Posted: Apr 29 2025
I made this trip to Ft. Pierce Inlet in hopes of observing a live Strombus pugilis form alatus, a species that is reappearing north from Palm Beach County along Florida's east coast after disappearing along this range about 35 years ago. My interest was attracted due to recent observations reported on iNaturalist. Prior to these observations the last documented presence of this species at Ft. Pierce was as reported by Mikkelsen, Paula M., Mikkelsen, Paul S. and Karlen, David J. 1995. Molluscan Biodiversity In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida. Bulletin of Marine Science, 57(1): 94-127.
My search area was on the northern side of the inlet channel. The habitat is one of soft, muddy sand and sparse seagrasses. I timed my visit for a -0.8 tide.
I spent about three hours trudging through the soft sand and over exposed flats and shoreline. Overall, few live mollusks were observed.
Here are the species I encountered. I did not bother documenting old, broken shells.
