Your help, please

[maryellen]

These are shells in my collection that I have not been able to identify.  Perhaps you can help:

<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437769" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437769">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437769</a><!-- m --></a>
<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437773" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437773">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437773</a><!-- m --></a>
I have quite a few of these, different colors but all the same shape. They range from 1.25 inches to 1.75 inches.

<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437775" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437775">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437775</a><!-- m --></a>
<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437776" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437776">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437776</a><!-- m --></a>
This shell is 3 inches long.

<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437780" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437780">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437780</a><!-- m --></a>
<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437783" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437783">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437783</a><!-- m --></a>
I'm guessing this is a land snail, but I haven't seen anything like anywhere. It's 1 inch.

<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437785" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437785">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437785</a><!-- m --></a>
<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437790" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437790">http://www.badongo.com/pic/8437790</a><!-- m --></a>
This shell is 1.75 inches. I'm particularly fond of the deep coral color on the edge of the lip that matches the circular tip on the top of the shell!

Thank you.

[maryellen]

Thanks so much, Paul!

You're amazing!

[maryellen]

I apologize for the fuzzy photos. It's hard to focus my camera on small shells. If you view them on the "Tiny" setting on badongo, they're a lot clearer.

[paul monfils]

Hi MaryEllen,

#1  Strombus urceus, very common throughout the whole tropical Indo-Pacific area.

#2  Linatella caudata, in the family Ranellidae, also occurs throughout the Indo-Pacific region, but not nearly as abundant as the above species.

#3  Yes, a land snail, Polymita picta, from Cuba

#4  Another land snail, Acavus haemastoma from Sri Lanka.  The name "haemastoma" refers to that deep red color.  "haema" = "blood", "stoma" = "mouth"  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2010-01-17 05:03:44 --</span>