26 



MOLLUSCA IN THE MaYA LoWLANDS 



PIEDRAS NEGRAS: 12-f in Classic burials and 

 caches; 3 perforated for suspension in Classic 

 burials and caches; several pairs were used as 

 "jewel boxes" (C, pp. 55-56, as 5. limbatus, 

 which is a Persian Gulf species). 



Comment: The very large amounts of Spondylus 

 found at Tikal still are and may largely remain un- 

 differentiated between the Pacific princeps, and the 

 Atlantic americanus, except as noted above. Of more 

 than 5200 worked valves and chips collected by 

 1964, more than 2500 were beads (mostly For- 

 mative) and over 2400 were "cached fragments" 

 (mostly Early Classic). 



Family: LIMIDAE 



Lima lima (Linne) 



Illustration: Plate I5,|'g'. 



Modern distribution: Only on Caribbean coast 

 (Turneffe Islands to Isla Mujeres) and on the 

 oflshore atolls. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i unworked. For- 

 mative. 



Lima scabra (Born) 



Illustration: Plate 15, A, AA. 



Modern distribution: East coast from Isla Cozumel 

 and Xcaret to Isla Cancun, Q.R. Also Alacran 

 Reef. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i unworked, For- 

 mative. 



Family: ANOMIIDAE (jingle shells) 



Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 



Illustration: Plate 15,;. 



Modern distribution: All three coasts, from Isla 

 Mujeres, Q.R., to Isla Carmen, Camp. Rare at 

 Alacran Reef, common elsewhere. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 19 unworked, from Late 

 Early period deposits (sixteen in a single votive 

 cache), i unworked in a Florescent deposit, i un- 

 worked in Cenote Xlacah, presumably an offering. 

 MAYAPAN: 13 specimens, all but two pierced 

 for suspension, usually a single hole near the 

 center, sometimes with a second smaller perfora- 



tion; I cache contained 10, nine of which were 

 pierced (P, pp. 386-87, fig. 44,^). 



Family: OSTREIDAE (oysters) 



Ostrea equestris Say 



Illustration: Plate i6,fl. 



Modern distribution: Collected only at Isla Can- ! 

 cun, Q.R. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i unworked, For- 

 mative. 



Ostrea frons Linne 



Illustration: Plate i6,c,cc. 



Modern distribution: Common on east and north 

 coasts only, from Chapel Cay, B.H., to Punta 

 Palmar, Yuc. Also on offshore atolls. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 2 unworked, For- 

 mative. 



Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin) 



Illustration: Plate T.6,bb. 



Modern distribution: All three coasts, from Isla 

 Mujeres, Q.R., to Isla Carmen, Camp. 



Archaeological occurrence: 

 DZIBILCHALTUN: 3 unworked, juvenile, in 

 cache, Late Early period, possibly attached to 

 large Strombus. 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 2 unworked. For- 

 mative. 



SAN JOSE: 2 unworked in cache, S.J. IV or V 

 (T, p. 180, specimens illustrated by Richards and 

 Boekelman, 1937, p. 166, pi. 6, no. 6). 

 COROZAL: Richards and Boekelman {op. cit.) 

 list this species from a burial mound at "Rio Hok 

 Skum" near Corozal. 



Comment: Thompson (1939, p. 180) quotes Boekel- 

 man as stating that, "so far as present knowledge 

 goes, the area between Cabo Catoche and Puerto 

 Castillo is not at the present time inhabited by any 

 type of oyster." But we have collected four species 

 in the area: Ostrea equestris, 0. frons, Crassostrea 

 rhizophorae, and C. virginica. A fifth oyster closely 

 resembling O. permollis Sowerby was taken at Ala- 

 cran reef. 



Family: CARDITIDAE 



