The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel has discovered and published an important new finding about the Horse Conch and threats to the species that is also the Florida State Shell.
Through observation of Horse Conchs in the Museum’s aquariums, staff documented the first record of imposex in Horse Conchs. Imposex is an irreversible disorder in female marine snails caused by compounds present in anti-fouling paints used on boats and ships. The condition, which can lead to limited production of eggs, sterility, or premature death, was observed in Horse Conchs collected from Alligator Harbor in the Florida Panhandle.
The presence of imposex is of particular concern for the long-term conservation of the Horse Conch, given the species’ slow maturation and limited reproductive output, and the potential impact of environmental contamination. Science Director and Curator Dr. José H. Leal, Senior Aquarist Carly Hulse, Ambassador Animal Aquarist Claire D’Agostino, and veterinarian Dr. Susan Fogelson made the observations and published them in an article for the Bulletin of Marine Science.Â
“The article considers a human-imposed condition that affects the reproductive capabilities of marine snails and that ultimately may affect the survival of populations of that remarkable species,’’ said Dr. Leal.
The Horse Conch is the largest shelled mollusk in the Atlantic Ocean, and an apex predator living in shallow marine habitats from North Carolina to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic coast of Mexico.Â
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