Page 2 Vol. 45, No. 2 In 1972, a group of shell collectors saw the need for a nation- al organization devoted to the interests of shell collectors; to the beauty of shells, to their scientific aspects, and to the collecting and preser- vation of mollusks. This was the start of COA. Our membership includes AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, the official publication of the Conchol- novices, advanced collectors, scientists, and shell dealers from around the ogists of America, Inc., and issued as part of membership dues, is published world. In 1995, COA adopted a conservation resolution: Whereas there quarterly in March, June, September, and December, printed by JOHNSON are an estimated 100,000 species of living mollusks, many of great eco- PRESS OF AMERICA, INC. (JPA), 800 N. Court St., P.O. Box 592, Pontiac, IL 61764. All correspondence should go to the Editor. ISSN 1072-2440. nomic, ecological, and cultural importance to humans and whereas habitat Articles in AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST may be reproduced with destruction and commercial fisheries have had serious effects on mollusk proper credit. We solicit comments, letters, and articles of interest to shell populations worldwide, and whereas modern conchology continues the collectors, subject to editing. Opinions expressed in “signed” articles are tradition of amateur naturalists exploring and documenting the natural those of the authors, and are not necessarily the opinions of Conchologists world, be it resolved that the Conchologists of America endorses respon- of America. All correspondence pertaining to articles published herein sible scientific collecting as a means of monitoring the status of mollusk or generated by reproduction of said articles should be directed to the Edi- species and populations and promoting informed decision making in tor. regulatory processes intended to safeguard mollusks and their habitats. MEMBERSHIP is for the calendar year, January-December, late mem- berships are retroactive to January. 2017 DUES: $25; postal surcharge: USA OFFICERS none ($5 additional for USA first class), $5 for Canada and Mexico (total of $30), $15 for all other countries (total of $40). New members apply to Kar- President: Harry G. Lee Immediate Past President: José Leal lynn Morgan, Membership Director. Please pay in U.S. dollars ($), or with a 4132 Ortega Forest Dr. 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road check on a U.S. bank with Transit Enrouting and Account Numbers printed Jacksonville, FL 32210 Sanibel, FL 33957-1580 at the bottom, or with money order. Make checks payable to: CONCHOL- [email protected] (239) 395-2233 OGISTS OF AMERICA. Notify Membership Director with change of ad- [email protected] Vice President: Wayne Humbird dress. 54 Tamarind Ct. Awards & Endowments Director: BACK ISSUES are available from Karlynn Morgan, Membership Direc- Lake Jackson, TX 77566-3127 Donald Dan tor. Prices: prior to 1999, $3 each, 2000 to 2008 $4 each, 2009 to current, $5 [email protected] 6704 Overlook Drive each; postage extra. Treasurer: Steven Coker Ft. Myers, FL 33919 202 Canyon Oak Dr. (239) 481-6704 Lake Jackson, TX 77566 [email protected] (979) 297-0852 Convention Coordinator: Advertising in AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST is presented as a ser- [email protected] Anne Joffe vice to our membership, but does not automatically imply endorse- Secretary: Phyllis Gray 1163 Kittiwake Circle ment of the advertisers by the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST staff 1212 S. Eola Drive Sanibel, FL 33957-3605 or the Conchologists of America, Inc. Advertising space is avail- Orlando, FL 32806-2218 [email protected] able at the following rates: Black & White: 1/2 page, $600 per year (407) 422-0253 Member at Large: or $200 per issue; 1/4 page, $300 per year or $100 per issue; 1/8 [email protected] Jim Brunner page, $150 per year or $50 per issue. Color: 1/2 page, $1050 per Membership: Karlynn Morgan 2511 Parkwood Drive year or $350 per issue; 1/4 page, $525 per year or $175 per issue; PO Box 11703 Panama City, FL 32405-4444 1/8 page, $262.50 per year or $87.50 per issue. Deadlines are as [email protected] Winston Salem, NC 27116-1703 follows: #1 Jan 15, #2 Apr 1, #3 July 11, #4 Oct 1. High-resolu- [email protected] Member at Large: tion digital images, slides, or prints may be changed every issue. Trustee: Everett Long Doug Wolfe 109 Shore Dr., Shell Landing Copy changes $25. Send advertising copy to the editor, Tom Eich- 422 Shoreline Drive horst, 4528 Quartz Dr. N.E., Rio Rancho, NM 87124-4908, USA, Swansboro, NC 28584-7204 Beaufort, NC 28516-7861 [email protected] (252) 728-3501 email: [email protected]. Payments should be made to: Betty [email protected] Lipe, 11771 96th Place, Seminole, FL 33772, USA. Make checks Editor: Thomas E. Eichhorst 4528 Quartz Dr. N.E. Member at Large: Ed Shuller (in US dollars on a US bank) payable to Conchologists of America. Rio Rancho, NM 87124-4908 409 S. Carroll Street (505) 896-0904 Apex, NC 27539-5360 [email protected] [email protected] Editor: Advertising Director: Tom Eichhorst Vacant 4528 Quartz Dr. N.E. Rio Rancho, NM 87124-4908 (505) 896-0904 Historian: Alan Gettleman Academic Grants Chairwoman: 2225 Tanglewood Lane Jann Vendetti [email protected] Merritt Island, FL 32953-4287 Twila Bratcher Endowed Chair in (321)-536-2896 Malacological Research Staff: Lynn & Richard Scheu COA Webmasters: [email protected] Nat. Hist. Museum of L.A. County Marcus Coltro & Website Administrator: 900 Exposition Blvd. Carlos Henckes Los Angeles, CA 90007 Marcus Coltro EDITORIAL BOARD 1688 West Avenue apt 805 [email protected] Miami Beach, FL 33139 Donald Dan José H. Leal Bruce Neville [email protected] Emilio Garcia Harry G. Lee G. Thomas Watters June 2017 American Conchologist Page 3 Editor’s comments: This has been an interesting sum- In This Issue mer for COA. In the last two issues of American Con- Editor’s comments --------------------------------------------- 3 chologist (Vol. 44, no. 4, Dec 2016: 3 & Vol. 45, no. 1, March 2017: 36-37) I reported on efforts by COA to ac- There was a minor event last year cess the Frederic Weiss shell collection in time for the by Thomas Eichhorst ------------------------------------------ 4 Key West convention. Thanks to Herculean efforts by Donald Dan (in both time and money) and some timely In Memoriam -------------------------------------------------- 15 volunteer help, this valuable collection will be featured at Key West, with plenty left over for the next couple of In Memoriam error (last issue) ---------------------------- 15 conventions. I think all COA members realize the value of such collections to COA - both in funding our grant Dealer Directory -------------------------------------------- 16 program for molluscan research and ensuring that a well- curated collection does not go to waste in a garage sale or Broward Shell Club: a success story to fill large decorative jars. During all of this, it came to by Nancy Galdo ----------------------------------------------- 20 light that COA needs a written process to guide us in ac- cessing such a collection. Receiving such “gifts-in-kind” A Panama City Trip: Panama City, Panama, That Is is not a simple process. There are legal ramifications as by Linda Brunner --------------------------------------------- 23 well as concerns about how our organization handles such matters. These issues were brought to the attention of Book review of Icons of Evolution: Pacific Island tree- COA President Harry Lee. He not only agreed on the snails, family Partulidae -------------------------------------- 28 need for such a document, but also suggested a codified COA Code of Ethics. To this end, he set up two ad hoc committees to research and prepare the necessary docu- Book review of In Memoriam ------------------------------- 29 mentation, one for each product: 2017 Astronaut Trail Shell Show - 21-22 Jan 2017 ---- 30 COA Code of Ethics Jose Leal (Chair) RichardKirk 70th Annual St. Petersburg Shell Show - Feb 2017 ----- 32 Tom Eichhorst Steven Coker (ex officio) 80th Annual Sanibel Shell Show - 2-4 March 2017 ----- 33 Tom Grace Harry Lee (ex officio) Gifts-in-Kind In Memoriam (cont’d from p. 15) -------------------------- 34 Bob Janowsky (Co-chairman) Doug Wolfe Gifts-in-Kind -------------------------------------------------- 38 Donald Dan (Co-chairman) Steven Coker (ex officio) Gary Rosenberg Harry Lee (ex officio) COA Code of Ethics ------------------------------------------ 39 Both committees completed their tasks in a time- 2017 COA Convention, Key West, FL, Aug 15-19, 2017 ly fashion and the final products were voted on and ap- By Jeannette Tysor and Ed Shuller ----------------------- 42 proved by the COA Board of Directors. President Harry Lee personally thanked all of the ad hoc committee mem- bers for both stepping up to the task when asked and for producing quality products. These documents are includ- ed in this issue of American Conchologist for dissemina- tion to the COA membership (see pages 38-42 & back cover). Also included (back cover) is a copy of a letter from COA President Harry Lee to each vendor at the 2017 COA Convention bourse. This letter welcomes the ven- dors as the highlight of the convention and restates COA Front cover: Simnia sp. (6mm) photographed by policy toward molluscan conservation and the need to be Charles Rawlings at 75 feet depth on a small Alcyo- aware of and in compliance with “...any governmental regulation, US or overseas, that may impact your bourse nacea (soft corals that used to be called gorgonians) activities.” COA recently published American Concholo- on a steep slope of coral sand, silty sand and coral gist Supplement no. 1: 1, 3-32. January 2017. Written by rubble, off Ambon, 2017. Doug Wolfe and Harry Lee, this resource is intended to Back cover: letter from COA President Harry Lee help members and responsible agencies become aware of to each vendor at the 2017 COA Convention bourse, some of the myriad of regulations and policies concerning restating the COA policy towards molluscan conser- molluscan conservation.