Vanhyning's Heart Cockle (Dinocardium robustum Vanhyningi): A Floridian Ambassador

Vanhyning's Heart Cockle
Dinocardium robustum Vanhyningi Clench & Smith 1944

Vanhyning's Heart Cockle:
In the Old Days, Florida's Souvenir Ashtray!

This bivalve, found on the west coast of Florida, is a pretty specimen. Its outline is more or less like a lopsided triangle as you look down at the exterior of the shell, though the ribbed shell is well-inflated. It can be over 5 inches in length and has distinctive chestnut-colored bars on its yellowish-tan-white surface.

Decades ago this kind of shell was sold as an ashtray with a beach or town's name written on it.

Notes

For more information on the Vanhyning's Heart Cockle see:
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
- Carol M. Williams, Beach Bountiful: Southeast.
Classification: Family Cardiidae; Superfamily Cardioidea; Order Veneroida; Superorder Heterodonta.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification coincides with that published by the Conchologists of America, Inc.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Vanhyning's Heart Cockle:In the Old Days, Florida's Souvenir Ashtray!

Notes

Vanhyning's Heart Cockle:
In the Old Days, Florida's Souvenir Ashtray!