Hello!
I'm really apologetice for being so blogger-inactive. Have been running tons of errands and stuff this holiday. So since i've not been visiting the beach lately and thus, no new shell hauls, I thought maybe I should do a post on Indo-Pacific seashells. (The photo on the right was taken on one of my trips to Mauritius. The Pearly Nautilus cost a bomb! $40 for a shell! :( )
Bubble Conches, Euprotomus Sp.
So the first 3 shell you will probably encounter on a sandy shore with corals further out at sea are these Bubble Conches. ( Top Picture ) The first one is Euprotomus vomer (Vomer's Conch), the second one is Euprotomus bulla (Smooth Bubble Conch) and the third one is euprotomus aurisidianae (ark Diana Conch). All three species are superficially similar at the first look but if you pay attention to the colour of each species, the actually differ. The texture of the shells are also different, the roughest being the Dark Diana Conch and the smoothest, you guessed it, the Smooth Bubble Conch. They all live in the same habitat, sandy shores with corals or coral rubble so its really worth taking a closer before you give the verdict that your shell is a Vomer's conch. :)
Venus Clams, Meretrix Sp.
So, this family is called the Venus Clams. So, going in a clockwise direction, we have Meretrix lusoria (Common Orient Clam), Meretrix meretrix (Common Venus Clam) and Meretrix lusoria (I call this dark coloured variety Chocolate Venus Clam :) ) Similarly, they all survive in similar habitats like mudflats, sandy shores. The most common one we have in Singapore, the LA LA! I guess we differentiate them by the presence of a black streak along the side of the shell for the Common Venus Clam.
Harp Shells. This family has given me the most headache. Apparently, you would have to identify them by the type and number of streaks on the inside of the shell. So the one on the left is Harpa major (Major Harp) and the one on the right is Harpa harpa (True Harp). They all live within the same habitat. the other species are much more similar looking so have fun identifying your shells! :)
Jewel Boxes. These guys are the hardest to find on a shore. Chama lazarus (Lazarus Jewel Box) is shown above. They can be found amongst corals or rocks, depending on what species you are looking for. Perfect specimens are extremely rare.
Olive Shells, Oliva Sp.
The final one shown here is the olive shells. The largest one is still under identification and so is the white one. The two orange ones, I suspect, are Orange Ornate Olives (Check blog post on Changi East) These snails love the sand and you can usually see their tracks along the sand at low tide.
:)
