Florida’s Fossil Cowries: Miocene to Pleistocene

The authors have relied on the taxonomic and geological works of the original authors to the extent possible, in many cases utilizing their own words. Two new fossil cowry species are introduced and a uniform format for presenting the Plio-Pleistocene species is utilized to facilitate comparisons and identification. Contains 125 high resolution color plates that offer additional help in identifying specimens. This volume provides a valuable addition to the knowledge of Florida's fascinating fossil cowry fauna, perfect for fossil and shell collectors alike. Printed on high quality glossy stock, this book is well suited for both the coffee table as well as the library bookshelf.

John D. "Duffy" Daughenbaugh was born November, 1945 in Charles City, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA with a BA in History and earned a commission in the US Army. After training, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of an Army Security Agency company on Okinawa. Active duty ended September, 1969, followed by attendance at the Thunderbird School of International Management, Glendale, AZ where he earned a Master's degree. He then began his banking career with American Express International Banking Corporation June, 1971. Assignments to Okinawa, Vietnam, New York, Greece, Lahore, Pakistan and Singapore followed. He then joined the international division of United California Bank (subsequently, First Interstate Bank, acquired by Wells Fargo Bank) with assignments in Los Angles, Taiwan and Singapore. Returning to Los Angeles in 1987, he culminated his career with an eight-year stint as Senior Director of Credit in Wells Fargo's California Private Banking Division. He retired March, 2013, ending a 42-year banking career. He presently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Su Mei Ho.

Duffy's diving and shell collecting interest began in 1968 on Okinawa. Subsequent collecting activities were limited to Vietnam, Greece and Taiwan, supplemented by frequent dive trips. Among the most memorable trips were Lanai, Hawaii (1975), Cocos Island, Costa Rica, South China and Java Seas trips aboard MV Empress (Vidar Skoglie, Captain), Pitcairn Island, Nuka Hiva, Marquesas, and Starvation Boat Harbour and Esperance, Australia. Nearing retirement, he began writing a number of articles reviewing the Cypraeidae of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, the Marquesan Islands, the Pitcairn Group, the Vema Seamount and the Cypraeidae of Northern New Zealand from the Kermadec Islands to the Poor Knights Islands. He, along with Marty Beals, also described three new Cypraeidae subspecies: Talostolida pellucens jacksoni Daughenbaugh and Beals, 2013, Talostolida pellucens sumeihoae Daughenbaugh and Beals, 2013 and Umbilia capricornica thorni Daughenbaugh and Beals, 2014. Over the last 10 years, his interest has expanded to include fossil Cypraeidae with a particular emphasis on the Florida populations, culminating in a series of articles for the San Diego Shell Club's The Festivus (see References). Randall Bridges was born April, 1959 in Yakima, Washington and grew up in Illinois. He attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona where he studied and conducted research on animal learning and behavior. He left the university to pursue what later proved to be a lifelong career in the platinum jewelry industry. His career took him to Florida where he developed a strong interest in molluscs and shell collecting. Eventually, he returned to Arizona to establish his own jewelry manufacturing company and continued to seriously study seashells, primarily the family Cypraeidae. Currently retired, his passion for seashells continues to keep him busy.

Randy's interest in the Cypraeidae has led him to collaborate with many other cowry researchers around the world. With a special interest in the biomineralization and pigmentation in the Cypraeidae, his research has also resulted in the publication of new subspecies of cowries: Leporicypraea rosea ultraviola Lorenz & Bridges, 2014, and Talparia talpa lutani Bridges, 2015. An article he coauthored with F. Lorenz in 2012, "A Revised morphometric formula for the characterization of cowries", established a uniform way to present morphometric data on cowries to allow statistical analysis. Randy is also recognized as one of the leading scientific photographers of seashells, particularly cowries. His work can be seen online, and in various publications including the San Diego Shell Club journal, The Festivus, and the German Shell Club's Conchylia. In this book, the senior author took the photographs and Randy performed the post processing and color plate production.