Doctor Mud Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 (edited) Hi all. I haven’t posted on here for a while. But thought I’d share this beautiful Mauithoe insignis gastropod I found and prepped recently in New Zealand. It’s about mid Miocene age (12 million). There are only 2 sites in New Zealand where you can find this species. You usually find Mauithoe specimens around 4 cm in length, 7.5 cm is listed as the largest in the Bible on NZ fossil molluscs. Well this beast is bigger than that. As found After prep: Edited October 28, 2022 by Doctor Mud 1 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Lucky duck!!!!! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted October 28, 2022 Author Share Posted October 28, 2022 Well It turned out that this one had a story to tell as well. This mighty snail had been in the wars. Check out this deformity of the shell. I think this snail has a run in with a crab and survived being crushed. This site has common Tumidocarcinus giganteus crab fossils. Some with monster claws the size of your hand! It looks like there was some remodeling (healing) of the crushed shell. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted October 28, 2022 Author Share Posted October 28, 2022 After surviving an attack from a giant of the deep, was something smaller it’s undoing? This drill hole is on the second whorl up on the spire at the top. I think it’s from a predatory mollusc. This area would be a good place to attack these giants - from behind. Their shell slowly pierced unawares. The only predatory gastropod from the local fauna is quite small in comparison less than 15mm across. So would hitch a ride on the back I think. This seems to be a strategy for whoever drilled this hole as I’ve gone back to my other specimens and many have drill holes in this region of the shell. Thanks for looking! 4 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted October 28, 2022 Author Share Posted October 28, 2022 10 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: Lucky duck!!!!! I was excited to find it! Turns out it had a few bonus surprises for me too. I love evidence of species interactions in the fossil record. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Glad to see your still around. Thats one cool gastropod! RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Gorgeous. Lovely prep work too. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 There’s a new king of the Mauithoe Gastropods! biggest by about 10mm. Doesn’t look like much, but there’s a nice shell under that Siltstone. These shells are a bit of an obsession for me. I have to collect the big ones when I see them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 As found, peeking out the rock face. Lucky to get it as this area gets hammered by the ocean and covered in every high tide. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Can’t wait to see it prepared ! Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 3 hours ago, Coco said: Can’t wait to see it prepared ! Coco These are fun to prep. No air tools required. Just have to let it dry so the shell hardens a bit. I’ll post an update when I prep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 Having finished the Barnacle. Onto the new king of the Mauithoe Gastropods. 7.5cm was the previous biggest record in the book of NZ fossil molluscs. Then the one on the right showed up. Then my eyes popped out when I saw the living chamber of the new one peeking out from the silt. Amazing that they are the same species! I wonder if it will have a predatory drill hole in the spire? I wonder what the upper size limit is?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 Fantastic ! Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 21 hours ago, Coco said: Fantastic ! Coco Thanks Coco, I always love your enthusiasm! Such a positive presence on the Forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entoloma Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Stunning Mauithoe! I have a specimen, albeit much smaller, with a drill hole in it. Do you know the species responsible? I prepped a crab and found a small snail. Could this be the culprit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 On 4/3/2024 at 8:55 PM, Entoloma said: Stunning Mauithoe! I have a specimen, albeit much smaller, with a drill hole in it. Do you know the species responsible? I prepped a crab and found a small snail. Could this be the culprit? I thought it might be Uberlla cicatrix, which is a Nacticid. They drill holes into other shells. It’s quite small at about 6mm high. All the drill holes I’ve seen are on the spire of the Mauithoe. I imagined these little guys latching on up there where the Mauithoe wouldn’t be aware until it was too late. Not sure what yours is. Is it possibly a Mauithoe? I see longitudinal ornament on the living chamber and usual sculpture on the spire. It’s a lot more squat than Mauithoe though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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