Conference PaperPDF Available

Florida United Malacologists 2018 - Program and Abstracts

Authors:
  • Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium

Abstract

Welcome! Like other casual, mollusk-related meetings across the country, FUM knows no boundaries in terms of the subjects covered. The one-day gathering is brief and informal, yet diverse in many ways. A glimpse at the abstracts in this booklet gives you an idea of the broad scope of topics, from shell inlays in musical instruments to the complex yet fascinating methods for determining the growth rates of Horse Conchs and other mollusks. Given its relaxed atmosphere, FUM is also the perfect launching platform for graduate students, citizen scientists, and naturalists who are beginning to find their way in the world of presentations at professional meetings. I want to thank the support received from Executive Director Dorrie Hipschman and the vital help from Museum staff members Lorin Buckner, Leigh Gay, and Rebecca Mensch. Enjoy the presentations, discussions, and camaraderie at FUM 2018! José H. Leal, Ph.D. FUM 2018 Organizer
Florida United Malacologists
January 27, 2018
José H. Leal, Organizer
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
2
WELCOME TO THE 9TH FUM!
We are delighted to have a sold-out crowd sharing the latest and greatest in all-things
malacological.” Our program reflects that the study of mollusks (and their shells) holds an
appeal for a wide variety of people and backgrounds. I’m often surprised and delighted to
learn about a new topic or species. I think this group of presenters is our best ever and I can’t
wait to get started! Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your day more
enjoyable and informative. We encourage you to ask questions, discuss data, compare
notes on methods and problems, and be inspired by your fellow malacologists. That’s all part
of the fun.
Welcome to Sanibel and the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Florida United Malacologists!
Dorrie Hipschman
Executive Director
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
ENJOY FUM 2018!
Welcome! Like other casual, mollusk-related meetings across the country, FUM knows no
boundaries in terms of the subjects covered. The one-day gathering is brief and informal, yet
diverse in many ways. A glimpse at the abstracts in this booklet gives you an idea of the
broad scope of topics, from shell inlays in musical instruments to the complex yet fascinating
methods for determining the growth rates of Horse Conchs and other mollusks. Given its
relaxed atmosphere, FUM is also the perfect launching platform for graduate students, citizen
scientists, and naturalists who are beginning to find their way in the world of presentations at
professional meetings. I want to thank the support received from Executive Director Dorrie
Hipschman and the vital help from Museum staff members Lorin Buckner, Leigh Gay, and
Rebecca Mensch.
Enjoy the presentations, discussions, and camaraderie at FUM 2018!
José H. Leal, Ph.D.
Science Director & Curator
Bailey-Mathews National Shell Museum
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
3
FLORIDA UNITED MALACOLOGISTS 2018
JANUARY 27, 2018
PROGRAM
9:00 Dorrie Hipschman, Executive Director, BMNSM
OPENING REMARKS
José H. Leal, Science Director & Curator, BMSNM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SESSION 1
9:15 José H. Leal
THE BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM COLLECTION: RECENT ADVANCES AND THE NEAR
FUTURE
9:35 Carole Marshall
EGG CASES OF SELECTED MARINE MOLLUSKS
9:55 Leigh Gay
“MOLLUSKS ON THE MOVE
10:15 Gregory S. Herbert
EVIDENCE FOR INTENSE BIOTIC INTERACTIONS IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AFTER A TWO
MILLION YEAR HIATUS: INFERENCES FROM MURICID EDGE DRILLING BEHAVIOR
10:35 Break – 10 minutes
SESSION 2
10:45 Tom Annesley
HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE TABLES AND FIGURES WHEN PUBLISHING YOUR RESEARCH
11:05 Rebecca Mensch
UNSOLVED OCTOPUS
11:25 Anne Dupont
OPISTHOBRANCH SPAWN
11:45 Sahale Casebolt
FLORIDAS FRESHWATER MUSSELS (UNIONIDAE): MONITORING IMPERILED SPECIES AND SURVEYING
DECLINING POPULATIONS
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
12:05 LUNCH + Poster Session (1:10 hour)
Lunch provided at the Museum; choice of regular or vegetarian sandwiches, and
assorted chips, soft drinks, and water (poster session continues at 4:00PM)
Posters:
Austin Hersh and Gregory S. Herbert
HOW HAS MOLLUSCAN COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN THE GULF OF MEXICO CHANGED IN
RESPONSE TO HUMAN STRESSORS? A COMPARISON OF LIVING AND PRE-1950 COMMUNITIES
Sarah Sharkey
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN SELECTED SPECIES: FRESHWATER MUSSELS OF FLORIDA
Shenelle West, Nasser Al Qattan, Gregory S. Herbert
USING THE FOSSIL RECORD OF INDUCIBLE SHELL DEFENSES IN MOLLUSKS TO DETECT HUMAN IMPACTS
ON FOOD WEBS A CASE STUDY USING VARICES ON JUVENILE FIGHTING CONCH
SESSION 3
1:15 Jon Dale
PEARL INLAY ON MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
1:35 Lorin Buckner
THE FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS OF THE TEN MILE CANAL, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
1:55 Harry G. Lee, Roger W. Portell, Richard L. Edwards
NEW DIVERSITY IN AN OLD FAUNA
2:15 David J. Karlen, Thomas L. Dix, Sarah E. Markham, Kevin W. Campbell, Joette M.
Jernigan, Julie Christian, Anthony Chacour, Barbara K. Goetting, Chris Pratt, Brett Ursin
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TRENDS IN THE EPIFAUNAL AND MOLLUSCAN COMMUNITIES ON TAMPA BAY
ARTIFICIAL REEFS: 2004 VS. 2016
2:35 Break 2 (10 minutes)
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
SESSION 4
2:45 Nicole Seiden, Gregory S. Herbert, Ryan Harke, Stephen Geiger
WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR HORSE CONCH TRIPLOFUSUS GIGANTEUS POPULATIONS TO RECOVER
FROM INCREASING FISHING PRESSURE? LIFE HISTORY ASSESSMENT USING STABLE ISOTOPE
SCLEROCHRONOLOGY
3:05 John Slapcinsky and Ryan Corlett
HOW WELL DO WE KNOW THE WELL-KNOWN FLAMED TIGERSNAIL, ANGUISPIRA ALTERNATA?
3:25 Meindert Niejmeyer and Bill Emerson
SHELLZEE: AUTOMATED SHELL IMAGE RECOGNITION IN YOUR POCKET
3:45 CONCLUSION, CLOSING REMARKS
4:00 POSTER SESSION CONTINUED
4:30 [STAFF, ROOM BREAKDOWN]
5:30 DINNER at George & Wendy’s. Prior reservation required. Address and location
map at the end of this booklet (your own tab.)
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
Abstracts
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE TABLES AND FIGURES WHEN PUBLISHING YOUR RESEARCH
Thomas Annesley
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
annesley@med.umich.edu
The two factors that contribute to the success of a manuscript are scientific rigor and
clarity. Authors put great effort into drafting a manuscript that is scientifically sound,
yet ultimately fail because information is not clearly presented and the manuscript
thus becomes tedious to read. Figures and tables are important items where
improper formatting and a lack of clarity hurt a manuscript. There are simple rules
that, when followed, make figures and tables easy to read. For example, figures are
most visually balanced by use of the 1 by 1.3 rule. Bar graphs are more effective
when the 50% space rule is followed. The most effective tables follow justification
and common-element rules. This presentation will cover the above rules, and more,
using examples to illustrate how bad figures and tables can be changes into good
ones.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
THE FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS OF THE TEN MILE CANAL, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
Lorin Buckner
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 333957 USA
lbuckner@shellmuseum.org
During the past year I have been conducting an informal survey of the freshwater
mollusks inhabiting the Ten Mile Canal in Fort Myers, Florida. It was done for the
purpose of satisfying my curiosity and for the collection of specimens for the National
Shell Museum collection but could serve as a base from which to conduct additional
surveys as well providing an indication of the quality of that fresh water environment.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
FLORIDAS FRESHWATER MUSSELS (UNIONIDAE): MONITORING IMPERILED SPECIES AND
SURVEYING DECLINING POPULATIONS
Sahale Casebolt
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
7386 NW 71st St.
Gainesville, FL 32653 USA
Sahale.Casebolt@myfwc.com
Freshwater mussels (Family Unionidae) live throughout the Southeastern United States,
including most of Florida’s lakes, rivers, and streams. The state is home to 60 species,
16 of which are federally listed as endangered or threatened. The Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has expanded efforts in recent years to
better understand the conservation status of Florida’s freshwater mussel populations.
As part of FWC’s Freshwater Fisheries Research Division, the biologists of the Mussel
Monitoring Program conduct quantitative long-term monitoring surveys throughout
the state. This talk summarizes the initial results of these survey efforts, which
contribute to a growing understanding of the distribution and abundance of Florida’s
unionids. Water quality, water quantity, and the status of the fish host populations all
play a role in the health of Florida’s freshwater mussel populations.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
PEARL INLAY ON MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Jon Dale
Jupiter Ukulele*
144 Old Company Road
Barto, PA 19504 USA
fungusgeek@gmail.com
People, since the dawn of time, have loved shiny objects and shells were some of the
first shiny objects. Come for a brief presentation on what makes mother-of-pearl so
shiny, some of the more important sources, a discussion of how pearl inlay is done on
musical instruments (with materials, tools, and examples), and what sorts of local
Florida shells can be incorporated into the inlay color palette.
*www.jupiteruke.com
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
OPISTHOBRANCH SPAWN
Anne DuPont
4070 NW 7th Lane
Delray Beach, FL 33445 USA
akdupont@bellsouth.net
The presentation will take you on an underwater journey showing in situ photos of
opisthobranch gastropods laying eggs capsules. Opisthobranch eggs come in every
size, shape, and color imaginable. Their dramatic fluid shapes and bright colors are
favorite subjects for me as an underwater photographer. The morphology of the egg
mass varies dramatically; most commonly they look like coils or spirals of ribbons,
whereas others appear as tangled string masses, chains of beads, or cylinders. The
presentation includes photographs of the spawn of nudibranchs, Sea Hares
(Aplysiidae), solar-powered Slugs (Sacoglossa), and Side Gill Slugs (Pleurobranchus).
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
“MOLLUSKS ON THE MOVE
Leigh Gay
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
lgay@shellmuseum.org
"Mollusks on the Move" is an educational outreach program by the Bailey-Matthews
National Shell Museum that brings live mollusks to students and adults throughout
Southwest Florida. The program's focus is to educate students at Title I (underfunded)
schools, and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Its hands-on activities and live touch tank time
reveal the underappreciated world of marine mollusks to children who may have
never before seen the ocean. Since its inception in February 2017, "Mollusks on the
Move" has reached 3,180 children and adults in Lee, Collier, Hendry, and Sarasota
Counties.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
EVIDENCE FOR INTENSE BIOTIC INTERACTIONS IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AFTER A TWO
MILLION YEAR HIATUS: INFERENCES FROM MURICID EDGE DRILLING BEHAVIOR
Gregory S. Herbert
School of Geosciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33647 USA
gherbert@usf.edu
Edge drilling by muricid gastropods Chicoreus dilectus and Phyllonotus pomum has
been observed in the laboratory under conditions simulating an enemy-rich
environment and in Florida’s Pliocene fossil record, but this behavior has never been
observed in the wild and was presumed to be ecologically extinct for the last two
million years. This study documents edge drilling by C. dilectus and P. pomum in a
multi-year survey from 2002 to 2015 in St. Joseph Bay, a coastal lagoon in the
northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Edge drilling was not recorded in a 2002 survey but was
observed directly from 2007 to 2011. Edge drilling accounted for more than half of all
drilling attacks in 2007, with frequency of occurrence declining thereafter. St. Joseph
Bay has the highest densities of predators and lowest prey survival rates in the region
and highest secondary productivity in any seagrass habitat globally, confirming the
use of muricid edge drilling as an indicator of Florida’s enemy hotspots and their fates
in modern times and in the fossil record.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
HOW HAS MOLLUSCAN COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN THE GULF OF MEXICO CHANGED IN
RESPONSE TO HUMAN STRESSORS? A COMPARISON OF LIVING AND PRE-1950 COMMUNITIES
Austin Hersh
Business Analytics and Information Systems, Muma College of Business
Green and Gold Guide
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33647 USA
ahersh@mail.usf.edu
Gregory S. Herbert
School of Geosciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33647 USA
gherbert@usf.edu
Ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are facing multiple stressors, including warming
temperatures, ocean acidification, pollution, and invasive species. While there have
been numerous studies on the effects of these stressors on charismatic fauna, such as
dolphins and large fish, much less is known about their impact on benthic
invertebrates, which are critical components of the food web. This study is a
preliminary investigation using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to visualize
changes in geographic occurrence of common species and community
composition. Our data come from 44 dredge surveys of benthic mollusks off the west
Florida shelf from 2008 to 2016, consisting of 4557 gastropod specimens. Change at
the species and community-scale are inferred from comparison of live versus dead
components of dredge surveys, which represent present day and, on average, pre-
1950's ecosystems, respectively. Community-scale analyses will be done using
detrended correspondence analysis, which is a common ecological technique
for quantifying similarity between samples.
[POSTER]
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TRENDS IN THE EPIFAUNAL AND MOLLUSCAN COMMUNITIES ON
TAMPA BAY ARTIFICIAL REEFS: 2004 VS. 2016
David J. Karlen*, Thomas L. Dix, Sarah E. Markham, Kevin W. Campbell, Joette M.
Jernigan, Julie Christian, Anthony Chacour, Barbara K. Goetting, Chris Pratt, Brett Ursin
Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County
3629 Queen Palm, Tampa, FL 33619 USA
karlen@epchc.org
The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County (EPCHC)
conducted a survey of the epifaunal communities on three artificial reefs in Tampa
Bay in spring and fall 2016 in order to evaluate the current condition of these reefs
and to compare results with a previous survey conducted in 2004. The three reefs
selected represented different locations along the estuarine salinity gradient in
Tampa Bay. These reefs were the Howard Frankland Reef (HFR) in Old Tampa Bay
(OTB); the Bahia Beach Reef (BBR) in Middle Tampa Bay (MTB); and the Egmont Key
Reef (EKR) in Lower Tampa Bay (LTB). Each reef was sampled seasonally in the spring
(April-May 2016 = dry season) and fall (August 2016 = wet season) to look at seasonal
changes in the epifaunal community on the reef as well as differences between reefs
within each season. Ten samples were collected on each reef during each seasonal
sampling event by SCUBA divers using a 16 cm x 16 cm area epifaunal sampler.
Epifaunal species were sorted and identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level
and enumerated. Wet weight biomass was also measured for larger specimens and
colonial organisms. Results showed seasonal changes in the species composition,
with the oyster Ostrea equestris dominating the community in the spring while
barnacles were dominant in the fall. Spatially, species richness increased with the
salinity gradient with highest number of taxa being present on the Egmont Key Reef.
Comparison with the 2004 study found changes in the epifaunal community between
years. Most notable was a large drop in the abundance and biomass of the invasive
Asian Green Mussel, Perna viridis, which was dominant in 2004 but nearly absent in
2016. Salinity and temperature appear to be the driving factors influencing the
epifaunal communities on the artificial reefs. Salinity had a strong correlation with the
epifaunal community structure between the three reefs within a given season and
between 2004 and 2016. The combination of salinity and temperature were
correlated with seasonal changes on the reefs.
*Presenter
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
THE BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM COLLECTION: RECENT ADVANCES AND THE
NEAR FUTURE
José H. Leal
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
jleal@shellmuseum.org
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum collection (BMSM) currently
encompasses about 123,600 catalogued lots. It includes private donations,
collections originally in other institutions, and Museum-collected material. It consists
mostly of Recent mollusks, with a focus on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the
Caribbean. A five-year cataloguing project funded by two Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) Museums for America Collection Stewardship grants
enabled the Museum to complete the entire collection backlog by mid-2017. In
201617, funding from one IMLS grant has allowed staff to update and consolidate
the taxonomy and species-level nomenclature of more than 3,500 marine taxa.
Collection metadata are available via the data aggregator resource iDigBio
https://www.idigbio.org/portal/recordsets/b40e13f7-a79a-4265-93d9-
3b4878dfc988 iDigBio/Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) at
https://www.gbif.org/publisher/1c8732e1-36b1-4a7c-978e-f69542768ec3. About
9,300 lots are georeferenced through GBIF. Future needs include migration of the
current software to Specify and funding for posting selected images through
iDigBio (following iDigBio’s standards and formats for linked metadata).
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
NEW DIVERSITY IN AN OLD FAUNA
Harry G. Lee*, Roger W. Portell, Richard L. Edwards
Department of Fossil Invertebrates
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
1659 Museum Road
Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
hglee2@mindspring.com
The Pinecrest beds (Upper Pliocene) of southern Florida are renowned for their
abundant and well-preserved fossil mollusk remains. Furthermore, the species richness
is legendary—estimates in excess of 1000 such taxa have appeared in the literature.
On the other hand, the micromollusks of thus fauna have been undertreated
heretofore. The most diverse of these families, comprised mostly of taxa with a
maximum dimension <5.50 mm, is the Pyramidellidae. This presentation will
demonstrate and interpret the constituents of this group based on collections made
at a single exposure, SMR 10, a pit mine in NE Sarasota Co, FL, where the Upper
Tamiami Formation has been excavated. Eighty-three species in 26 genera have
been recognized, and SEM images of selected taxa will be presented.
*Presenter
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
EGG CASES OF SELECTED MARINE MOLLUSKS
Carole Marshall
932 Cochran Drive
Lake Worth, FL 33461 USA
marshalldg@aol.com
The egg capsules of marine mollusks are the least studied of all the molluscan
systems. The reproductive system is usually covered for many species, but not the egg
capsules themselves. Yet, each mollusk has an egg capsule that is unique to its own
species. Some of the people who have worked extensively on egg capsules are
Charles D’Asaro, Gunnar Thorsson, and Bea Winner. I would like to introduce you to
them with a brief synopsis of their work. The remainder of this short program will be
some of the more interesting egg capsules that I have found, in person or on the
internet.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
UNSOLVED OCTOPUS
Rebecca Mensch
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
rmensch@shellmuseum.org
The number of octopuses found on the beaches and inside of shells on Sanibel
seemed to be much higher last winter than in previous years, which created the
opportunity to keep a live octopus in one of the BMNS Museum display aquariums.
The species was assumed to be Octopus joubini Robson, 1929 (Atlantic Pigmy
Octopus), which is well represented in the scientific literature and confirmed to live in
our local waters. After just two weeks in the Museum aquarium, the specimen laid
relatively large eggs, with benthic juveniles hatching about four weeks later. These
two aspects meant the specimen could not possibly be Octopus joubini. This
presentation will explore the current knowledge gaps, including the reasons why a
positive identification is not currently possible, as well as the next steps in identifying
this local octopus.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
SHELLZEE: AUTOMATED SHELL IMAGE RECOGNITION IN YOUR POCKET
Meindert Niemeijer* and Bill Emerson
ISeashells
Iowa City, IA 52246 USA
meindertn@gmail.com
Deep learning or “artificial intelligence” (AI) is a technology that is currently
transforming many fields. Examples are self-driving cars in the automotive field,
automated content generation in publishing and automated disease detection in
medicine. Over the last 10 years the ability of machines to learn to reason about
images and their contents have seen especially pronounced development. This
presentation will showcase our work on Shellzee, a mobile app developed together
with the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Shellzee is able to recognize a
number of different shell types from images acquired through mobile devices. We
would like for Shellzee to be a helpful tool for shell novices to figure out more
information about the shell they just found on the beach. Any picture sent to Shellzee
has the potential of helping her perform better as she is continually learning more
about shells, what they look like and their unique characteristics. In the presentation
we’ll discuss the technology behind Shellzee, some of the challenges involved with
current state-of-the-art AI tool development, some preliminary results on a small
validation set and some of the limitations of Shellzee in her current form. If there is
enough time, a brief demo will be given at the end of the presentation.
*Presenter
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR HORSE CONCH TRIPLOFUSUS GIGANTEUS POPULATIONS TO
RECOVER FROM INCREASING FISHING PRESSURE? LIFE HISTORY ASSESSMENT USING STABLE
ISOTOPE SCLEROCHRONOLOGY
Nicole Seiden* and Gregory Herbert
School of Geosciences and Archeology
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620 USA
nseiden@mail.usf.edu
Ryan Harke
School of Anthropology
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620 USA
ryanh2@mail.usf.edu
Stephen Geiger
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
100 8th Avenue SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701 USA
The horse conch (Triplofusus giganteus) is the second largest extant gastropod in the
world and is the state shell of Florida. There is demand for these mollusks among
commercial and recreational fishers and avocational shell collectors. Despite
harvest, life history traits such as age at reproductive maturity and lifetime fecundity
are unknown. In this study, we use oxygen isotope sclerochronology of two large
shells close to record size to measure annual growth cycles that are recorded
seasonally in the shell, a process similar to dendrochronology in trees. Data from this
method will provide information on size-at-age from which life history traits might be
estimated. Growth breaks along the shell suggest that these snails live > 10 years, a
hypothesis supported by two oxygen isotope profiles from large specimens. The von
Bertalanffy growth curves constructed from the data will also be used to estimate the
age of the largest known horse conch, 606 mm, currently on display in the Bailey-
Matthews National Shell Museum.
*Presenter
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN SELECTED SPECIES: FRESHWATER MUSSELS OF FLORIDA
Sarah Sharkey
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
7386 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, FL 32653 USA
Sarah.sharkey@myFWC.com
Sexual dimorphism is the difference in shape and/or size between males and females
of the same species. This trait exists in a number of freshwater mussel species (Family
Unionidae), including many of the common freshwater mussel species of Florida.
Generally, if a unionid taxon exhibits sexual dimorphism, the sexes are distinguished
by females having a more rounded posterior margin, in combination with a more
inflated shell, compared to the males of the same species. This morphological
difference may be due to females needing space to accommodate the eggs and
glochidia (juvenile stage of freshwater mussels), which they develop in one or both
sets of gills. Florida mussel species exhibiting sexual dimorphism include: Lampsilis
floridensis, Lampsilis stramenia, Villosa amygdalum, Villosa lienosa, Villosa vibex and
Villosa villosa. To assist with identification of Florida’s unionids, this poster exhibits and
highlights the morphological distinctions between males and females of these
species.
[POSTER]
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
HOW WELL DO WE KNOW THE WELL-KNOWN FLAMED TIGERSNAIL, ANGUISPIRA ALTERNATA?
John Slapcinsky and Ryan Corlett
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
1659 Museum Road
Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
slapcin@flmnh.ufl.edu
Anguispira alternata was the subject of some of the earliest ecological studies on
snails and is arguably the best studied land snail species in eastern North America.
However, the last two major revisions of the genus are more than 70 years old and
not in close agreement. Both revisions recognize only a few highly variable species
with numerous subspecies. More recently, morphological and genetic studies
focused on limestone outcrop specialists demonstrate that the taxa treated as forms
or subspecies of Anguispira cumberlandiana are probably species level taxa. Our
DNA sequence and morphological data suggest that Anguispira alternata is also a
complex of species with molecular clades that are congruent with morphologically
recognizable groups, many of which overlap in range. This suggests there are several
species confused with the broad ranging Anguispira alternata. Some of these species
appear to be narrow range endemics that may warrant conservation concern and
protection.
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
USING THE FOSSIL RECORD OF INDUCIBLE SHELL DEFENSES IN MOLLUSKS TO DETECT HUMAN
IMPACTS ON FOOD WEBS A CASE STUDY USING VARICES ON JUVENILE FIGHTING CONCH
Shenelle West, Nasser Al Qattan, and Gregory S. Herbert
School of Geosciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33647 USA
shenellew@mail.usf.edu
Human overfishing has led to disproportionate declines of apex predators throughout
the world’s oceans, but the extent of their decline and, more importantly, impacts on
the larger ecosystem remain poorly documented. A common consequence of apex
predator loss in complex ecosystems is ecological release of mesopredators, the
effects of which can cascade to predator-prey interactions affecting benthic
invertebrates, such as mollusks. In this study, we examine how expression of shell anti-
predatory defenses in the Strombus alatus (Florida Fighting Conch) species complex
varied from the Pliocene to the present day. Juvenile S. alatus often develop
thickenings of the shell lip, likely as a defense against peeling or crushing predators.
On adults, these appear as humps or ribs on spire whorls. Animals collected in the
wild nearly always have multiple internal varices, often two per whorl, but those
raised in captivity in the absence of cues from predators do not. This suggests they
are an inducible defense expressed only when needed, and their occurrence can
tell us about the intensity of interactions with their shell peeling enemies over space
and time. This study investigates expression of internal varices in Florida S. alatus to
test the hypothesis that patterns of varix expression today are unique compared to
the pre-anthropogenic baseline from the fossil record, which would indicate changes
to the structure of modern food webs. Preliminary data show that varices are
expressed at greater frequencies at higher whorl numbers and greater depths in
modern shells and at greater frequencies today than in the past.
[POSTER]
Florida United Malacologists Program and Abstracts José H. Leal, Organizer
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum • Sanibel, Florida January 27, 2018
Location of 5:30 PM dinner venue, George & Wendy’s
2499 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957
(on the corner of Tarpon Bay Rd., next to Bailey’s General Store)
(239)395-1263
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