Our first Sanibel Shell Club monthly meeting in 2022 will be at 2pm on January 9th at the Sanibel Community House (2173 Periwinkle Way) for an in-person ONLY meeting. Both members and visitors are invited to attend the walk-in meeting free of charge. Not a member? Join HERE.
Speaker
We are fortunate to have an interesting speaker for our January meeting: James Javaruski, graduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The title of James Javaruski’s presentation is “Application of isotopic tracers to track nutrient sources for Florida red tides.”
James Javaruski is a second year graduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University studying environmental science. While his work primarily focuses on looking at red tide toxin buildup in marine sediments, he is also interested in studying how water and pollutants flow through watersheds. Through this work he has had one paper accepted for publication, gotten his divemaster certification and will soon earn his masters. Though he has lived up and down the eastern seaboard, Florida is where he has had the best opportunity to grow as an environmentalist and as a person.
Jan 9 Meeting Auctions
If you are lucky enough to be in SW FL and can join us for the Jan 9 Shell Club meeting in person, you will get to participate in our first silent and oral shell auctions of 2022. Here are some of the special shells that will be auctioned off in our oral auction during the meeting. Please bring CASH or CHECK; no credit cards. Thank you.
Angel Wing pair, Cyrtopleura costata
This 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 special mollusk. No data comes with the shell.
Flinders Vase, Altivasum flindersi
The Flinders Vase 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.
Junonia, Scaphella junonia elizabethae
There is just something special about Scaphella volutes. This Junonia subspecies is found in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortuga’s. The species has been verified by a life-long collector who grew up in the Keys. It’s a must in any Southwest Florida collection, or in any collection for that matter. It measures 114.71 mm (4.55 in) and doesn’t come with data.
Glory-of-the-Atlantic, Conus granulatus
The Glory-of the-Atlantic Cone 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.
Junonia, Scaphella junonia
“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. Is is most famously known from Sanibel Island, Florida where it is 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.