black, from St. Vincent, Vexillum

[reefnet]

From St. Vincent, a half-inch long, can't even make a decent guess. Any ideas?



Les Wilk
www.reefnet.ca

[Marlo]

This is one case where seeing the columella would really help. My first reaction was a Vexillum, then an Engina????

[Susan J. Hewitt]

I would guess a Vexillum.

[Marlo]

Susan,

What do you think about the possibility it might be Vexillum cf albocinctum?

[Susan J. Hewitt]

There are 26 Vexillum species in the Western Atlantic, and I have only seen about 6 or 7 of them. I don't think I even have the relevant Rosenberg and Salisbury papers on the subject. I just don't feel like I know the subject well enough to even hazard a guess once I am outside of the few species that I believe I know.

I would very much like to know the group better as I think they are fascinating, but these days its hard to get access to the AMNH collection, and in any case I don't know how much material the AMNH has, and whether it is correctly identified (probably not). The ANSP collection would be the place to go!!! I used to get down there once a year at least, but recently not even that. If I do get there at some point I will ask to look at those drawers.

Do you know the genus fairly well Marlo?

[Marlo]

Like you, I'm only familiar with about the dozen I've collected here in Florida. I've never focused on this group. Most of my work since the early 90's when Paula drew me into collecting for her has been focused on documenting living Florida intracoastal, lagoonal and Inlet populations. And, in the recent three years, most of my energies have been on trying to facilitate a community on LTS focused on Altlantic coast, Gulf and Caribbean shells. Les' photographic work and sharing others' photos has been a wonderful contribution.

[reefnet]

By the way, now that you guys are thinking about Vexillum, what about the image I posted on Feb. 11 (below) that still hasn't received a response. Could that be a Vexillum albocinctum?

Les



This shell was identified as Vexillum histrio.

[Susan J. Hewitt]

On this one I am wondering about Vexillum dermestinum, but it seems to me that the overall shape and sculpture is wrong for that species, which is more barrel-shaped. On the other hand, Engina doesn't seem quite right either. This is a mysterious one.

[Marlo]

3/14/13 Posted on Conch-L:

Marlo: "We think it's a Vexillum. Anyone have better ideas?"

Manfred: "unfortunately I do not know what it is, but it is definitely not a Vexillum species..."

Marien Faber: "Vexillum dermestinum (Lamarck, 1811)"

Peggy Willians: "Cantharus?"

Emilio Garcia: "Although Marien may be correct, it looks to me like a color form of Vexillum sykesi (Melvill, 1925)."



Ron Noseworthy: "Looks like an Engina."

Harry Lee: "My read on this specimen is that it is juvenile, seems to have a well-preserved protoconch, and may well be a buccinid, as Peggy inferred.

Emilio García illustrated a specimen of Anna florida Garcia, 2009 in American Conchologist a year ago (García, 2009: 35, figs. 8 [X3]). While I've never seen such a dark color pattern in this species, I have shells from a variety of places, and there is some variation in the number of ribs and coloration.

I seldom have the chutzpah to break with Marien on such matters, but the sutures, whorl height, and protoconch distract me from his Vexillum (Pusia) dermestinum ID.

Harry

García, E.F., 2012. Noteworthy offshore mollusks from the north-central Gulf of Mexico, including geographical extensions and a generic reassignment. American Conchologist 40(1): 34-37. 'March.' "