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Florida Fossil Bivalve Seashell, Need ID


Bronzviking

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Hi everyone, I found this fossilized seashell in Tarpon, Florida on a fossilized shell trail. Original formation unknown. It looks almost complete and has great ornamentation and detail. It has 2 boreholes that penetrated just the surface of the shell. It is approximately 1 3/4" x 1 3/4".

Can you ID it? Many thanks in advance.

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I am thinking some species of Chama.

 

@MikeR

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image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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I'm not a familiar with the bivalves of Florida, but somehow it looks close to Chama macerophylla.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, abyssunder said:

I'm not a familiar with the bivalves of Florida, but somehow it looks close to Chama macerophylla.

 

 

That would be a good guess in my opinion. 

Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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Chama seems right.

Rudists were around in the Cretaceous, and there is no Cretaceous exposed in Florida.

 

Don

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Chama macerophylla  looks similar but I'm not convinced it is. I'm pretty familiar with Florida seashells and I've never seen this one before. (Extinct maybe?) The muscle scars, the umbo and hinge teeth should help ID this one if you know what to look for. Can you guys help please?  @Plantguy @Shellseeker

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34 minutes ago, sixgill pete said:

Chama macerophylla.

 

Yes , Leafy Jewel Box, from December 13th, 2008 in the tide line, when I lived up to my avatar name. I have also found fossil versions... much bigger and "leafier"

IMG_3957.thumb.jpg.ebd82356b81e902e74b783f108133db9.jpgIMG_3958.thumb.jpg.83ab241840afa46dd0ce43a17ab7e52f.jpg

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That is a cool shell find especially with the borings! 

I unfortunately havent figured out my Chama collection yet--started down that path a couple months ago and didnt finish. Sounds like the gang above has it pegged as C. macerophylla which makes sense and seems to be fairly common in places down here.  I'm hoping Mike can look and confirm and hoping he can also explain the differences between it and C. wilcoxii. I'm not smart enough to figure that out even when looking at the descriptions. At least in the collection I have there seems to be alot of variability and preservation. 

Here's a link to C.willcoxi

http://neogeneatlas.net/species/chama-willcoxi/

 

Regards, Chris 

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Unattached valve of Chama emmonsi.  Squarish with indentation on the margin.  See this LINK for a discussion on some of the Pliocene Chama.

 

Mike

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looks like a fossil oyster shell-- they are pretty common--don't know scientific name---many FL driveways feature them along with other crushed fossil shells...

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20 hours ago, Plantguy said:

That is a cool shell find especially with the borings! 

I unfortunately havent figured out my Chama collection yet--started down that path a couple months ago and didnt finish. Sounds like the gang above has it pegged as C. macerophylla which makes sense and seems to be fairly common in places down here.  I'm hoping Mike can look and confirm and hoping he can also explain the differences between it and C. wilcoxii. I'm not smart enough to figure that out even when looking at the descriptions. At least in the collection I have there seems to be alot of variability and preservation. 

Here's a link to C.willcoxi

http://neogeneatlas.net/species/chama-willcoxi/

 

Regards, Chris 

Thanks for looking Chris, I thought it was a pretty shell with all it's ruffles. There are many varieties of Chama that look like a match, including wilcoxii. Mike thinks it is Chama emmonsi and he is the expert here.

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23 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

 

Yes , Leafy Jewel Box, from December 13th, 2008 in the tide line, when I lived up to my avatar name. I have also found fossil versions... much bigger and "leafier"

IMG_3957.thumb.jpg.ebd82356b81e902e74b783f108133db9.jpgIMG_3958.thumb.jpg.83ab241840afa46dd0ce43a17ab7e52f.jpg

Thanks Jack, do you have a photo of the fossil versions? I'd love to see them.

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7 hours ago, MikeR said:

Unattached valve of Chama emmonsi.  Squarish with indentation on the margin.  See this LINK for a discussion on some of the Pliocene Chama.

 

Mike

Thanks Mike! Chris the Plantguy was wanting to know: " I'm hoping Mike can look and confirm and hoping he can also explain the differences between C. macerophylla  and C. wilcoxii."  Thanks!

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3 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

Thanks Jack, do you have a photo of the fossil versions? I'd love to see them.

 

I think I have more photos of fossil Spiny Jewel Boxes rather than Leafy Jewel Boxes,

Arcinella cornuta, or the spiny jewel box clam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Chamidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Florida and Texas.[1]

A fossil Florida Spiny Jewel Box MUCH larger than modern ones...

SpinyJewelBoxApril2016.jpg.d9aafcaf32d261b5d8a45a0ab10cd85b.jpg

Here are some interesting TFF Threads:

 

 

 

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The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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13 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

A fossil Florida Spiny Jewel Box MUCH larger than modern ones.

That's a real beauty!

"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

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14 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

 

I think I have more photos of fossil Spiny Jewel Boxes rather than Leafy Jewel Boxes,

Arcinella cornuta, or the spiny jewel box clam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Chamidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Florida and Texas.[1]

A fossil Florida Spiny Jewel Box MUCH larger than modern ones...

SpinyJewelBoxApril2016.jpg.d9aafcaf32d261b5d8a45a0ab10cd85b.jpg

Here are some interesting TFF Threads:

 

 

 

That is a large Spiny Jewel Box....I hate to step on it with bare feet. Very cool find! :)

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On 12/5/2018 at 7:07 PM, Bronzviking said:

Thanks for looking Chris, I thought it was a pretty shell with all it's ruffles. There are many varieties of Chama that look like a match, including wilcoxii. Mike thinks it is Chama emmonsi and he is the expert here.

Yep Mikes the guy! Still working on my Chama's....I do have a bunch of them but most are worn/broken. There seems to be one that has spines that has lines/small grooves and another without..I'll start a new thread if I ever get them sorted/photographed and put them up for ID. 

Regards, Chris 

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