Ongoing Projects

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:06:09 GMT

I haven't been posting much new lately under General Discussion as I've been mainly working on the Named Liguus of Florida section. Check out the new updates there, and feel free to add comments here (General Discussion).

Phil

The Quirks of L. f. t. var. gloriasylvaticus

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:52:42 GMT

1941 article

feeds@yuku.com (Darth Liguus) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:55:08 GMT

I was looking at the archives of the Koreshan Unity Society. They were a utopia society, some say cult, at what is now Koreshan State Park in Estero south of Fort Myers.
Their heyday was around 1894-1907, but they stayed in existence for many years after that. I think the last member died out in the 1980s and the site of the former community became a historical park. (My favorite is their old machine shop and generator.)
They were a very learned community, conducted plays and...

More on Zonation

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:39:47 GMT

Green Lines

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:17:45 GMT

PC 87

L. f. t. var. evergladesensis and reedi

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:12:57 GMT

L. f. t. var. testudineus, brickellensis and archiejonesi

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:41:33 GMT

The following is a simplified set of definitions that may help collectors identify these three somewhat confusing varieties.
Pilsbry, 1912, in describing testudineus: "The pattern consists fundamentally of broad, sinuous dark flames which fork below the white sutural line producing a tessellated border, often smeared with reddish."
From this original type, and the type of the related...

L. f. t. var. mosieri and lossmanicus

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:29:49 GMT

I've taken another look at the mosieri of Brickell Hammock and other Miami locations. Most shells in collections have some degree of a pale bronze coloration over most of the shell. There is sometimes a diffuse zone at the periphery that is nearly white, though this should not be confused with zonation in the sense that cigulatus is zonated. A subsutural line of white is also evident on specimens with significant coloration. These are characteristics of L....

Mixes & Hybrids

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:53:50 GMT

L. f. testudineus var. krulli x L. f. testudineus var. ornatus, and L. f. lignumvitae var....

L. f. matecumbensis

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 07:35:14 GMT

L. f. t. var. roseatus of Southwestern Florida

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:40:56 GMT

The following is from Emmel and Cotter, 1995.
"Miller (1921) reports that Capt. W. D. Collier transplanted Liguus onto Marco Island, Goodland Point and Caxambas. According to Collier, Liguus fasciatus was not found on Key Marco before his introduction. Hence, the type location for roseatus is an introduced site. He claims to have introduced 'them' (number unknown) from Middle Cape, Cape Sable. Collier also collected shells on the lower...

More on Partial Zonation

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:36:48 GMT

Key Vaca

Going through some Key Vaca shells, I found one labeled "lossmanicus." That would be a rare...

Hatchling Liguus and determining age

feeds@yuku.com (rpilla001) — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:31:54 GMT

Finally some rain!! I was out today at one of my favorite snail spots. This place produced many great snail photos last year and it has not disappointed me today. I encountered 5 hatchlings moving up from the leaf litter today. I gained interest last year after the initial rains and missed out on early developmental shots.

My question is this. I was looking at figure 1.5 on page 5 of H. Close's book. The diagram lacks explanation as to what exactly it is showing. Is each snail...

The solidus of Simpson

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:06:14 GMT

The last of the tough nuts. I'm not completely comfortable with how things stand with this variety/subspecies.
It's not the solidus of Say, and it doesn't fit well with the subspecies pictus or solidulus. It is reported from Big Pine Key by Simpson, from Little Pine Key by Jones, and from the Lower Keys by Power. It looks like a subspecies, a product of isolation, but it's reported from keys that are home to the pictus...

The crassus of Simpson

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:48:49 GMT

The fourth of my unreconciled varieties/subspecies of Florida Liguus was the crassus of Simpson. I'm now convinced that the variety is an albinistic osmenti and that the type locality is Howe Key. See http://liguusdiscussionboard.yuku.com/topic/1083?page=-1

Phil

Top Florida Liguus

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:43:47 GMT

Nearly four years ago, most of the regulars posted their picks of the top ten in terms of desirability. Numbers aren't the whole story.
See the old post: http://liguusdiscussionboard.yuku.com/topic/598
My list has changed and I'll bet others have too.

1 stearnsi (Stearns' "pictus"): a unique and glamorous shell...

The pictus of Stearns

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:16:32 GMT

The third of my unreconciled varieties/subspecies of Florida Liguus has been the "pictus" of Stearns.
I agree with Emilio that it is so different from the type of Reeve, almost certainly the variety from Big Pine Key, that it is likely the product of a long-separated population, probably located on Key West. It is similar enough to the shells of the pictus subspecies to be placed there, but I wouldn't argue if someone wanted to consider it a...

The solidus of Say

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:34:43 GMT

The second of my unreconciled varieties/subspecies of Florida Liguus was the solidus of Say. Folks have been trying to pound it into a square hole since 1825. I think I have a better fit.

...

What Makes Up a Sustainable Hammock

feeds@yuku.com (rpilla001) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:51:47 GMT

I was going through photos I took last season and I was labeling locations and it occurred to me I have no real idea of how small a hammock can be to sustain a snail population. There is one place in the Redland I was last year that seemed isolated. from other large groupings of trees. It was in the swale, had a housing development behind it with manicured lawns, opposite the road was a large mixed hardwood hammock, and too each side (perhaps 100 yards) were also large hardwook hammocks. So...

Key Vaca marmoratus

feeds@yuku.com (Lysiloma) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:13:12 GMT

Key Vaca

I had been convinced that the above was a PC farnumi until a data slip was found deep inside the shell. It's a Key Vaca marmoratus, or of that pedigree, perhaps grown in the SE.
This...