Malacofauna of Crosby Sanctuary

Harry G. Lee of (http://www.jaxshells.org/florida.htm) has greatly improved our knowledge of the malacofauna (gastropods-snails) living at Crosby. Thank you Mr. Lee!

See jaxshells for pictures of these amazing organisms.

Freshwater snails
Campeloma floridense (Call, 1886) Purple-throat Campeloma
Viviparus georgianus (I. Lea, 1834) Banded Mysterysnail
Pomacea paludosa (Say, 1829) Florida Applesnail
Amnicola rhombostoma F. Thompson, 1968 Squaremouth Amnicola
Floridobia fraterna (F. Thompson, 1968) Creek Siltsnail
Pseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817) Mimic Lymnaea
Physella heterostropha (Say, 1817) Pewter Physa
Planorbella duryi (Wetherby, 1879) Seminole Rams-horn
Laevapex fuscus (C.B. Adams, 1841) Dusky Ancylid

Freshwater bivalves
Elliptio ahenea (I. Lea, 1847) Southern Lance
Elliptio buckleyi (I. Lea, 1843) Florida Shiny Spike
Elliptio icterina (Conrad, 1834) Variable Spike
Toxolasma paulum (I. Lea, 1840) Iridescent Lilliput
Uniomerus carolinianus (Bosc, 1801) Florida Pondhorn
Eupera cubensis (Prime, 1865) Mottled Fingernailclam
Sphaerium occidentale (J. Lewis, 1856) Herrington Peaclam

Land snails
Punctum minutissimum (Lea, 1841) Small Spot
Euconulus trochulus (Reinhart, 1885) Silk Hive
Euglandina rosea (Férussac, 1821) Rosy Wolfsnail

Pupisoma dioscoricola (C.B. Adams, 1845) Yam Babybody

Glyphyalinia umbilicata (Singley in Cockerell, 1893) Texas Glyph

Hawaiia minuscula (A. Binney, 1840) Minute Gem

Ventridens demissus (A. Binney, 1843) Perforate Dome

Mesodon thyroidus (Say, 1817) White-lip Globe

Polygyra cereolus (Mühlfeld, 1816) Southern Flatcoil

Fall 2010 -- The Detritus Cycle Begins

Fall is happening out at the Sanctuary. Many hardwoods and the bald cypress are starting to loose their leaves for the winter. The amount of leaf-fall from the bottomland forest canopy is truly amazing. This "leaf litter" then sits on the forest floor overwinter where the leaves' waxy coating breaks down. Once the waxy coating is broken down and temperatures warm (the following spring/summer), decomposition increases until the leaves are converted into detritus.

Detritus is finely broken down leaf (organic) particles that other organisms use as nutrients. Thus detritus forms the base of the aquatic food chain. A bottomland swamp like Crosby retains some detritus in low flow areas, as well as exports detritus downstream, which fuels the food chain within the Ortega River and St Johns River estuary. Shrimp are the most commonly known and commercially valuable organism that feed on detritus. However, there hundreds of thousands of other aquatic invertebrates that feed on detritus. A detailed explanation of detritus and it's role in ecosystems can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritus.