A while back, I highlighted a specimen of Chicoreus (s.s.) floridanus E. H. Vokes, 1965 that had a double row of fronds on the penultimate varix. So it only seems fitting to this time highlight another specimen of C. floridanus that is completely lacking the same varix.
Tag Archives: Kissimmee River
Last Thoughts on Pterorytis…
As alluded to in my previous posts on the genus Pterorytis, Vermeij and Vokes (1997) have synonymized several species listed in Petuch’s (1994) Atlas of Florida Fossil Shells with P. umbrifer and P. fluviana. However, everyone must make their own decision as to which scientific opinion they feel is correct, or whether the truth lies somewhere in between.
More on Those Pesky Pterorytis…
While I am fully immersed in “Pterorytis mode,” I figured I may as well do another post on the genus (perhaps even a few more!)
Toothless Pterorytis – They’re Not All P. roxaneae!
In an earlier post, I alluded to the fact that it is very difficult to properly identify many fossil species from southern Florida today. Much of the extant literature provides only brief, general descriptions with minimal figures for comparison. Thus, I have seen many collectors name the specimens in their collection based solely on where they came from (ignoring morphological characteristics of the shells altogether), or conversely, name their specimens based only on superficial similarity to a published photo, without adequate regard to geology. I say this not to condemn, because I recognize as much as anyone how difficult it is to make sense of much of the literature that is readily available to amateur collectors. But it does complicate things for those of us lacking a PhD in the field (if you recall, my PhD is in business administration / information systems).
The Fossil Murex Blog 