Shells Of' the Great Barrier Reef·
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DECEMBER 15, 1964 Re ~astered at the General Post Office. Sydney. for transmission by post as a periodical VOL. XIV, No. 12 PRICE, THREE S HILLI 'GS This special issue is devoted entirely to Australian molluscs. It contains eight extra pages of articles and illustrations. CONTENTS Page H o w T O M A KE A S 11 ELL CoLLECTJON-D ona/d F . M cM ic/wel 369 S II ELLS OF TilE GREAT B ARR I ER R EE F- Frank M cNei/1 372 S IIORE M oLL uscs oF SouTII ER AusTRALI A-I:Ii::aherh C. Pope 379 R ETI REM ENT OF M R. G. P . WJI I TL EY AND APPOI TJ\l ENT OF OR. F. H . TALBOT AS C U RATOR OF FlS II ES 383 L AN D A N D FRESIIWATER S II ELLS O F A USTRALIA-Do na/d F. M cMic/we/ 384 L OCOMOTIO . DISPE RSAL AND OISTRIB U TIO OF GASTROP\JD M OLLUSCS- A. K . O'Gower . 39! NEW POST FOR C U RATOR OF A TIIROPOLOGY 395 A USTRA LIAN SEA-SL UGS-R oherr Bum 396 VENOMOUS C ON Es-R . l:ndean 400 Til E G o LDEN COWRY-Donald F. M cMichael 404 T11E S PAW oF SoME A usTRALIA M A RJ E P RosoBRA C l I M o LLuscs- F/orence V. Murray 405 e F I~ONT COVER: A livin!! specimen of the Rose J>etal Bubble Shell, H ydati11a physis. a sea-slug. This species. o ne of the most colourful of the shelled opisthobranch molluscs, is widespread throughout the Indian and 1•acific Ocean areas, and occurs as far south as New South Wales, where it may be found on sand flats and in rock oools. The delicate folds of its filmy ma ntle arc red to pink with iridescent blue edges. The photo is by Howard Huehes. An llrticle on Australian sea-slugs appears o n page 396. V o L. X I V , o. 12 DECEMBER 15 , 1964 AUS LIAN NATUR I STORY Published Quarterly by the Australian Museum College Street, Sydney Edito r : J . W. Evans, Sc.D . Annual Subscriptio n, Po ted, 14/ - VoL. X I V, o. 12 DECEM BE R 15. 1964 How to Make a Shell Collection By 0 01\'ALO F. ~Jc:\ II C H AE L S HELLS can be acquired in three way~. The second way to obtain hc lls i by The first and most impo rtant metho d exchanging with other collectors. Member 1s to collect he lls yourself- a visit to ship in a s hell c lub (of which there arc the beach or the Great Barrier Reef is o fte n several in Australia) will oon put you in the beginning of a li felong interest in thi !> contact with collectors throughout the challenging and stimula ting hobby. Practi world who will be anxious to exchange with cally anywhe re in the world is a good place you for good specimens of your ow'n local to start collecting. There arc probably hells. Persons interested in joining a shell three or fo ur d ifferent kinds of land snail club may write to the Ho n. Secretary. ~ hell s to be found in your back yard if you Malacological Society of Au. trali a. the look carefull y. At the beach. concentrate Austra li an Museum. College Street, Sydney. on the living shells to be fou nd in rock for details. In exchanging. the secret of pools and near low tide mark. in crevices. succc s is. fi rst of a ll. complete honesty. u nder sto nes and amo ng seaweed . Do n't Always give correct localit y information lorg;:t to leave the shore as nearly as pos with each he ll and make sure that the ~ib l e a you fou nd it. by turning back she ll s you end in exchange arc at least an) stones which you have up ndcd. T hi the equa l in number and quality of those allow!> all tho e li vin g c reatures which may you receive. Remember that mo<;t coll ec be attached to the tone to urvive. a nd thu. tors want to have she lls of scientific value. preserves the community of anima ls practi and no hell without exact information con cally undisturbed . Do n't collect more speci cerning the locality from which it came has mens that you need a nd remember to leave any scientific value. a ll young and immature shells. also those which are d amaeed o r deformed. The The third way in which helb can be former can grow - up into good specimens acquired is by buying them. There a rc a for future collecto rs. while the latter can number of he ll dealers in Australia and bred a nd cont ribute to future generations. many o thers thro ug ho ut the world. Price December, 1964 !'age 369 for hells vary with the dealer and the rarity parts of methylated spmts and water) for and popularity of the shell . The most valu abo ut fo ur days to a week. This solution able shells, such as Conus gloriamaris, the assists decomposition. the animal d oes no t "Glory of the Sea " . which is worth about harden and can be extracted ea ily-often £1000. are so rare that they seldom pass shaken o ut. Lf left in alco ho l fo r no longer thro ugh a dealer's hands. While buying than a week the shell are no t impaired in hc lls is o ne way of acquiring those ra rities a ny way. wh i c l~ come fro m distant pa rts o r which Shells can sometimes be cleaned by bury you canno t coll ect locally. it is not as satisfy ing them in clean dry sand. aperture clown, ing to most people as is the joy of and leaving them to rot for several week . coll ecting shells yourself o n the beach o r The products of decomposition will then coral reefs. One worth-while source of run o ut of the aperture. but care mu t be she ll s is the fi shing boats whic h arc fo und taken that the a nd is not too wet a nd that in small po rt almost everywhere round the no part of the she ll is exposed to light, else Australian coast. The boats usuall y trawl the colour and po li sh may be damaged. fo r prawns or fi sh. dredge fo r scallops. or collect lobsters in lobster po t . and most When the hell ha been cleaned of its o t them pick up she lls incidentally. These contents. it should be wa hed in warm a rc often rare deep-water species a nd the soapy water and tho roughly dried. Loose fi shermen often keep a box of shell s fo r growths can be removed fro m the o utside sale to collecto rs when in po rt. with a stout brush o r kni fe. but care hould be taken that the she ll surface remains undamaged. Some she ll s have a ho rny Cleaning And Preparing Shells pcri ostracum o r o uter coating which may Having acquired fresh shells it is often be re moved o r retained as the collecto r necessary to clean them. Provided this i wishes. Fo r scientific purposes, shells should done oon afte r collecting, the animals can be left in their natural tate. never po lished. be removed from the she ll s by fi rst placing treated with acids o r lacquered. them in cold water which should b ~ brought When coll ecti ng, hclls may be placed in slowly to the boil. After a few minutes preservati ve such as 75 per cent alcohol. gentle simmering the hells should be al dilute methylated spirits (three parts spirit lowed to cool slowly. following which the to o ne part water) or neutralized I 0 per animals can be removed with a hooked im cent formalin. but hould never be placed plement such as a piece of wire or a in ordinary formalin (formaldehyde) . which straightened fish hook. T his treatment is attacks the shell through the development only suitable for solid, ungla7cd hells : of formic acid. After some days in preser highl y polished shells such a; cowries mav va ti ve. they can be removed and the animal be d amaged by boiling water. Bi valvcd matter allowed to dry o ut in the open air. hclls a re best treated by gentle heating. o r A precaution a?ainst unpleasant sme ll s is to relaxation in sea-water to whi ch has been syringe the inside with preservati ve. The added some Epsom salt or mentho l crystals. shell s s hould then be washed in tepid soapy When the valves are gaping. a knife water and thorough!) dried. In the ea e can be inse rted and the animal removed. of obstinate whelks and trochu shells where the a pi cal coils of the animal remain be An alternati ve method is to allow the hind. this matter can be rendered per anima l to rot or macerate in water. This manently innocuous by placing the shell treatment is most successful provided good upside-down and pouring in a fluid hcllac care is taken to c hange the water rcqular!y solution.