Officially launched! The NZ shell photo ID guide that our user @indeynz (Andrew) has spent the last two years coding for his website mollusca.co.nz is now finally live!
Following the prompts or looking at photos, you can use it to narrow down what the shell is that you have found, as long as the shell is commonly encountered, either at the moana or on the whenua.
As a lot of people who are new to identifying mollusa can sometimes think that a barnacle or a kina is a mollusca, both of these phyla are also a part of the Identify guide.
Here is the URL
NZ Mollusca Identify by Shape or Form
Background to this guide.
Indeynz lives up my way which means we often get together to roam the moana. About 4 years ago, I started hinting there should be a shell ID guide (similar to the NZ Birds Online) to help people like me find an ID. Naturally I got told, "Oh no! That will be too hard - I am never going to do that!"
For those of you who know me, that answer was not an option. So every now and again, for the next 2 years I would hint about the great idea for the guide and he finally caved, so he could come over to my whare more often. I realised after a few times, it was because I had faster internet connections than he usually had, so he could update his laptop, as long as he was working on the guide.
A few months ago, we were at a stage that it could go live, so I contacted some of you to test it - and your input was very valuable and appreciated by both of us :D
Disclaimer from indeynz who is standing here as I type this (and his laptop updates):
This is still a work in progress. Any feedback on the guide would be most welcome. You can send me a message through here, or contact me through my website NZ Mollusca
So now the next time you go to the moana and find a shell that you do not know, have a go with this guide!
Enjoy :D