I don't have a photo of the shell itself but it is the largest shell in this painting:

http://artforlife-llc.com/3%20shells%20alt.jpg

The shell is approximately 11" long, the color in the painting is correct, and the person who gave it to me said that she found it on the beach in South Carolina after a hurricane. I'd like to be able to identify the shell correctly on a new drawing that I'm working on.

The front and rear shells in this painting both appear to represent the Knobbed Whelk, sometimes called Knobbed Pear Whelk, from the eastern United States. Scientific name Busycon carica.  Between them appears to be a clam of some kind, probably representing the Quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria.

http://www.jaxshells.org/sscarica.htm

http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_347.html

http://www.carnegiemnh.org/mollusks/images/gast_mar/2b29.jpg  

If your shell is black like this, it is probably an old specimen that was buried in muddy sediment for some time, and was uncovered by the wave action of the hurricane.  As you can see from the pictures, fresh specimens are generally lighter colored.  

--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2007-08-22 23:59:02 --

Thank you. I got out the camera today and took a photo. Here it is:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p20a269db4d926314eb1674321ed9d5b4/e8018ad1.jpg

What threw me off in identifying it was the color. Is the depth of color an indication of age or does it have more to do with the type of sediment the shell was buried in?

AHA!!  I'm glad you posted the photo!  I was wrong!  I didn't look closely enough at the shells in the painting.  The front shell in the painting, with the red interior, is, as I said, Busycon carica. But the large shell in back is not!  I missed this in the painting but it is obvious in the photo. (It's obvious in the painting too, now that I look more carefully.)  You will notice that the large shell is sinistral, that is it spirals in the opposite direction from the front shell. (If you hold the two shells in a similar position, the opening is on the opposite side.)  The larger shell is the Lightning Whelk, Busycon sinistrum, not Busycon carica.  (This used to be called Busycon contrarium, but is now called Busycon sinistrum.)  Here are some pics:

http://bigai.world.coocan.jp/pic_book/data20/r001964.html

http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_11638.html

http://www.jaxshells.org/busycona.htm

My previous comments concerning the black coloration still apply.  The discoloration is most likely the result of being buried in highly organic mud, with a lot of decomposing vegetation.  

--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2007-08-23 23:56:59 --