Sunset Beach Shells
June 1, 2008 - May 2009
| With three exceptions, during seven months in 2008 and the first five months of 2009 I found 172 species of mollusks on the eastern point of Sunset Beach. I found the octopi, sea hares and Scotch Bonnets earlier. Beneath the two lists you can read how I found the shells. I have taught many visitors how to find them. Directly below this paragraph is the list prepared by Dr. Harry Lee, a renowned malacologist. Dr. Lee identified almost all of the shells. We would welcome opportunities to see similar lists from Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach and Waties Island. | |||||||
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Nucula
proxima Say, 1822 Atlantic Nutclam
Nuculana acuta (Conrad, 1831) Pointed Nutclam Brachidontes exustus (Linnaeus, 1758) Scorched Mussel Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn, 1817) Ribbed-mussel Lioberus castanea (Say, 1822) Chestnut Mussel Modiolus squamosus Beauperthuy, 1967 Southern Horsemussel Musculus lateralis (Say, 1822) Lateral Mussel Mytella charruana (d'Orbigny, 1846) Charrua Mussel Anadara brasiliana (Lamarck, 1819) Incongruous Ark Anadara floridana (Conrad, 1869) Cut-ribbed Ark Anadara transversa (Say, 1822) Transverse Ark Arca imbricata Bruguière, 1789 Mossy Ark Lunarca ovalis (Bruguière, 1789) Blood Ark Arcopsis adamsi (Dall, 1886) Cancellate Ark Noetia ponderosa (Say, 1822) Ponderous Ark Glycymeris americana (DeFrance, 1826) Giant Bittersweet Pteria colymbus (Röding, 1798) Atlantic Wing-oyster Pinctada imbricata Röding, 1798 Atlantic Pearl-oyster Atrina rigida (John Lightfoot, 1786) Stiff Penshell Atrina serrata (G. B. Sowerby I, 1825) Sawtooth Penshell Limaria pellucida (C. B. Adams, 1846) Antillean Fileclam Argopecten gibbus (Limnaeus, 1758) Atlantic Calico Scallop Anomia simplex d'Orbigny, 1842 Common Jingle Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) Eastern Oyster Ostreola equestris (Say, 1834) Crested Oyster Plicatula gibbosa Lamarck, 1801 Atlantic Kittenpaw Divalinga quadrisulcata (d'Orbigny, 1842) Cross-hatched Lucine Parvilucina crenella (Dall, 1901) Many-line Lucine Diplodonta notata Dall and Simpson, 1901 Marked Diplodon Aligena elevata (Stimpson, 1851) Eastern Aligena Lepton lepidum (Say, 1826) Graceful Lepton Mysella casta (A. E. Verrill and Bush, 1898) Pure Mysella Mysella species B of Lee (2009) Mysella species C of Lee (2009) Pleuromeris tridentata (Say, 1826) Threetooth Carditid Crassinella dupliniana (Dall, 1903) Pointed Crassinella Crassinella lunulata (Conrad, 1834) Lunate Crassinella Dinocardium robustum (Lightfoot, 1786) Atlantic Giant Cockle Laevicardium serratum (Linnaeus, 1758) Eggcockle Trachycardium egmontianum (Shuttleworth, 1856) Florida Pricklycockle Trachycardium muricatum (Linnaeus, 1758) Yellow Pricklycockle Mulinia lateralis (Say, 1822) Dwarf Surfclam Raeta plicatella (Lamarck, 1818) Channeled Duckclam Spisula raveneli (Conrad, 1831) Southern Surfclam Solen viridis Say, 1822 Green Jackknife Ensis megistus Pilsbry and McGinty, 1943 Minor Jackknife Angulus sybariticus (Dall, 1881) Sybaritic Tellin Angulus texanus (Dall, 1900) Texas Tellin Angulus versicolor (DeKay, 1843) Many-colored Tellin Eurytellina alternata (Say, 1822) Alternate Tellin Macoma tenta (Say, 1838) Elongate Macoma Merisca aequistriata (Say, 1824) Striate Tellin Scissula iris (Say, 1822) Rainbow Tellin Strigilla surinamensis Boss, 1972 Surinam Strigilla Donax parvulus Philippi, 1849 Little Coquina Donax variabilis Say, 1822 Variable Coquina Abra aequalis (Say, 1822) Atlantic Abra Cumingia tellinoides (Conrad, 1831) Tellin Semele Ervilia concentrica (Holmes, 1860) Concentric Ervilia Semele proficua (Pulteney, 1799) Atlantic Semele Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) Stout Tagelus Polymesoda caroliniana (Bosc, 1801) Carolina Marshclam Chione elevata (Say, 1822) Cross-barred Venus Dosinia discus (Reeve, 1850) Disk Dosinia Lirophora latilirata (Conrad, 1841) Imperial Venus Macrocallista nimbosa (Lightfoot, 1786) Sunray Venus Mercenaria campechiensis (Gmelin, 1791) Southern Quahog Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758) Northern Quahog Puberella intapurpurea (Conrad, 1849) Lady-in-waiting Venus Timoclea grus (Holmes, 1858) Gray Pygmy-venus Petricolaria pholadiformis (Lamarck, 1818) False Angelwing Paramya subovata (Conrad, 1845) Subovate Softshell Sphenia dubia (H. C. Lea, 1843) Dubious Sphenia Caryocorbula barrattiana C. B. Adams, 1852 Truncate Corbula Caryocorbula contracta Say, 1822 Contracted Corbula Corbula dietziana C. B. Adams, 1852 Rosy Corbula Rocellaria stimpsoni (Tryon, 1861) Carolina Gastrochaenid Cyrtopleura costata (Linnaeus, 1758) Angelwing Martesia cuneiformis (Say, 1822) Wedge Piddock Nototeredo knoxi Bartsch, 1917 Foliaceous Shipworm Lyonsia hyalina hyalina (Conrad, 1831) Glassy Lyonsia Diodora cayenensis (Lamarck, 1822) Cayenne Keyhole Limpet Skenea sp. aff. smithfieldensis (Olsson, 1916) Litiopa melanostoma Rang, 1829 Sargassum Snail Cerithium muscarum Say, 1832 Fly-specked Cerith Cerithium atratum (Born, 1778) Dark Cerith |
Vermicularia
knorrii (Deshayes, 1843) Florida Wormsnail |
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Sunset
Beach (USA: NC, Brunswick Co.) marine mollusks collected by Jo O'Keefe.
Alphabetized by vernacular or lay name; 172 species
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1. Inspecting Seaweed For two years I have been inspecting seaweed. My goal is to find microscopic animals to study and to save for researchers. During the first year, I used only my hands and normal vision. Since June, 2008, I have used a 5X illuminating magnifier. It tremendously increased my ability to find items in the seaweed. I purchased professional forceps to be able to extract minute, fragile animals. Initially I was interested in tiny animals such as amphipods, isopods, worms and brittle stars. I saved them for scientists and photographed some for my website. Before long I realized that the seaweed contained numerous species of mollusks. It was then that I learned about Dr. Lee who has partnered with me to identify the Shells of Sunset Beach. When a man-made object such as fishing line or an elastic hairband is in the ocean, seaweed and egg cases get ensnarled. Soon there is a big clump bursting with marine life -- exactly what I want. It is brimming with small gastropod shells with tiny hermit crabs residing within them. Amphipods called skeleton shrimp crawl on my fingers and hands. They look like thin beige sugar ants. There are numerous other animals such as sea spiders, barnacles, minute crabs, eggs, bryozoans, hydrozoans and portions of sponges. I do not collect seaweed by walking in the ocean. The seaweed I find is in the edge of the water near the beach. At home, before I begin checking it, I place dishes to my right with ocean water in them. The water helps me release the small animal or shell that I found and lets it live. Doing that allows me to photograph live animals later through my microscope. One evening I found 600 shells and on another I found nearly one thousand shells. I knowingly take home seaweed with small hermit crabs inside empty seashells because I am searching for animals for researchers and acquiring data. After I spend up to four hours going to the beach, walking, and coming home, and then several more hours inspecting seaweed, the animals are not in good enough health to return to the ocean. Despite the demise of hermit crabs, I save mollusk shells for facilities that want micromollusk collections. Visitors staying at the beach who took seaweed to their cottages to inspect would be able to release the animals. 2. Sieving Because seaweed is not always available, I also pick up sea drift or debris at the ends of the scallops made by the lapping water at the eastern point of Sunset Beach. I use a child's plastic sieve, the type included in a net bag of beach toys. After filling the sieve, I carry it to the edge of the water and swish it back and forth to remove the sand. Afterwards I transport the micromullusks to a plastic container. Some are as small as 2.00 mm wide. Once home, I rinse the sea drift in a series of sieves recently ordered via the Internet. The majority of sea drift is composed of worm tubes that can be discarded. Below is a photo of worm tubes. Dr. Harry Lee continues to identify the mollusks for me. I can never thank him for his months of patience and work. While much work remains on my webpages, I have begun to post finds on my microscope photos on my website. No shell more than one-fourth inch wide fits within the frame of my camera when I take a photo through my microscope. The photo of the Rainbow Tellin shown below demonstrates that. Rainbow Tellins are so thin that even when intact with both valves, the only way to pick them up at home is by wetting my finger. Here is a photo.
Jo O'Keefe Copyright 2009. Photos may be used for educational purposes only. Contact me with inquiries. Below are some sample photos. You can see additional microscopic photos of micro shells at at http://www.okeefes.org/Microscope_Photo_Index/index/Microscope_Photos.htm.
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