Common Paper Nauttilus, Cross-Barred Venus

The Common Paper Nautilus 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 Argonauta argo (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.
The animal is in the class Cephalopoda which is composed of the squid, octopus and nautilus. Most are predatory carnivores.
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.

Cross-Barred Venus, Chione cancellata (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.

Seashore Creatures - Cannonball Jellyfish and Portuguese Man-of-War

Cannonball Jellyfish (Stomolophus Meleagris) Class Scyphozoa
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.

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.



The Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) is another story.

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.

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)

I'm still just learning about everything on the beach, but, I sure knew enough to stay away from this!

Crenulated Pyram, Atlantic Oyster Drill, New England Basket Shell

Crenulated Pyram Pyramidella crenulata (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.







The Atlantic Oyster Drill Urosalpinx cinerea (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.
The New England basket shell, Nassarius trivittatus(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.

Brown-Banded Wentletrap, Variable Dwarf Olive,Florida Auger

Brown-Banded Wentletrap Epitonium rupicola (Kurtz) - 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.



This shell is a Variable Dwarf Olive Olivella mutica (Say). 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.
I'm not positive about this shell, but according to the Museum of Coastal Carolina on Ocean Isle Beach, NC, it is the Florida Auger, known as the Terebra Floridana (Dall). It's found from NC to Florida in moderately deep water.

Sharp-Knobbed Nassa

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 Nassarius acutus (Say). The size is from 1/4 - 1/2".

Skate egg cases

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

Finds on the Beach

Yesterday 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!