Somebody can help me with the identification - Printable Version +- Forums SEASHELL-COLLECTOR (http://forum.seashell-collector.com) +-- Forum: Seashell Collector's Forum (http://forum.seashell-collector.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3) +--- Forum: Shells identification Help (http://forum.seashell-collector.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Thread: Somebody can help me with the identification (/showthread.php?tid=1424)

Somebody can help me with the identification - Yeny - 08-23-2011 Hello!! I need help with the identification of these shells, these are from  the archaeological site El Zotz, Guatemala.  Could someone tell me? Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - Yeny - 09-02-2011 Hello everybody! Thak you paul monfils! I am posting a link to the pictures again!  I hope for your answers. That would help me a lot. Basically the first two pictures are the same as the last two. Tell me if you can see them Thank you very much! <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657861">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657861</a><!-- m --> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657862">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657862</a><!-- m --> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657863">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657863</a><!-- m --> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657864">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13657864</a><!-- m --> Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - paul monfils - 09-03-2011 Hi, Your images look good, but the shells in the images are very worn and eroded, which is going to make a positive identification impossible. In the first two images, I don't think the item shown is a whole shell, just a broken and beach worn piece of some gastropod shell, perhaps a piece of a turban shell (family Turbinidae).  When I looked at the second image, for a moment I thought it might be a small abalone shell (family Haliotidae), but on closer examination I think the similarity is just incidental.  The first picture, showing the other side of the same specimen, does not look like an abalone.  Besides, the only abalone species in that locality are a couple of small deep water species that primitive peoples would not have access to. Regarding images 3 and 4, do you know whether the hole in the shell is manmade or natural?  If it was drilled in order to string the shells in a necklace, then I cannot even guess a possible family.  However, if it is natural, then at least we have the family - Fissurellidae, commonly known as "keyhole limpets".  However, there are about 30 species of Fissurellidae in that locality.  Some of them could be excluded because they don't grow this large; and the fact that the hole is perfectly round would exclude other species that have a more elongate hole; but there is no way to name the actual species, given the poor condition of the shell. Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - Yeny - 09-21-2011 Hi Paul Monfils! Thank you very much for the information so valuable. Sorry for not responding earlier, unfortunately I could not answer before so much time has passed, really sorry. You're right, the shells are very damaged and very difficult to identify. Viewing your comment I realize that perhaps the shell pictures 1 and 2 are family Haliotidae, hough I dare say it is badly damaged, but I find more similarities. The shell of the images 3 and 4 have drilling done by man, is not natural, unfortunately would have to rule that belongs to the family Fissurelidae. This is the link of the shell 1 (Photos 1 and 2) from another view, to see what you think? <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13756739">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13756739</a><!-- m --> Thank you very much for your kind attention again. Yeny Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - paul monfils - 09-22-2011 Hi.  Welcome back.  I'm sorry but the new picture doesn't provide any additional information as far as I can see.  What I said previously is still all I can say concerning these specimens. Paul Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - Yeny - 10-04-2011 Thanks Paul, thank you very much for your help and the material is too deteriorated, Greetings!! Re: Somebody can help me with the identification - helmetapointe - 10-04-2011 Shell 2 reminds me the time at costa-rica,where i found this shell-pieces at the beach. We collected them for necklaces. I think is the top part of conus. The hole is the result of seapolished nuclear-whorl.