGpM5bFk7c/S37uoKcZpsI/AAAAAAAAMxs/gBl8zV_z1U4/s1600/DSCN1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGGpM5bFk7c/S37uoKcZpsI/AAAAAAAAMxs/gBl8zV_z1U4/s320/DSCN1714.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I'm still just learning about everything on the beach, but, I sure knew enough to stay away from this!<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-43149946460717940392007-07-04T00:22:00.000-04:002008-12-11T00:09:35.842-05:00Crenulated Pyram, Atlantic Oyster Drill, New England Basket Shell<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgpyX43bI/AAAAAAAAAUM/m1FrOr8IfyQ/s1600-h/DSC_0025.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 258px" height="285" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgpyX43bI/AAAAAAAAAUM/m1FrOr8IfyQ/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" width="320" border="0" /></a><strong>Crenulated Pyram</strong> <em>Pyramidella crenulata</em> (Holmes) is a small (1/2 inch) shell with smooth, flat-sided whorls and deeply incised sutures. It's cream with tan blotches and lives in mud and in grass from the low-tide line to 50' sandy ocean bottoms. It can be found from North Carolina to Texas. It is a parasite that feeds on the soft tissues of other mollusks and marine animals.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The <strong>Atlantic Oyster Drill</strong><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgqCX43cI/AAAAAAAAAUU/wbUxDPAgauM/s1600-h/DSC_0029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgqCX43cI/AAAAAAAAAUU/wbUxDPAgauM/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Urosalpinx cinerea</em> (Say) Is a small shell measuring from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch high. It's oval with an elevated spire and is grayish or yellow-white with a rough exterior with large axial ribs forming a pattern of raised wavy lines. It lives in sounds and inlets. Commonly found living in oyster reefs and on pilings. It's range is from Nova Scotia to Florida and is a carnivore that prefers barnacles and oysters. It drills a hole into the shell and feeds on the soft parts of the animal.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgqCX43dI/AAAAAAAAAUc/upsU4iotjbY/s1600-h/DSC_0031.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RosgqCX43dI/AAAAAAAAAUc/upsU4iotjbY/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" border="0" /></a> The <strong>New England basket shell</strong>, <em>Nassarius trivittatus</em>(Say) is sometimes called a threeline mudsnail, New England Dog Whelk or a New England Nassa is a small shell with a rough surface and strong axial ribbing with beaded whorls. It's between 1/2-7/8" high and is white to yellowish-gray. Southern specimens (as found in North Carolina) have 3 reddish-brown spiral bands on the body whorl. Located on sand and muddy sand and intertidally to water 300 feet deep, it's range is from Canada to Florida. It feeds on egg cases of the Northern Moon Shell and is a scavenger. <div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-81510854863739388902007-06-24T21:04:00.000-04:002008-12-11T00:09:36.267-05:00Brown-Banded Wentletrap, Variable Dwarf Olive,Florida Auger<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8UzkjcglI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Y84UmFYZpYA/s1600-h/DSC_0021.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8UzkjcglI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Y84UmFYZpYA/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong>Brown-Banded Wentletrap </strong><em>Epitonium rupicola (Kurtz) </em>- This is a beautiful shell. It's between 3/8-1 inch in length and it has a whitish exterior with brown spiral bands. It lives in sounds and just off-shore. It will occasionally wash up on the beach at the tide line. It is a carnivore and forages for the small anemones and secretes a substance that may anesthetize the anemones. It can be found from Cape Cod to Texas, but is more common in northern waters. <br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8Uz0jcgmI/AAAAAAAAAT8/CNmNg187R8M/s1600-h/DSC_0022.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8Uz0jcgmI/AAAAAAAAAT8/CNmNg187R8M/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /><br />This shell is a <strong>Variable Dwarf Olive</strong> <em>Olivella mutica</em> <strong>(Say)</strong>. It's about 1/2 inch and smooth, shiny and shaped like the larger olive shells. It's creamy white with three reddish brown spiral bands. It's a carnivore and the female lays egg capsules on any hard object found on the sandy bottom, often on empty bivalve or barchiopod shells. It's found from North Carolina to the Bahamas.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8U0EjcgnI/AAAAAAAAAUE/2PhsIczXkIg/s1600-h/DSC_0027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn8U0EjcgnI/AAAAAAAAAUE/2PhsIczXkIg/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" border="0" /></a>I'm not positive about this shell, but according to the Museum of Coastal Carolina on Ocean Isle Beach, NC, it is the <strong>Florida Auger</strong>, known as the <em>Terebra Floridana</em> (Dall). It's found from NC to Florida in moderately deep water.<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-86963774061625662812007-06-23T11:51:00.000-04:002008-12-11T00:09:36.766-05:00Sharp-Knobbed Nassa<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn1Bj0jcgkI/AAAAAAAAATs/4vJHqbWotVI/s1600-h/DSC_0018.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/Rn1Bj0jcgkI/AAAAAAAAATs/4vJHqbWotVI/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" border="0" /></a> This shell is very common on our beaches. It's called a Sharp-knobbed Nassa but other names are sharp-knobbed dog whelk or narrow basket shell. It's a scavenger and is reported to feed on mollusk egg capsules. It's found on the sand from the low-tide line to 20' deep in the water. It's range is NC to Texas. It's scientific name is <span style="font-style: italic;">Nassarius acutus</span> (Say). The size is from 1/4 - 1/2".<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-91106569653612058072007-06-22T00:44:00.001-04:002011-05-02T14:11:34.058-04:00Skate egg cases<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEtN_dRMX2A/S37ubZtbwPI/AAAAAAAAMwg/ifRBZy4T494/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEtN_dRMX2A/S37ubZtbwPI/AAAAAAAAMwg/ifRBZy4T494/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is the picture of the Skate egg cases I was telling you about. They are the egg cases of the clearnose skate (sometimes called a mermaid's purse or devil's purse). It is made of the material which is similar to that of finger-nails. In the sea, these cases will hold the embryos of the skate for several months and then split open to release the fully formed baby skates. From "Florida's Fabulous Seashells And Other Seashore Life" - Williams/Charmichael<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: LEFT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-7242278367280878592007-06-08T13:45:00.000-04:002007-06-08T13:54:37.578-04:00Finds on the BeachYesterday I came across something neat. It was an old piece of rope, or at least I think it is, and attached to it was a group of about 30 skate egg cases. I've seen one or two or even five attached together but never so many as this find. Needless to say, I dragged it home and put it on the porch to dry along with all the other items drying out (eg: sponges, 4 ghost crabs, a star fish (yes it was dead when I found it) and two large puffer fish (porcupine), one puffed up and the other, not. So, today, I'm going out at high tide to see if I can find more tiny shells ( I've run out of room for any more whelks so I have to look for the minuscule! Happy shelling!Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-13930157516136733752007-06-07T15:35:00.001-04:002011-05-02T14:15:00.843-04:00Bruised Nassa,Giant Bittersweet and Lettered Olive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmheAEjcggI/AAAAAAAAATE/eeTevadh8Xo/s1600-h/DSC_0025.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmheAEjcggI/AAAAAAAAATE/eeTevadh8Xo/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bruised nassa</span>- <i>Nassarius vibex</i> (Say) is a small shell (about 1/2") with a rough surface. It has a coarsely beaded surface with equal spiral and axial ribs, resulting in about 12 ridges. It has a smooth inner lip with prominent parietal shield. It has a thick and toothed outer lip. It has a grayish brown exterior with a prominent cream-colored shield. It found in shallow-water sand flats on sound and ocean beaches. A scavenger, it also has been observed feeding on eggs of marine worms. (information from "Seashells of North Carolina by Porter and Houser North Carolina Sea Grant College Program")<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Giant Bittersweet</span>, <i>Glycymeris americana</i> (DeFrance)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7NfrRMjCpE/S37uuAyU_TI/AAAAAAAAMyc/lDg-QtJ9dOo/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7NfrRMjCpE/S37uuAyU_TI/AAAAAAAAMyc/lDg-QtJ9dOo/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Grows to 4 inches, is round and a somewhat flat shell. Indistinct broad radial ribs sculptured with radiating scratches. It has a central beak and a long curved hinge with 19-24 teeth. It's color is a grayish tan exterior and mottled with yellowish borwn. It lives offshore in depths of 75 feet near and south of the Capefear river. (Information from "Seashells of North Carolina by Porter and Houser - North Carolina Sea Grant College Program")<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-ZEFUYrHBQ5IPbX08SLE0KzRCAw7FK_W8haXqHJVI7OeKvQlFdsPwXJNUAIm9_uVSMAxn4C4kkdiHSMe2frVpfVHI-dETb58t7RGCiCjUHW8u3zeteFYh1FQIjW33_-YGGGb6xsg96ax/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-ZEFUYrHBQ5IPbX08SLE0KzRCAw7FK_W8haXqHJVI7OeKvQlFdsPwXJNUAIm9_uVSMAxn4C4kkdiHSMe2frVpfVHI-dETb58t7RGCiCjUHW8u3zeteFYh1FQIjW33_-YGGGb6xsg96ax/s320/DSC_0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lettered olive</span>, <i>Oliva sayana</i> (Ravenel) A smooth, shiny, cylindrical shell with a short spire. Narrow aperture extending almost length of shell, continuing around the bottom and ending in a notch on the other side. No operculum. It's cream or grayish exterior with reddish brown zigzag markings and lives in near-shore waters on shallow sand flats near inlets. It's commonly washed onto ocean beaches. A carnivore, it captures bivalves and small crustaceans with its foot and takes them below the sand surface to digest. Its presence is sometimes detected at very low tides by the trails it leaves when it crawls below the surface on semi-exposed sand flats.<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-45647870671581551602007-06-07T14:04:00.002-04:002010-05-16T14:11:23.882-04:00Marsh Periwinkle and Florida Melampus<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvEjcgcI/AAAAAAAAASk/kGqXJWD0wKQ/s1600-h/DSC_0020.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvEjcgcI/AAAAAAAAASk/kGqXJWD0wKQ/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
This is a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Marsh Periwinkle</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Littorina irrorata</span>.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/S_A0aIcnmJI/AAAAAAAARSA/YzXl6B6UGPU/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/S_A0aIcnmJI/AAAAAAAARSA/YzXl6B6UGPU/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" /></a>5/8-1 1/2" (1.6-3.8cm) high. These were found on the high tide line on Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Broadly ovate, think, sharply pointed except when eroded; Whorls smooth, slightly convex. Columellar area and inside of outer lip whitish, the latter with a dark margin and dark brown deep within. Habitat: on rocks intertidally. In Europe, this very common and abundant shell is still gathered and eaten by many people. Information from "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells pages 401-2.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvEjcgdI/AAAAAAAAASs/MsD0qHXsU_Q/s1600-h/DSC_0021.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvEjcgdI/AAAAAAAAASs/MsD0qHXsU_Q/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/S_AyULIgGOI/AAAAAAAARR4/4XQ_2Hp4FT4/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/S_AyULIgGOI/AAAAAAAARR4/4XQ_2Hp4FT4/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" /></a>The <b>Florida</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Melampus</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Detracia floridana</span> is found at the high tide line. (5/8 ") Small, cone-shaped shell with a short, blunt spire. Long, narrow aperture with front end expanded. Color: Light to dark brown, occasionally with three to four darker-colored spiral bands. Also called a salt-marsh snail, this family has a primitive lung in place of gills and breathes air. The snail eats decaying plant matter but is believed to get its nutrients from the bacteria that live on decaying matter. Information found in"Seashells of North Carolina - NC Sea Grant College Program Porter and Houser". <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvUjcgeI/AAAAAAAAAS0/PfVBFnFYdPI/s1600-h/DSC_0024.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RmhIvUjcgeI/AAAAAAAAAS0/PfVBFnFYdPI/s320/DSC_0024.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-16931444976207280632007-05-21T23:22:00.001-04:002011-05-02T14:17:01.161-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="species"><a href="" name="top">I received an email from Terri Kirby Hathaway from the NC Sea Grant website and she writes...</a></span><br />
<span class="species"><a href="" name="top"></a></span><a href="" name="top"></a>Your shells are the eastern mudsnail (/Ilyanassa obsoleta/), very commonin NC estuaries. This animal is also called eastern mud nassa, mud dogwhelk, and the common mudsnail. We find lots of them up here on DareCounty beaches.<br />
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<span class="species"><a href="" name="top">"Ilyanassa obsoleta </a></span><a href="" name="top">(Say, 1822)</a><br />
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<div class="commonname"><a href="" name="top"> EASTERN MUDSNAIL. COMMON MUD SNAIL, EASTERN MUD WHELK, MUD DOG WHELK, BLACK DOG WHELK, WORN-OUT DOG WHELK, EASTERN MUD NASSA, MUD BASKET SNAIL, OBSOLETE BASKET SNAIL</a></div><a href="" name="top"> </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hNolOQ6TKtM/S37u7rfyuUI/AAAAAAAAMz8/-mzLncDwj5Q/s1600/DSCN1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hNolOQ6TKtM/S37u7rfyuUI/AAAAAAAAMz8/-mzLncDwj5Q/s320/DSCN1639.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="" name="top"> <span class="kingdomphylum">Kingdom: </span>Animalia<br />
<span class="kingdomphylum">Phylum:</span> Mollusca<br />
<span class="kingdomphylum">Class:</span> Gastropoda<br />
<span class="kingdomphylum">Subclass:</span> Prosobranchia<br />
<span class="kingdomphylum">Order:</span> Neogastropoda<br />
<span class="kingdomphylum">Family:</span> Nassariidae</a><br />
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<a href="" name="top"> <span class="dropcap"><i>I</i></span><i>lyanassa obsoleta</i> has a plain, dark black or brown shell, 1.5-3 cm high, with 5-6 whorls (a whorl is one complete turn of the spiral shell) and a blunt, conical spire. The shell's surface is decorated with a network of weak, beaded lines. The aperture (the opening through which the snail emerges) is roughly oval and about half the height of the shell, with a notch at the bottom. The outer rim of the aperture is thin and sharp, and the inner side of the aperture has a spiral fold near its base. The inside surface of the shell is a deep, purplish black. The shell is often covered with mud and algae (and sometimes with the Atlantic bryozoan <i>Alcyonidium polyoum</i>), and in most older snails the tip of the shell is eroded.</a><br />
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<a href="" name="top"> <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i> is the most abundant intertidal snail on San Francisco Bay mudflats and in the lower reaches of marsh channels, where it is often found in large herds. As this snail crawls over the mud surface it leaves a grooved trail behind, and when the tide goes out it usually burrows under the surface to avoid drying out. It has been collected in the bay in salinities of 10-32 ppt and water temperatures of 13-22° C. It feeds on diatoms and algal detritus that it gleans from the surface layers of the mud, captures and consumes minute worms (in the family Spionidae) that live in the mud, and scavenges on dead fish, crabs and other animal remains. It is fed on in turn by ducks and the larger shorebirds.</a><br />
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<a href="" name="top"> <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i> deposits its eggs in small, bristly, faceted capsules that are attached to hard surfaces. Each capsule is about 3 mm high and contains several eggs. The capsules are often laid in rows on eelgrass blades, or in rows or clusters on shells, stones or debris on the mudflats. The young snails emerge as free-swimming larvae. The larvae drift in the plankton for 20-30 days, feeding on phytoplankton, before settling to the bottom and metamorphosing into tiny snails. <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i> can live for up to 5 years.</a><br />
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<a href="" name="top"> The San Francisco Bay mudflats where <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i> is now found were once occupied by the native hornsnail <i>Cerithidea californica</i>. Race (1982) describes how each spring the two populations of these snails collide in the lower marsh channels. By mid-summer <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i> has restricted the native hornsail to the upper channels and shallow pools in the upper marsh through a combination of egg predation and direct competitive interference. The high marsh pools (also called salt pannes) are too salty for <i>Ilyanassa obsoleta</i>, and thus provide a habitat refuge for the native snail."</a><br />
<a href="" name="top">from the website: http://www.exoticsguide.org/species_pages/i_obsoleta.html<br />
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They also mention that these are not a native species on the west coast and probably came in with a shipment of atlantic clams in the early part of the 20th century.<br />
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</a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-62501851061589323762007-05-17T14:20:00.000-04:002008-12-11T00:09:38.661-05:00Shell identification...cont.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RkydAt2FBVI/AAAAAAAAAR4/lyIoQwtu2rg/s1600-h/DSCN1641.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/RkydAt2FBVI/AAAAAAAAAR4/lyIoQwtu2rg/s320/DSCN1641.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /> They seem to run from16-20mm.<br /><br />Thanks for your help! <blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4269499318132624985.post-52531240680094354072007-05-17T13:35:00.001-04:002011-05-02T14:19:05.106-04:00Identification problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hNolOQ6TKtM/S37u7rfyuUI/AAAAAAAAMz8/-mzLncDwj5Q/s1600/DSCN1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hNolOQ6TKtM/S37u7rfyuUI/AAAAAAAAMz8/-mzLncDwj5Q/s320/DSCN1639.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I quit! I've looked at just about all the places google says to go, to find the name of these shells. I think they're periwinkles and I've looked at littoraria, spurwinkia, laemodonta and myosotella and when there <i>were</i> pictures, none of them looked like these banded shells. I sure can use the help. They were found on our crab pot in the canals of Ocean Isle Beach, NC.<br />
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I'm new to the more scientific ways of naming what I've found. For the longest time I was happy just finding that beautiful shell. Then came the need to give them a name. Then when I found out there were not only wentletraps, but angulate, Humphreys, frosted, bladed, Champion's wentletraps etc., I knew I was in over my head!<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: LEFT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div></div>Carolina Shellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14331016815421703590noreply@blogger.com