provided to The Santiva Chronicle
The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club will host its first in-person meeting of 2022 on Sunday, January 9th, at the Sanibel Community House. The meeting is open to the public and free of charge. Doors will open at 1:30pm with a silent auction of 40 shells and an opportunity for members to visit with each other and guests after a year of Zoom meetings. The meeting begins at 2:00 PM.
A program will be presented by Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club grant recipients Dr. Greg Herbert from the University of South Florida and James Javaruski, a graduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University. Dr. Herbert’s presentation is entitled, “A paleontologist’s tools detect disappearance of mollusks from Florida’s west coast”. Mr. Javaruski, will speak on the “Application of isotopic tracers to track nutrient sources for Florida red tides”.
There will be an oral auction of five extraordinary shells at the end of the meeting:
Angel Wing
Flinders Vase
Junonia
Glory-of-the-Atlantic Cone
Juno’s Volute
The Angel Wing, Cyrtopleura costata delicate bivalve of mystical beauty is aptly named the “Angel Wing,” and has attracted the admiration of shell collectors for hundreds of years. When alive, both valves are covered by a thin, brown periostracum. The typical shell length is around 130 mm, but this pair measures in at 193.10 mm (7.6 inches), which is well above the norm for this species. No data comes with the shell.
The Flinders Vase, Altivasum flindersi, was named in honor of Matthew Flinders (1774-1814), the great English navigator who was the first to circumnavigate and effectively name Australia. The color of this shell can be variable, the most common color being golden orange, but it may also be peach or white. It is endemic to southwestern Australia. This shell is 160.25 mm (6.30 in) and doesn’t come with data.
This Junonia, Scaphella junonia elizabethae, There is just something special about Scaphella volutes. This Junonia subspecies is found in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. It’s been verified by a life-long collector who grew up in the Keys. It’s a must in any Southwest Florida collection, or any collection for that matter. It measures 114.71 mm (4.55 in) and doesn’t come with data.
The Glory-of-the-Atlantic Cone, Conus granulatus, is one of the most sought-after cones by collectors. One can easily understand why. It has exceptional beauty, bright coloration and rarity all wrapped into one. It can be found from Florida to South America. The shell measures 27.80 mm (1.09 in) and has data.
“Juno’s Volute” is possibly the most famous of the Southwest Florida seashells. This is one of S. Peter Dance’s fifty “Rare Shells” which was published in 1969. It was rare before mid-1900s and without doubt it was the most coveted of all volutes back then. It is most famously known as the “Pride of Sanibel”, and sometimes one may wash up on the shore. It measures 33.30 mm (0.881 in) and does not come with data.
Safety protocols will be in place. It is strongly suggested that everyone wear masks at the meeting. The Sanibel Community House is located at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL. Free parking is available on site.
The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club awards grants from the proceeds of their annual shell show. Grants are given towards education and research in the fields of conchology and malacology, as well as for conservation and water quality projects, primarily in Southwest Florida. For more information about the annual shell show or to join the club, please visit the shell club’s website at https://sanibelshellclub.com.