Die Molluskenfauna aus den "shell-middens" der präkolumbianischen Siedlung von Pointe de Caille, St. Lucia, West Indies

The present paper deals with the mollusc residues of the shell middens of a pre-Columbian settlement on St. Lucia, West Indies. The species found have been ascribed to a particular habitat and thus delimit the collection areas: in the area of the rocky coast, alongside Cittarium pica, it was above all Suplanaxis nucleus, Tegula excavata, Nerita tessalata and Nerita versicolor that have been collected, while Strombus gigas and Melongena melongena have been collected from the eel-grass meadows and sandy areas, and the bivalves Crassostrea rhizophorae and Lucina pectinata from the mangroves. With none of these species was it possible to identify a preference collection in terms of a particular size class. Suplanaxis nucleus, Tegula excavata, Nerita tessalata and Nerita versicolor have largely survived undamaged, while the shells of Cittarium Pica and Melongena melongena have been broken in order to reach the edible soft parts. The shells of Strombus gigas are also considerably fragmented, since they were used for making tools. The shells of the bivalves have been damaged, above all on the lower edge and at the rear end, through being opened forcefully. The work concludes with a comparison with other shell middens from the Caribbean region.