A RANDOM ABACO SHELL FROM THE BACK OF A DRAWER
We recently discovered this shell loitering at the back of a drawer. It may well have been there for a couple of years… I had no idea what species of gastropod it might be, so I turned to a book I recently bought (and am about to review), the Peterson Field Guide on Shells. It is extremely thorough and well-illustrated, and almost at once I was able to pick the shell out as a STOCKY CERITH Cerithium Litteratum (Colin – are you still keeping an eye on the shell ID errors in this blog, I wonder? Later: yes… and he confirms the ID. Many thanks). It’s a couple of inches long and has 7 spirals before the tip part, with pronounced nobbles on the lowest 4. There’s a neat hole in it, but I don’t know whether caused by sea / beach damage or a predator. These creatures live in shallow water and are common throughout the Caribbean. So this one is nothing unusual, but I am pleased that it has eventually turned up…
Hi Keith,
The blog looks great, and is always interesting.
You have indeed found Cerithium litteratum, the Stocky Cerith. Keep those finds coming !
Cheers,
Colin
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Thanks for that, Colin. The Peterson Shell Guide seems very good, which will certainly be helpful to me! ATB RH
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