a few more SC shells I request help with

[rhclouser]

I have just a few more that I hope you could help me identify. All are from North Myrtle Beach, SC. I think they're young mercenaria (the southern variety). But the lower one in photo 002 I thought was lady-in-waiting, but I've found photos that look exactly like it saying these are immature Mercenaria.

I also have a whelk that I think is a channeled whelk, Do you agree? It doesn't seem to have enough beads on the whorl.

Thanks for any help, and I hope you are feeling better.

Bob

[paul monfils]

The larger bivalve is certainly Mercenaria mercenaria, the "Quahog". You are correct that the juvenile Mercenaria shells often have raised ridges on them which the adults do not have:

http://www.jaxshells.org/825a.htm?sa=X&v...s-Ch3zIQZP

However, the shells also have smoothly rounded anterior and posterior ends, just like the adults, as shown in this picture. Your specimen seems to be somewhat pointed at the end, which would suggest a Chione, so I think the "lady-in-waiting", Chione intapurpurea, would be a good guess.

The other shell is definitely a juvenile Busycotypus canaliculatus, "channeled whelk".

[rhclouser]

The larger bivalve is certainly Mercenaria mercenaria, the "Quahog". You are correct that the juvenile Mercenaria shells often have raised ridges on them which the adults do not have:

http://www.jaxshells.org/825a.htm?sa=X&v...s-Ch3zIQZP

However, the shells also have smoothly rounded anterior and posterior ends, just like the adults, as shown in this picture. Your specimen seems to be somewhat pointed at the end, which would suggest a Chione, so I think the "lady-in-waiting", Chione intapurpurea, would be a good guess.

The other shell is definitely a juvenile Busycotypus canaliculatus, "channeled whelk".

The small quahog shell, I looked up, and it would be called a 'button', too small to find and eat unless it was farmed. Do you concur, or would you just say it was a young, immature quahog.

[paul monfils]

The larger bivalve is certainly Mercenaria mercenaria, the "Quahog". You are correct that the juvenile Mercenaria shells often have raised ridges on them which the adults do not have:

http://www.jaxshells.org/825a.htm?sa=X&v...s-Ch3zIQZP

However, the shells also have smoothly rounded anterior and posterior ends, just like the adults, as shown in this picture. Your specimen seems to be somewhat pointed at the end, which would suggest a Chione, so I think the "lady-in-waiting", Chione intapurpurea, would be a good guess.

The other shell is definitely a juvenile Busycotypus canaliculatus, "channeled whelk".

The small quahog shell, I looked up, and it would be called a 'button', too small to find and eat unless it was farmed. Do you concur, or would you just say it was a young, immature quahog.

Yes, commercial clammers do refer to the juveniles as "button clams", which they return to the natural habitat. However, the term has no official or scientific basis.