Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Pawley's Island Shells 8 '07

Pawleys Island Shells
We find lots of these  pretty ridged shells  at low tide on the  sand bars of the north end of Pawleys Island  Beach.  We have only seen an occasion broken remnants of this shell  on other beaches.  One of the local jewelers is selling gold and silver copies of these as "Pawleys Island shells" as if they were unique to here. I think they are rare relatively rare finds because our coast is gently sloping and their normal depth is far offshore.
 Upon investigation we found out that they are officially known as
Imperial Venus Chione latilirata (Conrad)
Description: 1.5 inches, Rounded, triangular and inflated shell. Large, heavy concentric ridges rounded and often sharply shelved at the top. Ridges fragile on dry specimens ( and the color tends to bleach out with time.. Bottom edge of ridges not serrated. Bottom edge of shell finely grooved. Cardinal and lateral teeth on hinge. Habitat: Lives offshore, south of Cape Hatteras, in 60-to 120-foot depths. Occasionally found on ocean beaches.
Range: North Carolina to Florida.

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