I am trying to identify this shell

[paul monfils]

AHA!!  I'm glad you posted the photo!  I was wrong!  I didn't look closely enough at the shells in the painting.  The front shell in the painting, with the red interior, is, as I said, Busycon carica. But the large shell in back is not!  I missed this in the painting but it is obvious in the photo. (It's obvious in the painting too, now that I look more carefully.)  You will notice that the large shell is sinistral, that is it spirals in the opposite direction from the front shell. (If you hold the two shells in a similar position, the opening is on the opposite side.)  The larger shell is the Lightning Whelk, Busycon sinistrum, not Busycon carica.  (This used to be called Busycon contrarium, but is now called Busycon sinistrum.)  Here are some pics:

<a href="http://bigai.world.coocan.jp/pic_book/data20/r001964.html" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://bigai.world.coocan.jp/pic_book/data20/r001964.html">http://bigai.world.coocan.jp/pic_book/d ... 01964.html</a><!-- m --></a>

<a href="http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_11638.html" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_11638.html">http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_11638.html</a><!-- m --></a>

<a href="http://www.jaxshells.org/busycona.htm" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.jaxshells.org/busycona.htm">http://www.jaxshells.org/busycona.htm</a><!-- m --></a>

My previous comments concerning the black coloration still apply.  The discoloration is most likely the result of being buried in highly organic mud, with a lot of decomposing vegetation.  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2007-08-23 23:56:59 --</span>