R. T . Abbott Scoffs at Sanibel Ban

AN EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATION OF THE HAWAIIAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY

YOLo XXVI NO.9 SEPTEMBER. 1977 NEW SERIES NO. 213 R. T . Abbott Scoffs At Sanibel Ban

SANIBEL - Live collecting of seashells on the beaches of Sanibel and adjacent Captiva islands "poses little threat to the molluscan community as a whole," according to Dr. R. Tucker Abbott, chairman of the Department of Malacology and Assistant Director of the Dela- ware Museum of Natural History. "When an (offshore) shell is carried to within a hundred feet or so of the shore, it is already des- tined to wash up and die on the beach, so there's no harm in picking it up. It does no good to throw it back because it will just wash in again with the tide." Abbott was talking to reporters at this Florida Gulf coast resort following a slide lecture before Cypraea mariae Schilder & Schilder, 1927 is a relatively scarce species found in Hawaii, Guam, the some six dozen Girl Scout leaders. His subject Philippines, and on several islands in the South Pacific. Leo Kempczenski, of Guam, took this striking was "Shells Around the World." A few days be- photo of two c. mariae, with mantles extended, in his aquarium. fore, he had attended the annual meeting of the American Malacological Union in Naples, Florida. HMS-ISGS: His remarks on live collecting corrected views earlier attributed to him by a member of the Slightly Amended, Standards Seem Here to Stay Sanibel City Council (HSN June 1977). by ELMER LEEHMAN and STUART LILLICO "The quotes attributed to me are not my Have the HMS-International Shell Grading collector. Judging from our correspondence and views," Abbott declared emphatically. Standards been a success?We believe they clearly personal discussions, this is largely achieved "The shell populations here (in Sanibel) come have. through HMS-ISGS. It is now time for the system and go, depending on mother nature and the cli- Do they need modification? Yes, but only in to be adopted worldwide. mate. If you have a major disturbance - bridge minor respects. Members who have followed this subject building, for instance - it will alter the shell's The original standards were the product of end- closely will recognize that the revised Standards environment for about ten years. The molluscs less hours of discussion, correspondence and printed on page eight include several changes that were there originally, of course, will probably study during 1971and 1972. It was not at all clear of wording and two new qualifications. The most disappear, but they will be replaced by another at first that standards were needed or that accept- important of these is the addition of plus (+) and type of shell more suited to the new environ- able guidelines could be written. HMS members minus (-) signs to the basic grade designations, to ment." may recall that not all the initial response was cover the inevitable borderline cases. Dr. Abbott added that the shell beds which feed positive. The wording of the Gem definition came in for Sanibel's beach extend out an average of thirty Gradually, however, a consensus was reached. considerable debate, a number of members feeling miles into the Gulf, so the taking of live shells on In 1973 the "yardstick" now widely recognized that the word "perfect" was too rigid. This has island beaches poses little threat to the molluscan under the designation HMS-ISGS was published. been qualified to the extent of admitting "minor community as a whole. From the start, the authors have realized that natural roughness" in the lip of a cone, but no "I'm of the opinion that the city should allow changes in the wording of the standards were in- chips. "Visible" was added to the phrase "with- moderate collecting by tourists and residents and, evitable in the light of actual experience. This has out a flaw" as a concession to human fallibility. if possible, control commercial shell collecting," been the case. Changes have not been funda- The omission of any reference to the operculum he said. mental, however, and we feel that they have in the definition of a Gem bothered a few mem- "People may bemoan the lack of shells on the strengthened the system. bers, but the authors did not believe the feeling beach, but when you get one of those famous Our goal was to establish a system that would was widespread. There is still provision for indi- Cont'd on Page7 mean the same to everyone - dealer, buyer or Cont'donPage8 Page 2 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977

'ri'aataiiale S Iedt ~4 ISSN 0017-8624 Editor Emeritus E. R. CROSS Editor STUART LILLICO This is that mournful time of year when notices Islands' and to pemlit non-Hawaiian shells to be Associate Editors ELMER G. LEEHMAN, to renew your Hawaiian Malacological Society included in the display as long as the principal OLIVE SCHOENBERG memberships go out with Hawaiian Shell News. emphasis was on Hawaii. Science Advisor E. ALISON KAY The good news is that dues have not been in- Science Consultant W. O. CERNOHORSKY "The award, therefore, may be given at each Editorial Staff George Campbell, creased despite a persistent increase in costs. You shell show, or may not be, depending upon Lyman Higa, Scott Johnson, can do the office staff (and, incidentally, yourself) whether the judges deem any exhibit worthy. En- Chris Takahashi, Cliff Weaver a great favor by mailing your check in as soon as tries in any category are eligible, ai long as they Corresponding Editors: you get the notice. deal with Hawaiian marine shells." K. J. Gilchrist, M.D., Fr. AI Lopez S.J., Just a reminder: HMS is essentially a volunteer Smithsonian A ward winners in the past, in addi- Rick Luther, William E. Old Jr., operation. Nancy Parker, part-time in the office, tion to Burgess and Cross, have included Olive Peter van Pel, Thora Whitehead is our only paid staff. Everything else is done by a Schoenberg and Betsy Harrison jointly for a dis- HAWAIIAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY cadre of Honolulu members who answer mail, play of parasitic shells in 1%8; Ruth Fair in 1971 (Founded in 1941) keep accounts, address, stuff and mail HSN, or- for a study of seasonal migrations at Little Sandy P. O. Box 10391 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 ganize shell auctions, show visiting members Beach, Oahu; and Andy Butler in 1972 for his President ANDERSON BUTLER around the island, and put on shell shows when aquarium representation of the habitat ofCypraea Vice President GEORGE COOK they ought to be out on the reef collecting shells! Treasurer WES THORSSON rashleighana offHaleiwa, on Oahu's North Shore. Recording Secretary -- MARILYN ARNETTE * * * * * * Corresponding Secretary BUNNIE COOK "There I stood, with my home burning down Bob Wagner has sent the text of a prayer he Directors DAVID ARNETTE STUART LILLICO around me, and I couldn't make up my mind finds appealing. Author unknown, he sars. FRANK BAUMHOLTZ RAY McKINSEY which shell to grab before I leaped from the win- Lorrl,-grant that I may shell until my dying day, GEORGE CAMPBELL MIKE OWENS dow. Should it be the $1,500 Conus milneedwardsi And when it comes to my last search, then I W. H. CHRISTENSEN OLIVE SCHOENBERG or that Lambis crocatus I found in Fiji just before most humbly pray, E. R. CROSS DOROTHY WENDT we left for the airport and which I had to carry all When in the Lord's great shelling bag I'm PHIL KWIATKOWSKI the way back to Honolulu in my lap? peacefully asleep, The Society meets the first Wednesday of "What agony! And what a relief to wake up and That in His mercy I be judged as good enough to each month at the First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania St., Honolulu at discover it was only a nightmare!" keep. A typical cocktail party conversation, perhaps, 7:30 p.m. * * * VISITORS WELCOME! but it started us wondering which shell we would Hawaiian Shell News is issued free to keep if we had to limit ourselves to just one. It Dr. Alan Kohn, at the University of Washing- members of the Society. Postage rates have wasn't easy to decide. ton in Seattle, has written regarding Admiral been computed and added to membership "Skip" Bitler's commentary on Kohn'sconewrit- dues. Single copies of any issue, $1.00, post- Which one would you hang onto if you had to age included. Individual copies of any issue make a choice? Think about it a bit, and look over ings (HSN June 1977). He says that reprints may may be obtained, free of charge, by qualified your collection. Just one, remember. not be readily available for some of the articles individuals for bona fide research projects. Then sit down and write out your answer, in- Bitler commended. Members outside the United States are His research, including that leading to his series asked to pay with a draft from their local cluding the reasons. Keep it within 300 words. bank on its U.S. account. (Be sure your Send it to Hawaiian Shell News. on "Type Specimens and Identity of the De- name and address are on the draft!) We will try to publish all the responses, al- scribed Species of Cones," has been supported by HMS DUES FOR 1977 though that may take a while. For the article that the U.S. National Science Foundation, and he has U.S. addresses, including Hawaii, the Publication Committee likes best, we promise reasonable hopes that this will continue, Kohn Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, a Gem specimen of Hawaii's endemic Cypraea writes. Hence, there is no need for popular fund- APO,U.S. ZipFPO Codes and all others using $12.00 . tessellataSwainson, 1822.Ifwe have trouble picking of the type suggested by Bitler. He suggests ing a winner, we will award additional prizes. that any such funds be earmarked for promising First Class delivery to the above; students of molluscan biology at the under- plus Canada and Mexico $15.00 Let's set a December 1, 1977 deadline, with graduate or graduate level. Non-U.S. addresses announcement of the winners in the January 1978 As "printed matter" $13.50 HSN. Actually, at least two HMS members already As "letter mail" (recommended) $16.00 * * * have offered to subscribe to the proposed Airmail delivery $20.00 "Friends of the Cone" fund. The money will go Wes Thorsson's article, "Why Didn't I Re- Articles of interest to shell collectors are into the recently established HMS Scholarship ceive an Award?" (HSN Aug. 1977), generated solicited. Contents are not copyrighted. Re- Fund,instead. publication, with credit to HSN, is invited. considerable interest in the Smithsonian Award. Advertisements are accepted at the rate What is its history, several members have asked. * * * of US$15 per column-inch/ issue. Discounts Who has received it in the past? Portuguese malacologist Herculano F. M. are offered for six and twelve insertions. Write to the Corresponding Secretary for HMS President Andy Butler did some research Trovao published names and descriptions of five information. on the matter and has submitted the following: new West African cones in Boletim do Centro "The Smithsonian Institution Award was in- Portugues de Actividades Subaquaticas(the Bulle- itiated early in 1959 following discussions and tin of the Portuguese Center for Underwater Ac- AUGUST HMS MEETING correspondence between members of the tivities or CPAS), as noted by Jean Cate in her Hawaiian Malacological Society and Dr. Harald "News of New Species" column (HSN Aug. Leighton Taylor, Director of the Waikiki R. Rehder of the Smithsonian Institution. It was 1977). Trovao has sent word that he has NOT Aquarium, presented a slide show titled agreed that the award was to be given at the described any other cones. - "Hawaiian Sharks - Friend and Foe" at the Society's shell fair for 'the most outstanding ex- Apparently a list of "other new cones by hibit of rare Hawaiian marine molluscs.' August meeting of the Hawaiian Malacological Trovao" is circulating among dealers and collec- "Dr. C. M. (Pat) Burgess (who a decade later tors. The names are premature, to put it gently. Society. produced the defmitive monograph on cypraea, Although Trovao has other cones under study, Taylor's extensive photographic coverage in- The Living Cowries) was the first to receive the none have been-described and named, he says. cluded shots of most of the sharks seen in Smithsonian Award, for a display of endemic The valid new species are Conus cepasi,C. nob- shells of Hawaii. Burgess won it a second time in rei, C. amethystinus, C. musivus and C. IUUaIIjus. Hawaiian waters, as well scenesofa University of 1960with another display under the sametitle, and Period. Hawaii research team aboard the chartered tuna E. R. Cross took it in 1961 with an array of rare Incidentally, HSN misspelled Trovao's name boat E~y Rider. One of the team's most signifi- Hawaiian shells from Barbers Point, Leeward in the New Species column. Our apologies. Oahu (Honolulu). HSN Science Consultant W. O. Cemohorsky cant findings was that the tiger shark is a bottom "In September 1962the wording of the Award has suggested a rewording of the item about feeder locally. Its stomach contents including tur- precepts was changed to specify that 'the winning Terebra quoygaimardi. tles, spiny lobsters and the rare Hawaiian monk display must be a meaningful display which furth- "We (Cemohorsky and Twila Bratcher) have seal. This led to discovery that the monk seal ers our knowledge of the molluscan fauna of the proposed the name Terebra quoygaimardi for the Hawaiian Islands, and not merely an attractive Terebramonile Quoy & Gaimardi, 1833,which is a dwells and feeds along the bottom, also. showing of fine specimens.' There was further secondary homonym of Buccinum monile Chris Takahashi clarification about a year ago to defme 'Hawaiian Linnaeus, 1771, which is a Terebra." September. 1977 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page:

CONUS CORNER Consider Conus marmoreus and by CARL LEWIS SUY A - Are CO.IIS caledo.icus Hwass, 1792 and C, suffllSlIS Sowerby, 1870distinct and separate species or should both be considered as white (albino?) variants ofC, manrrorellS Linne, 1758? Wagner and Abbott. in Van Nostrand's Standard Catalogue of Shells, list caledo.icllS as a valid species. but suffllSlISis called a synonym of caledonicus. These authors indicated that there is also an albino form of _orellS from New Cale- donia, and Cernohorsky (The Veliger, 7: p. 80 [1964]) suggested gene drift as the possible cause of such albino and semialbino specimens of -oreus at Bourail, New Caledonia. Kohn (J. Linn Soc. (Zool.). 47: p. 445 [1%8D weakly endorsed caledonicus as valid with the

. . . .r statement: "In the absence of contrary evidence. Three specimens ofC. marmorellS. Left. Purtymun s unlquefindfrom American Samoa; center. one OJ ...... , ". I ded the all-black variety from Western Samoa; and, right. a normal specimen from Western S amoa. C. caledonlCus .. Hwass In Brugulere . IS conc u to be a valId specIes of Indo-Pacllcfi occurrence... I RST FOR AMERICAN SAMOA In their Cone Sheik of the World, Marsh and A F Rippingale illustrated albino and near-albino by BOB PURTYMUN served:Dr. Dick "The Wass,bottom who here was is just diving like thewith bottom me, ob- in suffllSlISforms of from -oreus Bourail. fromand clearlyBourail. distinguished as well as

PLEASANTON, CA- In their excellent arti- Hawaii whereC. manrrorellSgrows so large." My between the two, saying that suffusus "is a true cle on shelling in American Samoa (USN June Samoan find was only 40mm long. Sleplul.oconllS with widely spaced nodules on the 1977), Pete Cummings and Len Hill noted that We were able to dive Sail Rock Point, as well as shoulder and spire, (with a spire) higher than on there was no record of ConllS marmorellS Linne, the equally rough adjacent point, several more marmoreus." Their third edition (1974) equatesC. 1758 having been found there, although it is not times before I returned to California, but found no suffllSuswithC. caledo.icllS. uncommon in adjacent Western Samoa. There more C. mannorellS. From the literature cited thus far, it would seem was no obvious explanation for this anomaly. On Western Samoa, C. mannoreus are common that there are three similar white cones in Bourail Shortly after Cummings and Hill made their in the shallow lagoons inside the reef, where they (and elsewhere), i.e.. caledonicllS, suffllSus and trip, I had a three-months return tour in Pago live in the weedy sand bottom. It is a dwarf col- "albino" _orellS, with the flTst two possibly Pago. That time I made history by finding the ony, and about six per cent are all black. Average the same. Of Seaand Shore magazine (Fall 1970). apparent first well substantiated specimen of C. length is about 4Omm. Cor Schipper, who has however, published another piece of information _orellS. observed the species for a number of years and has that appears to be elegant and credible. The shell was in twenty meters of water off Sail built an extensive worldwide cowry collection by It was a photo and description of a display by Rock Point, near Larsen Bay on the south coast of bartering local shells, said that the largest Western Ruth Greenberg of "Twenty cones illustrating Tutuila. You couldn't expect to dive this point Samoan C. -orellS he has ever seen was only cross-breeding between ConllSsuffusus and Co..s more than once or twice a year. It's always rough. 62mm. marmoreus." Some of the specimens in the series HMS member Mary Pritchard, a resident of were in the 9O-to-99-percent-white range. i.e.. American Samoa, with whom many of you have near suffllSlIS. while others appeared to be half shelled, told me she had heard that aC. manrrorellS way between suffllSus and _ore us. Yet others was collected at Breakers Point a few years ago, were near -orellS. but that she did not see the shell. The shells near suffusllS look very much like the My specimen is 22mm wide at the shoulder. It "albino" _orellS figured by Marsh and Rip- tends toward albinism. pingale. Such intergrading makes it appear that suffusllS and _orellS are but races or forms of Freak C. crosseanus the same species. Most authorities on the Conidae regard ConllS But which of the experts is right? IscaledonicllS crosuanus Bernardi, 1861as a rare color form of or s.ffllSus or both or neither a white (albino?) C. marmorellS Linne, 1758. And an even rarer ma""oreus? variant of C. crosseanus is a shell occasionally Recently I purchased a shell identified as cak- found in New Caledonia with a white band around donicus. It looks very much like the Marsh and the body. Rippingale illustration for SUffUSllS,but on close What, then, do we make of the fIgUred specimen examination it has characteristics (except for (left) with five bands, two heavy and three light color pattern) essentially identical to those of ones? It is probably the only one in existence. -oreus. One must suspect that there is but a This specimen was coUected by Dr. and Mrs. single species here - which ranges to white or Robert Pierson of Noumea, in whose famed col- albino. If these three shells are to continue to be lection it resides. considered as distinct and separate, what distinc- Photo: Pierson E.G.L. tive features would distinguish them? Page 4 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977

And What About OYER-COLLECTING Conus bandanus? CAN BE BEAUTIFUL by SCOTT JOHNSON by PETER HOMES VILA - The African land snail, Achatina The Conus bandanus/C.marmoreus controversy has been with us for some time now. Some people fulica, was first noticed here in New Hebrides in say they are separate species, others regard C. the vicinity of the Vila main wharf in 1973. Pre- bandanus as a variety ofC. marmoreus. The time sumably it (or its forebears) had arrived in some has come to throw my opinion into the pot. overseas cargo. Opinion it has to be. Questions such as these They have now reached plague proportions. In cannot always be clearly resolved. Not everyone a night they can decimate a garden, particularly agrees on a single, usable definition of , 'species," after a rain, which seemsto bring them out in even for example. There are nearly as many definitions larger numbers. The havoc that snails are causing as there are taxonomists. has been recognized by the Vila public for the past I am a notorious lumper. I often feel the urge to two years, and vast numbers have been destroyed lump Cypraea limacina Lamarck with C. without seeming to diminish their total number. staphalaea Linne, which may be somewhat ex- Photo: Pierson The New Hebrides Agriculture Department treme. In this case, however, I go the other way. I imported two carnivorous predator snails, have three reasons for separating C. bandanus THE GOLDEN FORM Gonaxis quadrelataris and Euglantina rosea, from Hawaii (which suffered a comparable invasion Hwass (below) from C. marmoreusLinne (column In its many forms and variations, Conus mar- after World War II). Since the newcomers were two). moreus Linne, 1758 is relatively plentiful in many released a couple of years ago to work on the The first is the consistently different appear- parts of the Indo-Pacific. As other articles in this African snails, they seem to be spreading satis- ance. C. marmoreusis always pure black and issue of HSN reflect, however, the colors range factorily. Presumably this means they are starting from pure white to pure black. Several of these to control the pest. forms are extremely rare, but none is harder to If and when the A. fulica population is reduced obtain that the golden-red variation from New satisfactorily, the predators are supposed to hold Caledonia. their own numbers in check by feeding on each Figured is a live golden specimen (left) with a other. normal one. The contrast in the color original is Anyhow, the Kiwanis Club of Port Vila re- striking. cently organized a snail hunt. To encourage The animals are identical, according to Dr. and participation, US$700 was raised for prizes. Mrs. Robert Pierson of Noumea, who add that Seven collection points were set up around the they have not been able to find any consistent town, ready with scales, sacks and trucks. The reason for color variance. The Piersons have results were staggering. specimens of all known color forms in their per- Vila town has a population of just over 12,000 sonal collection. persons. We knew we were outnumbered by the There are recurring rumors of attempts at bak- snails, but not how badly. More than thirty tons of ing shells to counterfeit the golden form. When snails were turned in- estimated to equal 600,000 carefully examined under magnification, how- adult animals! ever, baked specimens show stress marks. Also, white, with relatively uniform-size markings and a Ifwe could have persuaded those snails to stand the color of true specimens is much more vivid. larger average size than C. bandanus. The latter in a straight line, there would have been thirty- always has two bands of smaller markings and is seven and a half miles of them! tinged with orange or pink. I have not seen inter- According to the Agriculture Department, the grades between these two forms, as I have be- catch would have increased to about 12.5 million tween Cypraeastaphalaea and C. limacina. hungry herbivorous snails before the end of the Second, the habitat differences are consistent. year. The whole batch went into a big pit, where At Kwajalein, C. bandanusoccurs throughout the they were well sprayed with poison and covered atoll, but only in rocky or rubbly areas. It is fre- with dirt. quently found exposed during the day, usually is HMS members who have trouble finding the covered with calcarious encrustations, and often odd shell on their collecting trips might consider has bad growth flaws (the latter two features can that the winning team of ten snail catchers turned probably be attributed to the rugged environ- in 2,200 kilos. At twenty snails to a kilo, that is ment). about 44,000 specimens! Conus marmoreus, on the other hand, lives buried in fine sand beneath isolated rocks and is Celebrating a decade in shells usually free from encrustations and flaws. Fre- quently, two, three or more specimens are found msf1alian together. These different habitats would tend to become established. S;JfElLS keep them reproductively isolated. None of the foregoing reasons is conclusive in Importers/Exporter; of Quality Sea Shells Fine shells from around the world specialising in those endemic Third, C. bandanus is relatively common in itself, but the three together indicate that separa- to the Western Australian Coast - CypraearoseOi, ameniaca, Vol- uta nodiplicata. Also rare HalJlQ while they last - coslata, doris, Hawaii, whereC. marmoreusdoes not occur at all. tion of the two species is at least plausible. De- wilsoni, exquisita, etc. If the two were simply different forms of the same tailed anatomical studies are necessary to carry it Send for price list: Free by sea: A$2 by air. Box T1738, G.P.O. Perth 6001 species, one would think that both forms would further. Western Australian September, 1977 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page 5

by LAWRENCE GOLDBERG that point he turned to the specimen shell business and ELMER G. LEEHMAN on a full-time basis. In this he had the help, train- Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Malaita, ing and good will of Gower, whose plantation and Kolombangara, Kira Kira, Lunga Roads, Marau other business interests had cut drastically into Sound, The Slot, Bougainville Strait, Vella the time available for shells. Lavella, Savo Island, Henderson Air Field. . . In the midst of all these activities, while on a Strange names to our younger members but holiday in Sydney in 1971, Brian met Marie they evoke vivid memories among old timers who Claire, a visitor from her home in Mauritius. A recall the early days of World War II. Some of the whirlwind courtship and marriage followed. Their most vicious battles on land, sea and in the air home today overlooking Honiara Harbor is head- swirled around them. Thousands of men from a quarters for his shell business. Their boat is score of homelands died there before the tide of moored nearby. war swept back toward the Japanese islands. Today, Brian Bailey is' widely acknowledged to When peace returned, literally billions of dol- be one of the fmest divers in the world. He worked lars worth of war material covered the sea floor, at 250 to 300 feet many times during his metal- the beaches and the hillsides of the Solomons, salvaging operations. He is experienced with earning for one area the grimly realistic name Iron hard-hat and hookah diving, and is able to free Bottom Bay. This was the situation that brought dive to ninety feet. HMS member Brian Bailey to the Solomon Is- Bailey's most productive shell diving is done at lands. night with lights. By daylight, he dredges Youthful Brian had been born in North Sydney whenever the unpredictable Solomons weather only a few months after the cessation of fighting in permits. Using one or the other of these methods World War II. Early on, his mother prevailed on he recently has found Cypraearabaulensis, C. pul- him to study the violin, but when it became clear 1- chella novaebritanniae, C. martini, Murex loeb- that music was not his forte he got a job as a beckei, Voluta taiwanica, Conusfloccatus, C. prox- ballroom dancing instructor. Next he apprenticed night diving, keeping a wary eye for sharks. imus, C. circumcisus, C. crocatus, C. mucronatus, as a plumber (Brian's father was a master "Great whites" are not unknown in the Sol- Strombus kleckhamae, Ancilla vernedei and many plumber), but he abandoned that career after he omons. But experience proved that sharks av- others. had received his journeyman's license. oided the lights. After that they concentrated on In addition he has dredged dead specimens or Some time in the interim, young Bailey had avoiding spots where the extremely dangerous broken pieces ofCypraea leucodon, C. valentia, C. taken up scuba diving and spear fishing. So, while sea-going Solomons crocodiles operated. porteri, C. guttata and Conus dusaveli. He knows still in his teens, he started diving professionally In September 1969,Gibbins, Bailey and Gower that these species live in Solomons waters, and he for abalone. In 1967he took second honors in the sailed to Lunga Sound to hunt for Cypraea onyx looks forward to collecting live specimens. Australian national diving championships, behind melanesiaeon the hydroids which are plentiful in We are willing to bet he finds them. Wally Gibbins who is regarded by many a.~the the area. Mter about half an hour on the bottom, fmest diver in the world. (Subsequently, after all three surfaced with some unusual "textile Gibbins retired from competition, Brian took top cones." Gibbins recognized them as Conus Samoan Observations honors.) Gibbins invited the young man to join in gloriamaris Chemnitz, 1777, the famed Glory of While diving one night in the old borrow pit on salvagediving on some of the wrecks in Australian the Sea, at that time one on the rarest shells in the the south shore of Pago PagoBay, American Sa- waters. The joint venture was a success. Gibbins world! moa, I collected a miter that I was unable to iden- became seriously interested in salvaging the In subsequent dives, the three collected an un- tify. It was on sand and coral rubble on the outer numerous sunken ships in the Solomons and believable sixty-eight fine specimens, plus as edge of the pit, in about two meters of water. A proposed that Brian Bailey join him as partner. many more that were rejected asjuvenile or defec- fairly slender black-and-white shell, its aperture The business prospered. More divers were tive. was shorter than the spire. hired as new wrecks were discovered. The prize in Ironically, not long afterward a cyclone More than a year later, after I had returned to most wrecks was the great bronze propellers, wracked Lunga, drastically altering the sea bot- California, I got the name from the shell identifi- worth thousands of dollars apiece. Usually the tom and scattering or burying the entire cationpageofHSNMay 1977.It was Mitra (Nebu- ship was broken up with dynamite, then the valu- gloriamaris colony. A few dead and broken shells /aria) lugubris Swainson, 1821. (The species is in able metal was lifted onto barges. All this took washed ashore in the following weeks, all that W. O. Cernohorsky's Marine Shells of the Pacific complicated equipment and capable workers. remained. No more Glory of the Seas have been Vol. I, but I had not recognized it.) Gibbins and Bailey had both. found in Lunga. There are a number of those old borrow pits During lulls in the salvage operations, the two For several years the metal salvage business around the island ofTutuila, from which coral was men began to pick up shells and they soon became flourished, but Bailey devoted all his spare time to dredged in years past to provide a road base. All friendly with lain Gower, a Guadalcanal planter shelling. His share of the Conus gloriamaris find are extremely productive, particularly at night, of and part-time shell dealer. At the time, the Solo- gave him capital to build an outstanding collec- mitra, terebra and other sand dwellers. mons was the most prolific shelling area in the tion. Several of his friends were startled to find If, on your next visit to Pago Pago, you decide world (an honor since passed to the Philippines). specimens of the fabulous shell under their to "pit dive," pick the site and look it over care- Soon the two had more shells than they could Christmas trees. fully in daylight. Then go back for a night dive. clean or store. Selling some to Gower, they sent When Gibbins decided to retire from metal div- Use scuba for best results. Some pits are as the rest to Australia. They found themselves in ing, Brian organized his own salvage company much as six meters deep, and you have to squint the shell business. which did so well that in about three years all the hard to see those tiny critters. Gibbin~ and Bailev be~an tn exneriment with wr""k" I1trlivl1hl" rlenth" hl1rlh",," wnrkerl mlt At Roh PlIrtvmlln

~ Page 6 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977

by DEB CANNON ing the tusk shells, cockles, and the marginella. The tusk shell was considered the most valuable, Sixty thousand shells for one wife? Terebra nebuJosaSowerby, 1825 is rather fre- probably because it was the hardest to get. In Africa, various Pacific islands, and even in quently dredged in Hawaii, but almost always in In present-day Luanda and Zaire, still another sizes around one inch.or less. Larger specimens North America, shells were used as currency as species was used in trade - the olive, particularly recently as a few decades ago. are rarely found. The species has a wide range Olivancillaria nanna. It is interesting to note the One particular shell was used as money for so through the Indo-Pacific. difference in value from one area to the next, as many centuries that it came to be called the money Latirus craticulatus (Linne, 1758). Perfect shown by the prices of horses and chickens. cowry, Cypraea moneta. specimens of this shell, with good color, are not LUANDA ZAIRE common. The length will reach two inches. With a Among some tribes in Africa, girls were given 50 shells a chicken = 100 shells = range through the Indo-Pacific, it has only been belts and head bands of the money cowry to set 300 shells = a horse = 2000 shells aside for their dowry. Here are some of the prices, found dead in Hawaii, as far as I know. Cowries, tusk shells, cockles and marginella are quoted in cowries, that prevailed in Africa in the Cymatium perryi Emerson & Old, 1963. This not often used for money today, although they are days when the shell was widely used as currency: striking species, somewhat similar to C. lotorium, still common in jewelry, personal ornaments and In West Africa, one wife cost 60,000 cowries. was confused with that species for years. It is decorations. India is a steady importer of cowries, In Uganda, a cow was worth 2,500; a goat, 500; found in Ceylon and in the Bay of Bengal. nevertheless. They are used in porcelain making. and a chicken, twenty-five shells. Vexillum (Pusia) rubrum (Broderip, 1836) must Although cowries were the most commonly Note: Deb Cannon's article is the result of re- be viewed through a magnifying glass for full used shell currency, other species were also used. search done for her display at the 1977 HMS Shell appreciation of its color and graceful form. Live The American Indians used many types, includ- Show. specimens are rarely found in Hawaii, although beach shells are fairly common. Homalocantha pele (Pilsbry, 1921)has been fig- Unidentified Nassarius ured in HSN many times, but so far as I know its many color variations have never been shown. In addition to the species recently iJlustrated Colored specimens, especially in larger sizes, are and discussed here (HSN Feb. and April 1977), much rarer than the usual white or grayish violet one Hawaiian species of Nassarius remains. It is examples. the last that I know of and it remains unidentified. Page VII Charles S. Wolfe Not exactly a striking shell, it is white with dark brown lines running longitudinally on the body whorl. It is a deep-water species, fairly common Hawaii's8easRel/ c?aradise below 500 feet. is now in Georgia! The figured specimen was borrowed from D~. Send your want list E. Alison Kay, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division, University of Hawaii. SEA ATLANTA Lenox Square We have found several dead specimens in fine ! Atlanta, Georgia 30326 sand near colonies of deep-water yellow sponge, while dredging recently in a new area near Hono- lulu. Specializing in Richard Salisbury RARE SHELLS from the South China Sea, Taiwan and Australia T.(.Lan 40, Lane 105, Liao-ning St. Taipei, Taiwan (Tel. 7510680)

WORLD WIDE SHELLS Specimen Quality Unique Items and Jewelry Related to the Sea NO LISTS - PLEASE SEND FOR WANTS 119 [.CommonwealthAve., Fullerton, CA92632 USA TELEPHONE: 714-992-1030 VISIT US - WE'RE UNIQUE ANTIQUE SHELL PLATES 18th and 19th Century colored plates of historical and decorative interests. Write for list. the MORRISON GALLERIES, inc. 5111-H Ocean Blvd.. Sarasota. FL 33581 Page 8 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977

SHELL STANDARDS - Cont'd from Page 1 cating the inclusion of the operculum (W/O) when The Other Shell Clubs desired. The Greater St. Louis Shell Club is well out in The inclusion or exclusion of juvenile speci- front with an announcement that it will hold its mens among the top two or three categories came tenth biennial shell show March 3 to 5, 1978. in for a surprising amount of discussion. In the Competitive exhibits are to be judged by Dr. end, we have come to agree that juveniles - pro- GEM David H. Stansberry, Director of the Museum of viding that they are clearly labeled as such - can A perfect specimen with an unblemished spire, Zoology, Ohio State University. In addition to the unbroken spines and lip without chips, fully adult be rated Good or Fine. Thus, a member who seeks duPont and Shell-of-Show Awards, special and normally colored - a shell without a visible juvenile specimens (several, including some trophies include the ne~ Kemper-Schilling Award scientists, assured us juveniles are important in flaw. Well cleaned inside and out, with original for best nonmarine mollusc exhibit; and the study collections) will know what he is buying. natural gloss and color. Bivalves must have both Yates-Stevens Ford Agency St. Louis Award for Rather to our surprise, some collectors thought valves, properly matched and unbroken. Cone exhibit best promoting conchology. A banquet for the definitions should be more strict. However, lips may have minor natural roughness. the judge will be held Friday evening, March 3. the case they made was not strong enough to jus- FINE St. Louis boasts one of the oldest continuous tify the tightening they proposed. If the person An adult shell with only minor flaws and with shell clubs and shows in the nation for a non- doing the grading is sincere in his effort, and if the not more than one shallow growth mark. Must coastal area. For further information write the other party is equally honest in his appraisal, there have original color and gloss. A cone lip may have Show Chairman, Alan Gettleman, 4032 Garden will be very limited differences of opinion. one small chip, a murex two minor frond breaks. Lane, Granite City, IL 62040. No repairs, such as filed lips, mended knobs or From the beginning, one of the foremost advo- * * * filled worm holes. cates of HMS-ISGS has been Bob Morrison, of Indiana's First Shell Club is "perking along," GOOD Sarasota, Florida. He was one of the first dealers A reasonably acceptable shell with a few de- according to a messagefrom Aline Hedges. Sev- to put the system into effect, and he has been fects such as growth marks, broken spines, worn eral members were planning to attend the fIrst candid in reporting both its strengths and its short- show of the newly formed Indianapolis Shell spire or lip chips. Specimen may be subadult, but comings. The addition of + and -, for example, Club late in August. still must faithfully display all the characteristics was the outcome of his experience. Morrison has of the species. * * * informed us that use of HMS-ISGS has virtually COMMERCIAL HMS member Jeff Dunning, who received a eliminated returned shells, quality complaints and May be obviously dead or beach collected, with "superior" award for his "Hawaiian Cypraea related controversies in his mail order business. chipped lips, faded color, growth faults or imper- With Restricted Ranges" at the recent HMS Shell We discovered "fair" means different things to fect spires. Shells of Commercial grade are not Show in Honolulu, took his display to the different people, so we propose renaming the low- acceptable for mail order retailing and should not Jacksonville (Fla.) show and won a "most out- est grade "Commercial," a term that is in wide be offered as collectors' specimens. standing" prize. Other winners included Mr. and use, anyhow. (We thought of "Trade," but that Grades may be abbreviated as G, F, Gd, & C. Mrs. John Lott at Atlantic Beach, the duPont suggested the baubles early explorers exchanged Supplementary symbols Trophy and the Most Educational award; Dr. and for pigs and sweet potatoes!) W/O = with operculum. Mrs. Rowland Zeigler, Dr. Harry Lee, Dora Since the initial presentation of the HMS- ISaS F/D = full data (area of origin, habitat, date and Chauvin, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Worman. many dealers in the United States have included original collector). The Dunnings recently were transferred from specific reference to its adoption in their adver- BID = basic data (less that full data). Hawaii to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where the tising. Hawaiian Shell News has inserted appro- + or - may be used with quality label (i.e., G- shelling is limited. priate wording in their ads without charge, on or F+) in borderline cases. request. Dealers throughout the world are urged JVY = juvenile, for Good and Fine only, in CARIBBEAN SPECIALISTS to follow this style in their advertising. lists. tags and letters. Sendus your want list Members may wish to call the standards to the Buy-Sell-Trade GEM QUALITY - WORLDWIDE attention of dealers who do not now specify its SPECIMEN SHELLS use. '" , - SHEll mUSEUm 1213 SOUTH OCEAN BOULEVARD PERSONALADS '~ POMPANO BEACH FLORIDA 33062

I have for sale or exchange the following shells (all gem except as FRANCE noted): Conus victor, 52mm, $500; 58mm, $550; C, benga/ensis,l06mm, $400; C, eumitus, 70mm, $450; C, g/oriamaris, 82mm, $350; C, Ie peigne de venus merletti, 5Omm, red-white, $550; C, mo/uccensis,43mm, $190; C, marmoreus, red, 41mm, $200; C, eugrammatus, 28mm, $400; C, J B LOZET ' Specialist in very rare species including eucoronatus,42mm, $100; C, circumcisus, 60mm, $80; 64mm, $90; . - . I , "'" Cypr8e8 broderipil, Murex loebbecke;, C, barthe/emyi, 70mm, $200; C, stupa, 93mm, good, $200; C, S . . Conus milneedw8rdsi, etc mi/needwardsi; lOOmm, dead, broken lip, very good color, $150; Best' hop In ParIs Cypraearabaulensis, 16mm, $250: C, martini, 16mm, $90; 20mm, 16 rue du Cherche Midi 75006 $120; C, sanguinolenta, 16mm, $80; C, petitiana, 26mm, $100; C, Tel.: 222 37 36 Finest Worldwide From Europe Largest Dealer gambiensis, 23mm, $75; C, subteres, 16mm, $50; Murex barclayi, Free list of available specimen shells on request 92mm, very good, $550; M, /aqueatus, 36mm, $400; M, aculeatus, Agents in Marseille, Paris, Martinique, Tahiti 45mm, $20; Halpa costata, 72mm, $200; Vo/uta bednalli, 120mm, and Djibouti. $200; v, nulica, red 120mm, very good, $80, KLAUS J. KAI- Sh.11.afa". to F'.nch yopical counl".. NOW AVAILABLE SER. DreieichslraBe 18. 6057 Dietzenbach. W.Oer, NEW 1976 PEIONE DE VeNUS INTERNATIONAL COTATION CATALOO Use HSN Personal Ads. Three lines, plus name Numerouscolored plates Exhaust;ve lists and cotatlons in USdollars 400 book tittles. Over 5000 species. REOIONAL LISTS for carribean province and address, for $3. Dealers are urged to use regu- West coast Of Africa. Somalia Reunion island. New Hebrides lar display ads. September, 1977 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page 9

by JERRY G. WALLS

HIGHSTOWN, N.J.-In 1843,Lovell Reeve 1 and 2, Conus neptunus, 27.7mm, from Panglao, in deep waters of the western Pacific, although described a unique specimen of a new species of Bohol, Philippines; 3 and 4, C. neptunus,42.2mm, certainly very uncommon or rare. C. lienardi from cone he called Conus neptunus (Conchologia from Coron, Palawan; 5 and 6, C. neptunus, New Caledonia is perhaps just a subspecies ofC. Iconica, 1: Pl. 6, sp. 30). The single specimen was 38.4mm, from Russelllsiands, Solomons; and 7, neptunus, differing in narrower shape, more taken from a reef at low water at Jacna, Bohol, Conus cf. neptunus, 77.2mm, from Russell Is. rounded shoulders, weaker and more diffuse color Philippines by Cuming, who also collected a pattern in most specimens, and the heavy rounded specimen of Conusgloriamaris (sp. 31 in Reeve) at der, the spiral grooves become more restricted to ridge over the columella. the same locality. Presumably both specimens the anterior half of the body whorl, and the pattern Conus neptunoides Smith is here considered a were taken after a storm, as they are now known becomes stronger and more irregular. The Philip- synonym ofC. neptunus, although apparently not to be residents of deep water. pine juvenile was 27.7mm long, the adult 42.2mm. Conus neptunus has remained virtually un- Neither specimen was collected alive. representing either the Philippine or Solomons known until the present Gay, although it is cer- forms in details of shape or pattern. It was re- Several Solomons specimens have been seen, tainly a striking cone of good size with a very ported to come from Australia with doubt, but as it although only two were in good condition. In this distinctive pattern. By an odd coincide.nce, I have came from the Brazier collection it could have population the shape of the adult is somewhat recently been able to examine specimens of C. just as easily come from the New Hebrides, where more slender than Philippine specimens, with a neptunus from samples of unidentified cones sent many of Brazier's deep-water species' were col- narrower shoulder. The pattern is very similar to to me by Fernando Dayrit of Manila and by Bob lected. Philippine adults. Morrison, of Sarasota. The Dayrit specimens In the past C. neptunus has been treated as a were taken in deep water at Panglao, Bohol and A single very large, very thin and fragile speci- doubtful species or even synonymized with C. Coron, Palawan, in the Philippines. The Morrison men, 77.2mm long, was taken with smaller C. amadis, but it is certainly distinct at the species specimens were dredged in 100 fathoms off the neptunus (about 38-50mm long) and is tentatively level. With luck, perhaps this species will soon be Russell Islands, central Solomons, by Brian assigned to that species although quite different in on the market and available to collectors, although Bailey. To all these individuals I am grateful for texture but agreeing well in sculpture; this unique it is apparently quite rare at the moment. Like the opportunity of examining specimens. specimen is among the most attractive and un- several other formerly rare and poorly known At first glance Conusneptunus reminds one ofC. usual cones known to me. species, it is probably just a matter of time until C. lienardi, a certainly closely related species. In C. The exact range ofC. neptunus is uncertain, but neptunus becomes a familiar item in specialized neptunusthe background of the body whorl is pale it will probably be found to be widely distributed cone collections. fleshy cream or yellowish, covered with many axial pale brown lines that overlap to produce an ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ irregularly tented pattern that is very delicate; two ~ ~ spiral rows of small brown blotches are commonly ~ ~ present above and below the midbody area. The a RICHARD M. KURZ, INC. a base is white and strongly contrasted to the : 1575 NO. 118 ST. . WAUWATOSA, WIS. 53226 U.S.A. yellowish of the rest of the shell. The sculpture is ~ ~ - rather simple, consisting of broadly spaced spiral ~ DEALER IN FINE & RARE SPECIMEN SHELLS OF SUPERIOR QUALITY : grooves over at least the anterior half of the body : SHELLS BOUGHT, SOLD & TRADED ~ whorl, about 3-4 weak spiral ridges crossed by ~ ~ axial threads on the spire whorls, and the earliest : Write for Free Price Lists ~ four or so whorls with strong nodules. : House of Quality and Service '- A Philippine juvenile is relatively narrow at the ~ shoulder, has grooves over the whole body whorl, : Largest Mail Order Shell Dealer in the U.S.A. and has a very delicate pattern. With growth, ~ ~ ,- Philippine specimens become wider at the shoul- ~.~wwwwwww~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~ ~--~~~~.~ Page 10 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977

PatronizeHSN Advertisers CARD CATALOGUE OF WORLD-WIDE Two reef-bound bivalves stately stood, SHELLS. Pack No. 14 - Conidae Part IV. Ed., Amid crustaceans, fish, and fans; Sally Diana Kaicher. St. Petersburg, Fl. $5 The fluted giants never spoke, Or moved across the coral sands; When in ws Angelesvisit It is becoming difficult to find new words of And yet each mantle of verdant hue, praise for the excellent series of sheIl-identifi- Appeared to say - I clamour for you. cation cards published by Sally Diana Kaicher, Forest W. Redding, Jr. whose fourteenth pack - the fourth devoted to the Conidae - recently became available. It in- cludes approximately 100 cards, each bearing a FINE SHELLS AND FINE ART photo of the species in question, a brief de- . . . handling this cone may We do not publish a list but we will answer scription, and an indication of size. There is plenty be dangerous to your health specific requestsfor Rare Shells - our spe- of room for your own notes, indexing and refer- cialty. Cone expert John K. Tucker has called atten- ences. She'" .- aoc..-;n. '" HMS-'SGS tion to a serious potential danger in some of the 22762 Pacific Coast Highway In a note accompanying the pack, Ms. Kaicher conus species found in West Africa. They may be says that a number of species, subspecies and Malibu, California 90265 among the truly poisonous type. varieties of conus remain to be illustrated. She hopes to have a ruth Conidae series ready "within "There is an excellent chance that Conus er- EXOTIC SHELLS INC. Export Import - Worldwide a year or so." Brave woman! In the meantime she mineus Born, 1778 is a fish eater," he wrote. - SPECIMEN - COMMERCIAL apparently plans to devote her attention to other "Like other cones who killed withradulardarts, it families. The next pack will be the fourth on the could be deadly venemous. I have examined the Shells, Coral, Marine Products Mitridae. S.L. radular elements of this species. They are very For Souvenir, Craft and (Note: The Society does not sell the Card Cata- long and strikingly like those of Conusgeographus. Manulacturing Trade logue of World-Wide Shells or other publications WHOLESALE ONLY Members can order packs directly from Sally "Great care should be used in handling Conus 94-070 Leokane St., Waipahu, Hawaii 96797 Diana Kaicher, 5633-B 18th Way South, St. venulatus, C. ventricosusand related species, also. Petersburg, Fla. 33712.) They are all dangerous, with potent poison appa- * * * ratus. WONDERS OF STARFISH. by Morris "Most collectors are well aware that people Jacobson and William K. Emerson. New York. have been killed by C. geographus stings, ironi- Dodd Mead & Co. 72 pp + glossary + $4.95. cally as a result of careless handling after collec- Two veteran members of the Hawaiian tion. A light cloth shell bag provides no protection Malacological Society again have collaborated to from a radula dart!" produce a small but extremely informative book A thick woolen sock or a heavy-gage plastic M()NTILLA ENTERPRISE about the starfish (or "sea stars," if you prefer) envelop is probably the best protection. Keep one Spt'cim..nSh..lls of the Philippines - Free that are so often found in association with mol- Lis' - Sh..11& Set"dNecklaces - Monkey Pod in your "goodie bag" when collecting. Don't be & Wooden Ware - Black Coral Bracelets & luscs. Although aimed at a somewhat younger the Ilrst member of HMS to be stung by one of Earrings - Fibercrah - Artificial Flowers - audience ("ages 10 up") than most books dealing these new cone species! Shell Crah - Windchimes - Puka Shells. with marine biology, it does not write down. The :i9 Maria Clara, Quewn City 0-503 average nonspecialist will benefit from a careful Philippines reading. Emerson, Curator of Molluscs at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Jacob- son, an associate in malacology at the American Museum, have previously collaborated on suc- cessful natural history books, including the popular Wonders of the World of Shells in the same P.o. series as the present volume. S.L. SOURCE FOR RED SEA SPECIMEN AND COMMERCIAL SHELLS FOR SALE Cyproealeucodo",live-taken, 78mmGem. DOV PELED C. /eramachii, 72mm beach but very colorful and perfect. C. midwaye"sis, 22mm Gem. Hazalafim 6, Haifa, 34-739, Israel Co"usdusaveti, live-taken, 64mm, very light growth mark. Buys, sellsand exchangesshells. Price list on GULF SEA SHELLS P. O. Box 70 request. Phuket Island, Thailand Seashell, Jade, Agate & Coral Products Brooches, Pendants, Necklaces, Earrings, Key CypraeaguJtata, 6Omm Gem - $850 Chain, Rings Jewelry. C. per/ae,37mm Gem - $250 Shell Decorations Carved Shell Conusgloriamaris, 100mmGem + - $500 Commercial Shells Specimen Shells C. bengalensis,10lmm, one growth scaron shoolder- $400 Shark Jaws, Shark Teeth & Taiwan Souvenirs JOMAR ENTERPRISES P. O. Box 2702 Exporter Napa, California 94558 \'UN TAl TRADING CO. P. O. Box 30-12, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 800, R.O.C.

~ September, 1977 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page II RECENT FINDS Notes on C. semiplota In Hawaiian Waters SHELLS FOR SALE by LYMAN mGA Dr. C. M. Burgess's article on what to look at in AUSTRALIA E. R. Cross, dredging in 300 feet of water off an uncommon shell (HSN Feb. 1977)has encour- Lance Moore Marine Specimens Pty., Ltd. Honolulu, brought up one Cypraea semiplota that aged me to report on the specimen of Cypraea 27A George St., Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia measured 23.7mm, six C. gaskoini over one inch, semipiota Mighels, 1845 that I collected in June Free catalogue on request. All specimens can- and two one-inch Conus acutangulus. That wasn't 1977off Honolulu. It may be noteworthy not only not be listed, our stock too comprehensive. Ask all, but he stopped telling me about it! because, despite the recent bloom, C. semiplota is for your "wants". * * * not all that common, but because this one was One of our old-time diving collectors around collected in seventy feet of water. All others I B. M. Collection and Honolulu, Bob Gutterez, found himself a sort of have heard of have come from much shallower Distribution Centre "collectee" recently. He had the tip of his fin water, to a maximum of about forty feet. P. O. Box 106 Miramare de Bimini, ITALY bitten off by a shark! Bob was checking out an The diving site was just west of the Pearl Har- We oUer rare and unusual Species underwater cave for Cypraeatigris and thought his from West Africa, SOuth Africa, New bor entrance. The bottom is hard and smooth, Caledonta, the Mediterranean and the fm had got caught in some coral. He turned in time r Adriatic. We are Interested In trading with sparcely scattered coral heads. (We had or buying. to see a shark behind him, spitting out a chunk of trouble setting our anchor.) tasteless fm. He has the fm as a souvenir. I found my beauty under a piece of dead coral * * * TAG SHELLS about ten inches in diameter and seven or eight Australia's specialist direct mail dealer. Fine & "Early in May my diving buddy, Scott Johnson, inches high. As I picked up the chunck, the shell rare Australian Volutes & Cowries stocked. Free found a live Cypraea talJNI(unusual in Hawaii) at fell from the bottom. On the sand beside it were Pupukea, on Oahu's North Shore," says a note price lists mailed worldwide. - Personal atten- one C. helvola Linne, 1758 and a C. granulata tion given to ALL orders. - Immediate replies. from Stan Jazwinski. "Several weeks later, along Pease, 1862. Two more helvola still clung to the P.O. Box 13, Hampton, 3188, Australia. the Waianae Coast, Leeward Oahu, Scott and I bottom of the coral. each got live ones. Although we got them on the MyC. semiplotameasures 12.5mrnL, 7.5 Wand same dive, they were 150 feet apart and probably 5.9 H. The mantle looked black underwater, but WEST COAST CURIOS CO. weren't a pair. A few weeks later, Lisa Boucher under the brighter light in my aquarium it proved 1940 Maple Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92627 found a live one, also off Waianae. "13 miles south of Disneyland". Longest es- to be deep red-brown, with four white blotches, tablished shell dealer in the U.S.A. More than "To round this off, in mid-July I found a pair, two on each side. I did not observe the symmetry 2,000 species stocked regularly. No lists - No again off Pupukea. noted in Burgess'book, The Living Cowries. mail order. Buy or browse - you're always wel- "Could this represent the beginning of a talJNI come! The papillae were quite dense,about two or bloom, comparable to the schilderorum and COME IN AND SEE US three millimeters long, tapered and blunt. The rashleighana blooms that delighted us a few years white papillae (one in each white blotch) were ago?" dentritic. CONIDAE MUSEUM * * * Sell Buy Exchange The upper foot was gray with distinct sparse - - All Shells Rare Specimens Clint Norton is in Honolulu after a one-year white flecks. The bottom of the foot was two- - First Quality tour on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. He toned: the rear three-fourths was reddish brown attended the August HMS meeting, paid his dues while the foward quarter was dark cream. The two P.o. Box 2287, Noumea, New Caledonia for 1977and got a bundle of back issues ofHSN. In colors were distinctly separated straight across the March issue he found Chris Takahashi's ac- the foot. count of snorkeling at Hauula, Windward Oahu. The syphon was 5-6mm long and smooth ended, "I drove with my wife to Hauula for an after- as nearly as I could tell. The eye stalks were light noon of snorkel ling," he reported afterward. "Al- gray and about 7mm long. though the 'take' was sparse, we made an unusual The feeding tube appeared as a black circle fmd. In the surf about 100 yards directly off the against the gray-brown background between the Hauula beach park I found a live Luria (Basili- eye stalks, but I never saw it extended. tronia) isabella atriceps. It was in approximately five feet of water under a large smooth boulder. Hugh W. Kaiser We need all kinds of shells, from craft material to specimens. State price and quantity. In What I fmd unusual is that this form normally lives in deeper water, according to Burgess' living case of specimens, please clarify size and grade. Cowries. Possibly it was washed over the reef by GOLDEN COWRIES Weare source of rare Japanese shells, crafts and heavy seas. An extensive search failed to turn up FOR SALE shell materials of all kinds. $200 and up another specimen. The Fujisawa Trading Co. Write for Details P. O. Box 5, Fujisawa,Kanagawa, Japan * * * E. R. CROSS John McFarland found a nice Cypraeacemica in P.O. Box 212, Pearl City, HI 96782 fifty feet of water in Maunaloa Bay, Honolulu while diving from Andy Butler's boat in July. JANOWSKY'S And Chris Takahashi got his second Cypraea Mal de Mer Enterprises lynx on Fort Kamehameha reef, Pearl Harbor, in 946 Ralph Avenue August. The first turned up in June. C. lynx is rare BRK)kIyn, New York 11236 USA in Hawaii. We seldom hear of more than one or Tel. (212) 485-3550 two finds in a year. It looks like Chris got our Rare and exotic specimen shells for the dis- entire quota for 1977. criminating collector. Free price list. Page 12 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS September, 1977 tulearensis- a New Volute from

Volute enthusiasts who have been fascinated by the large, light-colored specimens previously known as a variation of Voluta delessertiana Recluz, 1841will be interested to learn that it has been described and named as a new species by HMS members Manfred Blocher, of Duisberg, West Germany and Rudo von Cosel, ofGiessen. Their report appeared in the Molluscan Archives of the Frankfurt-on-Main Museum No. 107 (1976), calling Lyria tulearensis "a new species of the genus Lyria Gray, 1847 from the southwest of Madagascar. ' ,

"This species is very closely related to Lyria delessertiana (Petit de la Saussaye, 1842)," the description continues, "but there are several con- stant differences: shell larger and broader than in Three specimens of a new Lyria species from Madagascar. V. delessertiana,axial ribs coarser and less numer- Photo: Blocher from Arch. Moll. ous, outer lips thickened, color more orange to yellow with white flecks and brown spiral lines which are stronger than in delessertianaand espe- Afoot and Afloat With HMS Members cially on the white areas and the outer lip dark BRUSSELS - My annual collecting tour for republic, Male, only eight days ahead of the mon- brown to black. Tip of the fasciole always black. 1977 took me to the Philippines, Thailand, Sri soon rains, but was able to enjoy a few sunny days Embryonic whorls light yellowish orange and not Lanka, and the Maldives. Thanks to HSN, I of gorgeous diving and collecting. brown as in delessertiana. found familiar names and excellent contacts in The Maldive islands are a sheller's paradise. "The radulae of tulearensis and delessertiana each place. In Male, where the shell trade is concentrat!Jd, I have been investigated by scanning electron mic- I went first to Zamboanga, in the Southern made an interesting contact with Zakariyya roscope. The radula of delessertiana has 48-53 Philippines, in which area I did some diving and Ahmed, who owns a shell shop and calls himself teeth rows, that of tulearensis 57-60 rows. collecting. The cones and terebra were abundant. "Negozio de Conchiglie." Why in Italian? I won- While there I got a tiny Cypraeatigris Linne, fully der. Together we worked on the identification of "The animal is typically lyriid, with eyes be- mature, with a well-marked sulcus line. It was less Cypraea coloba Melvill, 1888 which in the Mal- tween the tentacles and lateral lobes. The differ- that 5cm. What a contrast to some of the Hawaiian dives seems to be a very different shell from C. ence of size, relative height and width, and giants! chinensis Gmelin, 1791 (see Burgess' The Living number of axial ribs per whorl between these two While there I visited Rocan Shells, where I Cowries). species is highly significant. talked with Francisco Roces. We studied a lot of We also had a problem with a few C. ocellata specimens of Cypraea margarita/cicercula, and I Linne, 1758with large brown collumellar blotches. "Lyria tulearensis is only known from the type came to the conclusion that W. O. Cernohorsky's Does such a difference warrant a new name? I locality, Andavadoaka, Southwest Madagascar. proposal to create a margarita species is relevant. advised Ahmed to have a description of the animal These two Lyria species inhabit equal biotypes: Rocan Shells, incidentally, has a first-class dis- prepared and to send it to Dr. Burgess. they live buried in fine muddy sand with sea grass in shallow water from low tide mark downward. play. At the conclusion of my annual trip, my cone En route to Manila I stopped at Cebu. Some of collection stood at 170 species, and my cowries at The nearest localities of delessertianaare a dis- the city hotels have seasideestablishments of their 140! tance of about I,OOOkm." own where they can accommodate guests. These On the basis of my own experience in these and E.G.L are only half an hour away by taxi. There you can other shell paradises, I suggest that HMS mem- hire a fishing boat easily and cheaply for your bers visit shell dealers on their travels and report shelling expedition. Collecting on the small coral on the value of their contacts. Fifteen years of islands just offshore is really fabulous. collecting throughout the Pacific with my own In Manila I stayed at a hotel not far from the boat convinced me that, in certain places and with Carrel Shell Museum. The museum and shop are regard to certain species, dealers cannot be av- beautiful. I never saw so many Conus gloriamaris oided. Consequently, information on their per- and Cypraeaaurantium in my life! sonalities and reliability is of utmost importance. "Have shells, will trade. Worldwide common After that I visited the Montilla display and Two years ago, while in Rabaul, I paid $50 for to uncommon specimens from many families. Will finally the Feltra Corporation on Mabini Street. shells t!tat were never delivered. In the Seychelles send a list on request. I look forward to hearing All three proved to be very reliable contacts. last year, an important dealer showed me "local from active, conscientious shell traders." Mrs. The highlight of my stay in Thailand was a visit shells" that obviously were not from those is- Dorothy Schneider, 700 Island Way Apt. 304, to Pattaya, where I spent three days diving in the lands. (The latter experience made me question Clearwater, Florida 33515. Coral Islands. They are surrounded by coral reefs Hanna Dale's Conus crocatus in HSN May 1977.) * . * * and very rich in volutes. HSN cannot, of course, take responsibility for Jose Requena, Canovas del Castillo 9, La Rib- My stay of only a few days in Colombo enabled the reliability of dealers, but Society members era, Murcia, Spain, wants worldwide shells. He me to meet a few dealers and to prepare for a visit could - and should! says he has a number of Mediterranean species to to the Maldives. I reached the caoital of that new Robert H. 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