Posted: Oct 25 2009

On 10/25/09 I posted the following inquiry on Conch-L:

"L. multisquamata is a beautiful and rather rare shell not represented in may collections. It is a deep water shell collected via SCUBA. I have created the following treatment using shells provided by Jim Cordy, the only collector of whom I'm aware has collected this shell live. I would like to hear from others with first-hand knowledge of this shell being collected in Florida waters."

10/25: Wayne Harland, avid shell collector and scuba diver (Broward County, FL) provided the following collecting information:

"I have collected live C. multisquamata

off Palm Beach, Pompano Beach and

Boca Raton. Specimens were collected

in 60' + of water under rock rubble.

Other chlamys species that were found

along with the multi's were C. imbricata

and C. mildredae and on one occasion

only, a live C. ornata. Oddly, C. sentis is

found in shallow water along with

mildredae but I've never collected them

in the deeper waters off Florida.

In other areas of the Caribbean, (the

Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Honduras, and

Netherlands Antilles), C. multisquamata

occurs much more frequently and in

much shallower depths. The common

environmental factor for all these habitats

is the presence of current. They appear to

be ocean currents, not tidal ebb and flow.

The area that Jim has collected his specimens is also on the deeper reef which commonly has current flow."

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10/25: Peggy Williams, author of Shallow Water Turridae of Florida and the Caribbean, reported:

"I have not collected it alive or in Florida but found two specimens (both valves) at ±100' in the Bahamas (Cay Sal)."

10/25: Carole Marshall, collector since 1965 with interest in Pectinidae, also reported specimens from SE Florida:

"Have several specimens from about 130' off Pompano. My friend Marv Glickstein collected a beautiful about 3" lemon yellow specimen off Palm Beach Rock Piles. I have one collected by Ray Majors from 10' in Bonaire circa about 1979. Specimens range from purple, pink and Marv's yellow."

11/03/09: Arne Ghys of Belgium (Pecten Site) reported collecting data for the L. multisquamata in his collection:

"I have 2 specimens from Florida (1 : Ocean ridge - Florida - dived at 10 fathoms depth under dead coral rubble on outside of reef / 2 : Pompano Beach - Florida - taken under rock rubble from 70 ft depth). Both were collected by Thomas Honker (I don't know if personally dived or by friends). They are 41 and 46 mm in height and red-purple of colour. I have also specimens from Curacao and Martinique with the same measurements. There are also 3 specimens from Guarapari - Espirito Santo State - Brasil in my collection but most specimens from this region seems to be much less in size (20-30 mm) but more colourful."

11/3/09: Tom Miller of Laredo, Texas reported:

"... before the offshore Stetson Bank was made a sanctuary, I had found three [L. multisquamata] there from about 75'. Also found Lyropecten nodosus and on one occasion Amusium papyraceum."

Administrator's note: Stetson Bank is one of three areas located 70 to 115 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana known as the Flower Garden Banks National Sanctuary established January 17, 1992. Stetson Bank became part of the sanctuary in 1996.