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a nice, acutely high-spired shell found 17 January 2014 at Quintana Beach County Park, during a huge winter washup of shells. This was the only rupicola found over several days, among 100s of freshly beached Epitonium angulatum. 21.1 mm

1 of 2 found in rich shell drift by the tent camping area at Flamingo (Florida Bay), at the end of the Everglades National Park Road. I have never seen rupicola during multiple visits at this site until that day. According to Bruce Neville, this could be the 1st record from S. Florida (or at least the 1st such record that he or I are aware of). Generally the distribution of this species had previously appeared to be discontinuous from NE Florida to Collier or Lee County, SW Florida. Shell ca. 16.5mm

C. fornicata is the largest and by far the most commonly found slipper shell in Florida, especially on beaches. It is quite variable in shape and color, inside and out. It can be identified by the shape of the edge of the interior deck (when present). The deck is white with the edge strongly sinuate with two "waves."

Exterior color usually a white background with tan to brown blotches or radiating lines. Interior may range from all white to browns or purple, and may be streaked, spotted or all one color. Live specimens usually covered by a brown to tan periostracum.

The Yellow Egg Cockle, Laevicardium mortoni (Conrad, 1831), is a common bivalve found in beach drift at University Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. However, most shells found at this location are not very colorful. On 2013-04-12 I found a nicely colored empty specimen, which i took to the lab to photograph. This shell was about 12 mm (1/2 in) in diameter.

Its shell is subcircular, slightly triangular, with faint commarginal growth lines and fine radial threads. When viewed under magnification, the area near the ventral margin shows minute elongated blisters arranged in commarginal lines (as seen in a couple of photos below).

The coloration in fresh specimens (as the one figured here) is a dirty white to cream background with brown to purple maculations.

The species is found from Massachusetts to Florida and to Texas, from 0 to 84 m (275 ft) depth. In bays it is found near inlets.

Read more about this species in Tunnell et al (2010)’s Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, page 355, and in the upcoming Texas Seashells, A Field Guide, on page 196.