harpa identification - internethawaiishellnews.Org

VOL. XXXV NO. 10

OCTOBER, 1987

NEW SERIES334

HARPA IDENTIFICATION

Figs 1,2. Halpa major Roeding, 1798, Zarnboanga.Figs 3, 4. Harpa ventricosa Lamarck, 1816, Madagascar.Cook Collection.

By GRAHAM MELVIN SUBMI1TED By OLIVE PEEL. DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - The other day I almost discovered the difference between Harpa major Roeding, 1798 and Harpa ventricosa Lamarck, 1816. Olive Peel invited me to morning tea. I didn't want to go to a hen's tea party, but when Olive told me the she and Dawn Brink were going to identify her Harpa, I changedmy mind. I couldn't miss such a golden opportunity to have two expert conchologists teach me all about Harpa. Armed with my own Harpa in a packet, so as not to look conspicuous,I set off, brain alert, ready to be taught somethingnew. Dawn Brink arrived with an enormousdrawer of Harpa of all sizes. The double doors had to be openedfor her majesticentrance.Thesetwo women got many Harpa from ships which traveled between Mozambique and Durban. They were able to buy specimensfor a song when they first startedcollecting. Olive asked me to fetch her drawer. There they were, and there I was - a mere amateurspectator - wondering what the morning was to unfold. The

Dawn: They are easy to identify. We'll put Harpa major in that comer and Harpa ventricoso in this comer, becauseyou have both. Olive: Hurrah! Dawn: You can tell the difference easily because major has a definite point here where the pale section cuts through the brown. However, Dick told me that although this one has no point on it, it is a major. Olive: Well, then this one is a ventricosa and not a major. Dawn: Yes, I agree, so we'll put it in this comer. Olive: Then this is a ventricosa as well, and also this one. Dawn: It looks as though all are ventricosa. Olive: I don't believe it! Do you mean to tell me that after all my years of collecting, all I have left are Harpa ventricosa?I've given away all my Harpa major! Dawn: Yes, I'm afraid so. No, on second thought, this one could easily be a major. What do you think? Olive: Well, there is no point there but it looks just like the one Dick saysis a Harpo major. Back and forth went the specimens.My neck was beginningto ache.I could have beenat a tennis match - first to the left, then to the right. Speci-

curtains opened for me on the mysteries of the Harpa world. Olive: I've put all my common Harpa together becauseI can't tell which are which. They all look alike to me.

mensof Harpa moving from one comer to the other - first too many ventricosa, then too many major,

*Dept Surveying & Mapping. University of Natal, King GeorgeV Avenue, Durban 40001, South Africa.

then some of both and then all in one comer again. I felt as though I was watching some newly de-

Photos: Burch

veloped game, one up, one down, first one comer, then another. I wonderedwhen tea would come or if I should say that I had an urgent errand - but no, the drama was too exciting. I might miss something, and I wanted to seewhich was going to win: Harpa ventricosa or Harpa major. Dawn: I don't know. I thought I had them all sorted, but I'm so muddled now I'll have to recheck them. This one feels different but I know it's a major. Dawn: The note on this one from overseassays ventricosa but it is a major. So Olive crossesout ventricosa and puts major. But by now she is cautiousand writes in pencil, for who knows what the next two secondswill bring forth - just in time, too, for Dawn has changedher mind again; and the name is changedback to ventricosa. As far as I'm concerned,they all look the same and I am going to keep my specimensright where they are, in my packeton the floor. After an hour Olive gave up and said she didn't care whether they were Harpa ventricosa or Harpa major and went to make tea. Well, if these two women are the "real" thing, what chance have I? So I kept my big mouth shut and my packet on the floor. I was so muddled, I left, forgetting I was supposedto stay for lunch. But I couldn't think of lunch after all the excitementof the morning! "Dallas" has nothing on this.

October, 1987

SHELL NEWS

~a«taU4Ie

Science Advisor

OR. E. ALISON KAY

Science Consultant

W. O. CERNOHORSKY

Editorial Staff

LYMAN HIGA. JIM ROHRBACH. WALTER SAGE. OOROTHY WENOT

Editorial Assistants

GEORGE CAMPBELL. BUNNIE COOK. BILL & TRUOI ERNST

Corresponding Editors MARGE BRADNER. DONALD DAN, FR. AL LOPEZ S.J.. HENK K. MIENIS, PETER van PEL, AURORA RICHARDS, THORA WHITEHEAD Index Editor

RAY McKINSEY

Back Issues Manager HAWAIIAN

BUNNIE COOK MALACOLOGICAL (Founded

P

h LL Bov"""'O

a

SOCIETY

in 1941) Honolulu,

'v

Treasurer Recording

Hawaii 96822

OLIVE SCHOENBERG

President Sec'y

JIM ROHRBACH

..,.

BARBARA KUEMPER

C. mauritiana Linne C. moneta Linne C. nucleus Linne C. ostergaardi Dall C. peasei Sowerby [= C. gaskoini Reeve] C. poraria Linne C. punctulata Gmelin [C. punctulata Ostergaard = C. teres Gmelin]

RAY McKINSEY DOROTHY WENDT

Office Manager.

KAREN CABRAL

Directors GEORGE COOK INGABORG SHIELOS

DR. TOM BURCH STUARTLILLICO

Honorary Directors DR. ALANALLISDN BRUCECARLSON E. R. CROSS DONALDDAN The Society currently meets the first Wednesday of each month in Honolulu. VISITORS WELCOME! Hawaiian Shell News is issued free to members of the Society. Postage rates have been computed and added to membership dues. Individual copies of any issue may be obtained. free of charge. by qualified individuals for bona fide research projects. Members outside the Un~ed States are asked to pay with a bank cheque (not a draft) payable to HMS on a U.S bank. (Be sure your name and address appear on the cheque) HMS DUES FOR 1987 Includes delivery of HSN -U.S. Zip Code Addresses (Handled as bulk mail, not forwardable to new address) -Canada and Mexico (First Class mail) -All Other Countries

$17.50 2200 24.00

OPTIONAL DELIVERY OF HSN BY AIR MAIL (Dues included) -U.S Zip Code Addresses ... 22.00 -Bahamas, Bermuda. Caribbean Islands, Central America, Colombia & Venezuela 28.00 -Europe (except USSR, Latvia, Lithuania, & Estonia), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia. Libya, Egypt. Malta. and South America (except Colombia & Venezuela) 30.50 -Africa (except North Africa), Australia, New Zealand. Asia, USSR. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Israel, Middle East. Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean Islands lacking US Zip Codes 33.50 -ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP (For family members; HMS card but no HSN) 1.00 Articles of interest to shell collectors are solic~ed Contents are not copyrighted Republication. with credit to HSN, is invited. The opinions expressed in signed articles in HawaIIan Shell News are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent policies of the Hawaiian Malacological Society Advertisements are accepted at the rate of US $20.00 per column-inch per issue, payable in advance Discounts are offered for six and twelve insertions. Typesetting. composition and printing of Hawaiian Shell News is done by Fisher Printing Co., Honolulu

HMS October Meeting

NOTE

HAWAIIAN

NEW

ADDRESS

MALACOLOGICAL

.~

C. rashleighana Melvill C. reticulata Martyn [= C. maculifera Schilder] If anyonehas any that I have not listed, I would C. scurra Chemnitz like to borrow and copy them. I would prefer to C. semiplota Mighels make the copies myself since many of these have C. sulcidentata Gray color or black and white photographsattached to C. talpa Linne them. I'll return the originals. C. tessellata Swainson * * * Ditlev Due Thaanum, one of Hawaii's most faC. tigris Linne mous conchologists, was a charter member of the C. vitellus Linne The following species of Cypraea were not in Hawaiian Conchological Club in 1924. Can anyone Allen's article but are in Kay, 1979. The namesin sendme information about that organization? bracketsare synonyms. FORTY YEARS AGO C. beckii Gaskoin The October 1947 meeting of the Hawaiian MalaC. cernica Sowerby cological Society was held at PunahouSchool. The C. chinensis Gmelin following officers were elected: president, Charles C. leviathan Schilder & Schilder A. Allen; vice president, Dr. C. M. Burgess;secreC. maculifera Schilder [C. reticulata Martyn] tary, Mrs. G. Bromley; treasurer, Mrs. Maybelle C. mariae Schilder Roth. C. schilderorum lredale [C. arenosa Gray, Allen] Miss Julia Ellen Rogers [author of the Shell C. teres Gmelin [C. punctulata Ostergaard] Book, 1908, Charles T. Branford Co] thanked membersof the shell club for the "token of friendship" she was given upon her departure from the islands. Bruce Seaman attendedthe meetingon his way The October 1947 News and Views on Shells by Charles A. Allen was devoted to "Hawaiian Cyp- back to Bora Bora. Our treasurer, Barbara Kemper, reported that on raea." Thirty-one specieswere describedand illustrated - 26 with color photographs.Dr. E. Alison her recent trip to Barbados that she was in the Kay in Hawaiian Marine Shells, 1979, placed research submarineAtlantis on a two hour trip at eight of the Cypraea in synonymy with other spe- night through the reefs at 150 feet. An unforgettable cies. Hence 23 or 74.2% of the speciesin Allen's experience. Bob Dayle spoke "On the Origins of Some Ha1947 article are still considered valid. I wonder what proportion of the specieswe recognize today waiian Cowries." He discussedsome of the genetic contributors of some of the current Hawaiian spewill be consideredvalid forty years from now. The following specieswere in the article by AI- cies, the geology of Hawaii and how ocean fluctual"n Th" nam". a. \I...n hv Kav- 1979- Hawaiian tions effected fauna from basic to SDecific!!enetics.

OLIVE SCHOENBERG. BEATRICE BURCH

--~--~~

Mar 47 April 47 Oct 47 Dec 47 Mar 48 June48 July 48 Sept?48 Oct 48 Dec 48 49

OR. TOM BURCH

President

2 3 6 7 8 9 10 II 10 12 I?

Editor

Sec'y

I I I 1 I 1 1 1 1 I 2

I Aug 46

E. R. CROSS. STUART LILLICO

Associate Editors

Vice

I

Main Topic CONE SHELLS OF HAWAII GOING DREDGING? CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS. CYMATIIDAE TEREBRA MITRIDAE CYPRAEIDAE MELANELLillAE NAUTILUS, STROMBUS CaNIDAE PART 1 CaNIDAE PART 2 CaNIDAE PART 3 TEREBRIDAE PART 1 TEREBRIDAE PART 3 MITRIDAE

Editors Emeritus

Corr.

Vol. No. Date

Sleett 1tef4l6

ISSN 0017-8624

Marine Shells, if different, are in brackets. C. ORneRoberts[= C. semiplota Mighels] C. arenosa Gray [= C. schilderorum lredale] C. caputserpentisLinne C. carneola Linne C. childreni Gray C. cicercula Linne C. cruenta Gmelin [= C. childreni Gray] C. erosa Linne C. esontropia Duclos [= C. gaskoini Reeve] C. fimbriata Gmelin C. gangrenosa Solander C. helvola Linne C. isabella Linne C. lynx Linne C. madagascariensis Gmelin [madagascariensis Martens& Langkavel = C. granulataPease]

~---~-~---~---~

PRE HSN NEWS LETTERS I would like to have a completefile of the various news letters, etc. issued by the Hawaiian Malacological Society before they were formalized as the Hawaiian Shell News in May 1952. The ones that I have were given to my mother, Rose Burch, by CharlesA. Allen. These were done with the "Ditto" or similar processwith purple ink in the late 1940s.The ones I have are listed below:

~~--~-

HAWAIIAN

Page 2

SOCIETY

P. o. Box 22130 Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 :_~

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~- ~---~

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October. 1987

HAWAIIAN

SHELL NEWS

Page

Conus excelsus Sowerby III, 1908. Figs I, 2. Trawled 110 fathoms north of Lady Elliot Island, 90.5 x 9.5 mrn; fig 3. Trawled 120 fathoms south southeastof Lady Elliot Island, 87.0x 34.8mrn;fig 4. Trawled120fathomssouthsoutheast of LadyElliot Island,71.8x 28.6 mrn. Photos:Limpus By ALLAN BUNDABERG,

LIMPUS*

QUEENSLAND

in June 1985 I got two more dead specimens of this -

A lone spec-

imen of Conus excelsus Sowerby III,

1908, washed

rare shell for my collection. These two shells came from

ashore on a beach at Tanna in the New Hebrides

fathoms to the south-south-east of Lady Elliot

after an underwater eruption in

land, approximately

1878. This shell

came into the Kenyon collection and is now in the

Is-

25 miles from the first speci-

men. Although more heavily coral encrusted, there

South Australian Museum, the holotype of Conus

was no mistaking the shape and, upon cleaning, the

tannaensis Cotton, 1945 No. D.6172.

patterning verified my identification.

Although

previously

described

by Brazier

as

Unfortunately

all three shells were dead, but their presence extends

Conuspulcherrimusin 1894,Edward Cottonde-

the known range of Conus excelsus to Australian

scribed it as C. tannaensis since Brazier's label on

waters.

the shell bore the locality but no name.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Records of South Australian Museum, 1945, vol 7:2. Walls, J.G, 1979, Cone Shells, T.F.H. Publications Cemohorsky,W, 1978, Tropical Marine Shells. Lan, T .C, 1979, Rare Shells of Taiwan Estival, J.C, 1981, Cone Shells of New Caledonia and Vanuatua

However, in 1908 Sowerby III published the description of Conus excelsus which is the now accepted name; but with the doubtful location of New Caledonia.

Other specimens have been recorded

from various locations in the China Sea, from off Japan, Taiwan, the north-eastern Indian Ocean, and from the vicinity of the Solomon Islands. Now I have three specimens taken by deep-water trawls off the Queensland coast near the southern extremity

of the Great Barrier Reef. The first to

appear, which fits Cotton's description of C. tannaensis,

came from

110 fathoms from north of

Lady Elliot Island, which is the most southerly coral island of the Great Barrier Reef, and lies 42 miles off the coast 140 from the city of Bundaberg on a latitude of approximately 240 South. This shell was trawled in December 1984 in the same area where many new and exciting other shells were found, i.e. V. gardneri Darragh, 1983, C. queenslandis Da Motta, C. whiteheadae Da Motta, Galeodia mccamleyi Ponder, and others. The next exciting

shells to come up were two

Conus excelsus from near the Swain Reefs, which lie 150 miles to the north of the previous area. Thus

*6 McKewan St, Bundaberg,Queensland,4670, Australia.

Shelletters

a depth of 120

Shelletter DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA I am having a problem regarding the disposition of my collection which has become extensive. I provided in my will that it should go to my favorite museum, if the museum was still displaying shells for the public. Now, however, that museum has disbanded. I don't know where to turn. Only through seeing these things can the general public become aware of what beauty the oceanscan produce and develop an interest. My shells are practically all gem quality and contain many variants and someout and out freaks. If you have any thoughts, let me know. Since I am 83 whoever gets them shouldn't have long to wait. Boyd N. Everett 209 Palm Trail Delray Beach, FL 33444 [This is a problem most of us will eventually face. I told my parents to relax and let their son worry about it. That usually isn't tenable. I'll print any "thoul!hts" sentto me. TBl

HONOLULU,HAWAII I am donating to the society reprints of four articles on the researchsponsoredin part by an HMS grant I received a few years ago. Once again, thanks for the support. Money for malacological researchis about as easy to come by as a living AchatineUa in Honolulu nowadays.(It's no wonder that one of the greatest malacologists who ever lived, Paul Pelseneer, was not a professional malacologistor professor,but a teacherof chemistry at a secondaryschool.) Keep up the good work. Daniel Chung

TUCSON,ARIZONA I've nearly finished work on the article for the Hawaiian SheD News [a requirement for scholarship grant recipients] and I have more good news. At the American Malacological Union Meeting in Key West, Horida last month, I was selectedas a recipient of a StudentPaperAward. I am especially honored since this is the secondconsecutiveyear in which I have won an AMU award. JanetVoight '"" HONG KONG Quite frankly, I prefer my own text ["Conus luzonicus Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792" in HSN Aug 1987] to your rehash. May I ask that you at least publish an emendation correcting the size of Bruguiere's specimento "41 x 25 mm?" A. J. DaMotta [I goofed in typing the size of the cone as 61 x 25 mm insteadof 41 x 25 mm. I apologizefor any confusion that this mav have caused.TBl

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Page 4

HAWAIIAN

October, 1987

SHELL NEWS

SHOW RULES By STUART HONOLULU,

III -

LILLICO*

The Hawaiian Malacological

Society is unusual in many ways, but in none more than that we have no opportunity

to compare our

shell shows with those of Mainland

or overseas

clubs. No chairman of an HMS shell show committee here has ever participated in a "foreign"

shell

fair. This can be a blessing, of course, as well as a source of frustration. uninhibited

,! ,

We dream our own dreams,

by Mainland

"reality."

But we often

wonder if we are missing something important. The thought of subscribing to a uniform set of shell show rules, therefore, has a certain attraction. It's like establishing a universal standard currency. John Landin has done a great service by proposing such a set (see HSN Aug, 1987). It should set us all to examining our show rules. As convener of the HMS Shell Show committee to prepare for the show in November 1988, I have given some serious thought to recommending adopting the "Landin

Rules."

I see several points, how-

ever, that need to be clarified or changed for Ha'-'f'iJi-

waii. Let me refer to Landin's rules by number.

Conusgossip. What is a very seriousAurora Richardstelling a very surprisedand amusedDieter Rokel? About the size of apergrandis? Or a giantleopardus? Or somethingelse? PAPUA NEW GUINEA Have just returned from a very exciting shell tour of the world.

Met loads of super nice people and

"collected"species

by the suitcase-full.

I thought this might put a little fun in HSN, Find a caption to the picture and I'll

give the answer in

my next letter. Aurora Richards

exhibit did not get a blue ribbon, diplomacy and

ple. Some clubs, I suspect, will have trouble getting

tact have returned, and, as a rule, the exhibitor

three people who meet his criteria. Hawaii would. It

understands and does a lot better the next year. HOWEVER exhibitors who fly into a rage, damn the judges

as incompetent

and unfair

should have their ribbons (if any) taken back and

we have paid travel expenses. Bringing

removed from the shell show im-

from New York

It's an unpleasant job, but do it promptly!

expensive matter. Pay, if any, for judging should be

I can

guarantee they won't have that problem

City,

a judge

mediately! No pussy-footing by shell show officers.

or even California,

is an

left to negotiation between judge and club. 4. The thought that "judges will

Sally Diana Kaicher

about the "Unifonn Rules" for shell shows. [See HSN Aug 1987p 3.] 1. Not all clubs have enoughmoney so out-of-town judges can be given motel/hotel accommodations - which many judges prefer, incidentally. I

not be enter-

tained or be guests" of the sponsoring club before (Cont'd on page 12) *4300 Waialae(B 1205) Honolulu, HI 96816

.!

~YJ>~

have, in the past, stayed in private homes and found that my hosts were careful not to let me see anything which might influence me. Any judge worth his salt would resent attempts at influencing his/her decisions- more than likely

questionsthe judges might have. 3. Judging is a serious business. By the time one has to exolain to Jane or John Doe iust whv the

2. HMS has never paid a fee to a judge (nor to

their exhibits

ST. PETERSBURG,FLA. again for years. so I have a couple of thoughts

to the detrimentof the exhibitor. 2. I do not like club-memberclerks to accompany me when judging and I know other judges who feel the same. We can be brutally honest and undiplomatic in our conversations. It would be cruel to an exhibitor to have our comments, made often under stress, overheard and, possibly, passedalong to the exhibitor or other club members. However, one or two clerks should standby - as far away as possiblein the exhibition hall - ready to come over and answer any

-

might be more realistic to require only two of the judges to meet the ten-year-experience qualification. anyone else, for that matter), although occasionally

practically

You asked -

I. His proposed stipulation that a show must have three experienced judges is sound - in princi-

('J

1

I

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October, 1987

HAWAIIAN

SHELL NEWS

Page 5

PICTURES FROM THE JUNE WSM MEETING

Bert Draper, frequent visitor to Hawaii who works with micromollusks.

Donald Shasky,frequentcontributor to HSN.

Tom Burch, editor of USN presenting his findings at the Northern Gulf of California symposium.

By DAVm MULLINER

Judith Terry Smith, chairman of the symposium on Northern Gulf of California.

Page 6

HAWAIIAN

Update on Ellis Cross, HSN Editor Emeritus By OLIVE SCHOENBERG*

October, 1987

SHELL NEWS

Other Shell Clubs A NEW LOOK IN BOSTON

SHELLS FOR SALE R. CRANDAll

PHilLIP

1800 Parkside Terrace, Kitanakagusuku

The Newsletter the Boston Malacological Club Okinawa, Japan 901-23 has a new name and a new look. It is known now GEM Cypraea teramachii, kuroharai, midwayensis, armeniaca, rosselli, artuffeli; Conus vicweei, auas The Epitonium. The new design is the work of risiacus, exce/sus, bengalensis, PI. beyrichii, salmiana BMC mem~r Kristina Joyce. &rumphii, and other rare Japanese & Indo-Pacific shells. The June issue of The Epitonium reported that FREE LIST. 15 years of personalized service. FREE POSTAGE - SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis has signed a law designatingNeptunea decemcostata, A. J. (TONY) GABELISH the New England neptune, as the official shell of 22 Kirkham-Hill Tce. Maylands 6051 the Commonwealthof Massachusetts. West Australia

Dealer in W. Australian Shells (License No. 7452)

BUNDABERG,QUEENSLAND In July, our Keppel Bay Shell Club held its annual shell show at Yeppoon, which was of the usual quality and success.Our most traveled visitor and member of the judging panel, was [HMS member] Gloria Scarboro from Florida. She is shown in the photographrelaxing after a hectic day at the Show, still talking shells at nearly midnight. Allan Limpus

Write for free list. AUTHORIZED AUSTRALIAN EXPORTERS. Specialists Australia's

in endemic

species from

exciting west coast. ZOILA,

and the more common

species.

Since 1966

WESTRALIAN SHELLS 3 GuneeRoad,City Beach(Perth) Western Australia 6015 Catalogue

Editor EmeritusEllis Crossat homenear Port Angeles, Washington. Photo:Schoenberg. Ellis lives several miles from Port Angeles, Washington, where he keeps busy digging, plowing and landscapinghis land, planting vegetables,fruit trees, and flowers. Many trees, mostly cedars, he removes, using the large trunks to make garden furniture such as the high backedchair in the picture here. All left-over wood he stacks for winter firewood. Besides all this, many hours are spent writing for Skin Diver Magazine and other ocean related publications. [See HSN February and September 1987.] Is he still shelling? Well, sometimes he checks out the local seacoasts,but a peek into his "office" tells you Ellis has endlesshours of work aheadjust sorting and cataloging what he brought back from his diving years in Hawaii - shells he loves and can't part with; shells that tell stories of places, people, and experiencesof days long past. Although he still pours over his "friends," the bulk of Ellis' collection was recently sold to Mique Pinkerton of MiQue's Mollusks. *3265 Huelani, Honolulu, HI 96822.

PERSONAL AD For exchange:Ultra rare in collections Odontocymbiola pescalia Clench & Turner, 1964. 83 mm. Fine. Minor chips. Interested in rare Conus, Cypraea, Harpa, etc. Write: Carlos Nunez Cortes, Acassuso 740, (1636) La Lucila, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Gloria Scarboro

Photo: Limpus

$1 by sea, $2 by air.

HAWAIIAN

By LULA ST PETERSBURG, rans constitute

Page 7

SHELL NEWS

SIEKMAN* FL

-

The monoplacopho-

the most recent major group of

shell-bearing molluscs to be recognized. They are important because they provide new evidence on the structure of primitive interrelationships

molluscan shells and on the

of the five recognized classes of

molluscs. Many workers, however, consider them a sixth class of molluscs. Neopolina itself came to light early in the 1950s as a result of submarine explorations among the hot water "plumes"

along the East Pacific Rise. Re-

searchers found previously unimagined life in those abyssal waters. Since its first Neopolina

discovery,

additional

finds

of

have been made in other deep-water

areas. The first were at a depth of two miles. A number of specimens were taken that looked like limpets. Fossil Monoplacophora have been found in every continent, in beds of Cambrian (about 550,000,000 years old) through Devonian (300,000,000 years of age). The regional geological setting, the associated fauna, and the various sedimentological features of those occurrences

indicate

that the first

mono-

placophorans lived in shallow water. It has been customary to consider molluscs as non-segmented, since living molluscs have a lost track of segmentation. However, now many curious features of molluscan anatomy can be explained. It had been recognized that there were similarities between annelid worms and molluscs on one hand, and annelid worms and arthropods on the other. Neopolina suggest that the relationship among these three phyla (Cont'd

on Page 8)

*5031 41st St. South, St. Petersburg,FL 33711

By CHRIS T AKAHASHI* Of all known bivalves occurring in Hawaii none are more fascinating to behold than the Lima (file shell). Lima are characterizedby thin fragile white shells with equally fragile tentaclesextruding along the shell perimeter. The commonestof the five speciesin Hawaii is Lima fragilis (Chemnitz, 1784). As the name implies, L, fragilis is difficult to obtain intact owing to the paperlike structure of the shell. Animals of liv'P.D.Box 10194,Honolulu,HI %816

ing specimens are carmine red, giving the impression that the entire shell is the same color. When disturbed this free-swimming

bivalve will

launch itself through the water by flapping its valves together much like Pecten (scallops). I. A startledL. tragi/is reactsto the intruder by extending its tentaclesin hopesof frightening him off. 2. A now worried L. tragi/is tries to hide. 3. In final desperationthe L. tragi/is takes off from its strongholdin hopesof outdistancingthe collector. Photos:Takahashi

HAW AllAN

Page 8

By HUGH BRADNER* LA JOLLA, CA - At scuba depths off Easter Island, John Earle collected a cowry similar to Cypraea cernica [HSN Jan. 1986pI]. C, cernica is an uncommon species, found throughout the central and Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, but not previously reported from Easter Island. Water currents seem to have isolated that island, so that the only two other species there (C, caputdraconis Melvill, 1888 and C, englerti Summers& Burgess, I %5) have evolved with very different featuresthan their progenitors. I report here comparisons between several of Earle's specimensand widely distributed specimens of C. cernica. The populations cannot be separated by shell markings or shape:both have consistent small suffused white spots, white base and dorsal ring of discrete dark brown spots; both have a deltoid shape. The first Earle specimenI examined had coarser teeth than a specimenfrom La Reunion. However, when all 13 available Earle specimenswere compared with 39 C. cernica from elsewhere,there was no significant differencein tooth count (fig I). Earle notes that the mantle of his EasterIsland specimens is mottled brown and cream, different from the Hawaiian C. cernica; but Burgessemphasizedin Cowries of the World that color is of no specific importance. Scanning electron microscope photos of radulae from three EasterIsland specimensand two C. cerRica showedno recognizabledifferences(Figs 2, 3). Judging from these five specimens, C. cernica shouldbe classedamong the specieswith little radular variation. Unless detailed reports of anatomy show consistent differencesbetweenthe EasterIsland cowry and normal C. cernica, I conclude that they should be groupedtogether. I am particularly indebted to John Earle and Dr. Maurice Jay for furnishing specimensand to Dr. C. M. Burgess for helping me make tooth counts on his collection of C. cernica.

SHELL NEWS

(/)

z w ~ (3 w c.. (/) u. 0 a: w co ~ => z

REDUCED LABIAL TOOTH COUNT Fig.

Comparisonof labial tooth count in Cypraeacernica and the EasterIsland Cypraea.

Neopolina, A Living Fossil (Cont'd from Page 7) may be closer than had been indicated from past evidence. Two geologically Recent species of Monoplacophora are Neopolina galatheae taken by the Galathea off Costa Rica at a depth of 3570 meters and N. (Vema) ewingi taken by the Vema in 1958, 1300 miles south-southeastof the Galathea discovery site in 5700 meters. Later, additional specimens were found in the Indian Ocean and off Lower Fig. 2. Scanning electron microscope photo of Cypraea cernica radula. Photo:Bradner

California. Neopolina galatheae has a single cap-shaped shell with an anteriorly coiled apex. The body is bilaterally symmetrical, having the mouth anterior and the anus posterior. The mouth is nearly surroundedby paired labial palps, two tufts of tentacle like appendages,and a pair of simple tentacles.The animal is probably a deposit feeder. The pallial cavity, which surroundsthe main massof the body, contains five pairs of uniserial gills. The circular foot is muscular with a membranouscenter. It secretes a thick slime train. Within the body, major organsare paired.

Cypraea cernica Sowerby,1870.Okinawa.B.P. Bishop Mus. No. 231676. Photo: Burch .Scripps Institution of Oceanography,La Jolla, CA 92093.

Fig. 3. Scanningelectron microscopephoto of EasterIsland Cypraea radula. Photo:Bradner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Information for this report came from the "Do You Know" exhibit by Charles and Vi Hertwick at the 1986 St PetersburgShell Club show.

REFERENCE Burgess. C. M.. 1985. Cowries of the World, Gordon Verhoef. 289 pp. many col. figs. maps. 21 pis.

ADDITIONAL READING Hyman,L. H., 1967.The Invertebratesvol 6, Mollusca, McGrawHill Co.. N.Y. pp. 142-152.

October. 1987

HAW AllAN

Page 9

SHELL NEWS

Patronize HSN Advertisers WASffiNGTON

-

Warning of danger to one of

the United States' foremost fish and shellfish areas, in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana, was given in a recent study released by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Howard Levenson, author of the paper, is project director of a three-year OTA study of the impacts and management of waste disposal in the marine environment. The significance of some of the most widely publicized

environmental

problems,

such as the low

oxygen levels (hypoxia) and excessively high levels of nutrients, metals, organic chemicals and bacteria found in the New York Bight and the Chesapeake Bay, was confirmed by the study. The solution, says Levenson, does not necessarily entail development of multimillion

dollar programs

or major legislative efforts. Instead, OTA suggests the present system of uniform controls be continued and enhanced to provide a minimum level of protection and that these controls be supplemented by site-specific

management to deal with the unique

problems of individual water bodies. The congressionally created Chesapeake Bay Program is cited as an example of the latter approach. The national status and trends program of the US National (NOAA),

Oceanic and Atmospheric now underway,

Administration

is monitoring

levels of

specific toxic chemicals in sediments, bivalves and bottom-dwelling

fish from mpre than 150 sites along

the US coastline. It is still

too early in the study to determine

whether the health of the marine environments sampled is improving

or decaying, program manager

John A. Calder told Science News, but the preliminary evaluation does at least provide harbor, Salem Harbor (Mass.),

REVIEWED By STUART LILLICO It may never outsell the current pop recordings, but a new aural cassetteproducedand distributed by Dr. R. Tucker Abbott through American Malacologists, Inc. probably will be around longer. Dr. Abbott has recorded the acceptedpronunciation of some 1250latinized speciesand generanames,as well as some technical and anatomicalterms, molluscan family names, and the preferred form of different author's names. (How is d'Orbigny pronounced?). In his opening comments, Abbott points out that "actually there are no correct or official pronunciations of . . . Latin names." The ones he offers are those' 'customary among most American malacologists," and "even thesemay vary from one part [of the United States]to another." An LP recording done by Abbott in the late 1960s and It's Easy to Say Crepidula! publishedin 1986 by Jean Cate and Selma Raskin of SouthernCalifornia, [HSN July 1986 P 6 & November 1986 p 13] gave much of the samematerial. The possibility of discrepanciesamong the three (the present reviewer was able to make only a perfunctory comparison), or regional differences, or individual solecisms is less important than the fact of authoritative efforts being madeto establishsomeAmerican standardsof pronunciation.

an idea of

which places may require the most attention: Boston Raritan Bay (NJ),

western Long Island Sound (NY),

SAY IT RIGHT! How to Pronounce the Scientific Names of Seashellsof North America. By R. Tucker Abbott, 1986. 35-minute cassetterecording. Burlington, MA: American Conchologists.$7.90$2.10 postage.

A PRIZE SHELL

and San Diego

Bay (Calif.). "The sites we sampled in those five places," said Calder, "seem to stand out no matter what parameter you look at."

SL

HMS Members: Nonmembers will receive a complimentary copy of Hawaiian Shell News (with a membership application) if you send the Corresponding Secretary their full name and address.

Oliva richen; Kay, 1979, Mamala Bay, Oahu, HI. Burch Station 79035, 90 fathoms. U.S. National Museum Collection. Photo: Burch

Page 10

HAW AllAN

SHELL NEWS

October, 1987

Patronize HSN Advertisers PART III

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NEW CARIBBEAN -MOLLUSCAN FAUNAS by E. J. Petuch (1987) 168 pages (8V2x 11" format). Over 100 new species described and identified for the first time. $38.50 (prepaid) plus $2.50 shipping & handling. CERF Books, P. O. Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906

Left to right, top row: Conus gloriamaris, C. cervus, C. bengalensis, C. dusaveli, C. duplicatus and C. stupa. Middle row: C. thomae, C. milneedwardsi, C. smirna, C. bullatus, C. lynceus (= C. phuketensis da Motta) and C. excelsus. Bottom row: C. aurantius (black form), C. cedonulli, C. barthelemyi and C. penusus. Photo: Patchick

By PAUL F. PATCHICK* MONTEREY

DAY,

CALIFORNIA

-

A

suggestedmeasure of relative rarity in collectible shells might be to examine the prices listed in Van Nostrand'sStandard Catalog in 1964, and those of either Eisenberg's 1981 A Collectors Guide to Seashells of the World or one of Tom Rice's ~xcellent catalogs(1980, 1983, or 1985). If a shell was worth $50 in 1964, and was listed by Rice as being valued (i.e., offered for sale) at, say, $2,000 in 1983 - you know you have a "rare" (and valuable) shell! Note that Rice lists prices of shells offered for sale. He doesn't, of course, tell you if a specimen of that species has been sold at that price. It may not have been sold, and the dealer subsequentlylowered his price or just kept it for his own collection. Thus these lists and catalogsare merely guidelines. A listing of rare and beautiful seashellshas been compiled by one of the great collectors of the century - Ryosuke Kawamura of Japan. Kawamura assembled

more

100,000 specimens

than

-

10,000

species

-

over

since beginning collecting in

1930. He donatedhis vast and important collection to the National Science Museum in Tokyo [HSN August 1983] and was honored by a special exhibition there. The senior curator (malacology) of that museum, Mr. Takashi Okutani, assistedKawamura in selecting 430 specimens to be illustrated in a magnificent booklet, World Seashells of Rarity *1123 S. Los Polos Dr. (#10) Salinas,CA 93901

and Beauty, 1983. Listed below are the 26 cones from this book: I. Leptoconus cedonuUiLinnaeus(2 forms) 2. Stephanoconus aurantius Bruguiere (2 forms) 3. Leptoconus victor Broderip 4. Profundiconus smirna Bartsch & Rehder 5. Rhizoconushirasei Kuroda 6. Pionoconus timorensis Bruguiere 7. Endemnoconusotohimeae Kuroda & Ito 8. AspreUaphuketensis deMotta 9. Pionoconuspertusus Bruguiere 10. Leptoconuskawamurai Habe II. Rhizoconusthomae Gmelin 12. Turriconus excelsus nakayasui Shikama & Habe 13. Darioconus gloriamaris Chemnitz 14. Darioconus milneedwardsi Jousseaume 15. Darioconus bengalensisOkutani 16. Kurodaconus stupa Kuroda 17. Turriconus excelsusexcelsus Sowerby 18. Textilia buUatuspongo Shikama& Oishi Cont'd on page 14)

~

October, 1987

ABOARD

HAWAIIAN

Page 11

SHELL NEWS

By GWEN CORNFIELD* YACHT LORELEY - We delayed our

departure from New Zealand until almost the end of May 1986 and missed Cyclone Namu, which roared through the Solomon Islands and threatened to flatten New Caledonia. When we finally

got the "all

clear" signal, we set sail for New Caledonia with a new crew member, Susan Symonds. We had more storms than calms on the voyage and were glad to see the lighthouse at the main entrance to the channelleading to Noumea, the capital. Loreley is a 50 ft sailing yacht with accommodations for three or four besides Mike, the skipper, and me. We have been fortunate in hosting a series of pleasant and often knowledgeable

paying-guest

crew members. We plan to continue this system. HMS members (or others) interested in joining

us

should feel free to write us. Shell wise , our stay in New Caledonia was hardly worth reporting, because of our delayed arrival and a stretch of bad weather. But when we sailed to the perfect lagoon of Ouvea Atoll,

one of the Loyalty

Islands (a dependency of New Caledonia), our luck changed. The weather cooperated and for two idyllic weeks we dove and explored the fabulous reefs on both sides of the atoll. The fish life was astounding. Everything was so big! Mike (the skipper) and Susan had a heart stopper on one dive when a 12 ft shark came charging down a canyon toward them. It turned out to be only a nervous nurse shark; until

that was established,

Mike almost sprouted hair! Along with the common shells we round in the Loyalties, we come up with a few small but pretty Strombus thersites. A day-and-a-night sail took us to Port Vila, the main town of the new nation of Vanuatu. Port Vila our favorite tropical town has retained its French flavor. We enjoyed the pavement cafes, the excellent coffee, the wonderful French pastries and, best of all, the sensible prices for it all. In the dark volcanic sand of a bay on Epi Island, just north of Emae, we found some magnificent Oliva textilina

plus some interesting variations of O.

miniacea. In addition, there were some good cones, including several brilliantly

colored C. pilkeyi

with

chocolate-brown exteriors and orange interiors. And we got a pretty C. mimbosus. It was at Epi that the hunters momentarily became the hunted. Our two guests had swum ashore from Loreley. Mike and I donned scuba gear and dropped to the bottom to search the sand toward shore. Our air bubbles attracted a local fisherman sitting on the sand in front of the tiny village opposite our anchorage. With

a shout,

pushed his outrigger

he pointed

to our bubbles,

canoe into the water,

and

began paddling furiously toward them. Blissfully ignorant of the excitement above us, we continued our search of the bottom. The man stood (Cont'd on page 12) *985 Jervis St. No 6, Vancouver,BC V6E 2B7, Canada.

°t

Page 12

HAWAIIAN

SHELL NEWS

NEW CALEDONIA AND VANUATU (Cont'd from page 11) in his canoe above our bubbles, with spear poised for the kill. Eventually he realized his mistake and paddled regretfully back to the beach. Believe me, the shell collector's life is fraught with danger. Susanhad to leave us in Vanuatu. We were sorry to see her go, but sailed on through the islands to the north with our two remaining guests. To our disappointment,shells were lacking in many of the bays in which we anchored. So far off the beaten path, we had expected to find buckets full. But when we looked ashore at low tide, we understood why. To the local people, finding food is a constant preoccupation.They swarm acrossthe exposedreef flats, seeking to supplementtheir diet with edible mollusks. Not a rock remains unturned. Even inedible (to us) critters are taken. On the beachat Port Sandwich, near the northern tip of Epi, we were greetedby a sign, "There Are Tiger SharksHere." We were afraid to put a foot in the water. The previous year, we were told, an eleven-year-oldboy was enjoying jumping from the stern of his parents' boat and swimming around to the boarding ladder. A large gray shape appeared alongside and the lad disappeared.We didn't need to be warnedtwice! The cruise northward through the islands of Vanuatu past Malekula and across to Espiritu Santo brought no surprises; but we enjoyed the lonely placesand the diving. Luganville, the main town on Espiritu Santo, has one of the worst anchorageswe encounteredanywhere. In addition, we were suffering from ciguaterapoisoning - for the first time in three years of cruising during which we had eaten hundredsof fish. Altogether, we do not remember Luganville with much aloha. The situation was not improved by the departure of our friends as their time ran out. For the first time since leaving Auckland nearly six months before, Loreley was down to a two-man crew. Over the horizon to the north in the Banks Islands

-

the reputed home of Oliva rubrolabiata

-

we

dropped anchor in a glorious bay. Soon we made friends with a local family for whom Mike spent hours fixing an old outboardmotor. We alreadyhad begun "baiting" for olives in the sand beneaththe boat and along the shore, and were successful,we thought. Our new friends were less impressed.They took us out one day to show us how to really get olives. It was all so simple it made us feel stupid. They catch some of the little red crabs that scurry over the black rocks along the shore, crush them in their hands and sprinkle the pieces on the water around them. We were amazedat how quickly the olives come ploughing through the sand to pick up the bits of crabs as they reachedthe bottom. After about five minutes our friends dove in and gathered handfuls of olives, but not one O. rubrolabiata amongthem! After severaltries, we cameto the conclusionthat all the O. rubrolabiata (never plentiful) had been

found in the water shallow enough for the locals to collect by skin diving. All that we got were from scubadepths. In every way possible, our Banks Islands friends looked after us well. We dined like kings on river prawns, lobster and fresh picked vegetablesfrom their gardens.In exchange,we left soap, sugar, rice and tobacco. We wished we had more soap, a much sought after item. At one point Mike took them fishing in Loreley. They were thrilled at the quantity of fish with which they finally paddledhome. As we were preparingto leave the Banks Islands, one friend promised to throw "magic leaves" on the water and to "make a spell" so that the wind would be favorable. It worked, next day we sailed for Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, some 600 miles to the northwest.

October, 1987

SHELLS FOR SALE PATRICIANA SHELLS James L. Barnett 225 Session Road Bagio, Philippines Common, uncommon and scarce Philippine tree and land shells, including rare, recently rediscovered mountain species. Photos and color slides of live tree and land snails. S. JAZWINSKI 777 Kapiolani Blvd. #3313 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Specializing in rare to common Gem quality HAWAIIAN Specimens. Several hundred species of Cypraea, Conus, Murex, Strombus, Pecten, Turris, Terebra, Mitra, and more, currently available. CRISTINA C. DAYRIT P.O. Box 3, U.P. Post Office, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines 3004 "LARGEST COLLECTION OF FINE & RARE PHILIPPINE SHELLS"

Full data for each species Enclose $1 for price list (refundable)

SHOW RULES (Cont'd from page 4) judging is alien to the Hawaiian way of doing things. When we have a distinguished visitor, we knock ourselvesout being cordial. I suspectmany other clubs react the same way. I vote "No" to Landin's Rule 4. 7. This rule calls for the show sponsorsto provide round-the-clock security. No argument there. But it goes on to require the club to hire its own guards. This should be left to the committee's judgment. The same is true for insurancecoverage or liability waiver by exhibitors (Rule 8). 9. The thought of a standardsize and design for display casesmay not be practical. HMS, for example, has a storageroom full of casesacquired two decadesago from a generousbenefactor.We would resist getting rid of them. Are other clubs in a similar position? 10. Relianceon battery-operateddevicesin a display would not be popular here, and I do not see any real advantageto it. 12. Personally, I support the idea of inviting dealersto "enter displays and be eligible for awards on the same basis as other exhibitors." The longstanding prejudice against admitting them is a holdover from the Victorian resistanceto anyone' 'in trade." Dealers' shells are attractive, too. Landin's remaining rules are acceptable,although I can foreseesome quibbling over specific wording. Most of them have been in force in one form or another for several years. I expect that they will show up in the rules for the 1988HMS show. Landin's rules, suitably modified, could be used to classify shell shows instead of standardizing them. Clubs that are willing or able to meet all the requirements,including the expenseof three judges, as specified in Rule I, might be rated as Class A. Others would be Class B or - perish the thought - Class C. Would anyonecare to pursuethat idea?

first order

WORLDWIDE SPECIMEN SHELLS --- -. --of Select Qualit" Specimens-

-

~

~~~~

-~

~~--

Wrilefor F~t Illustrated List fJ Richani Goldberg/Worldwid. SpecimenSlzLIIs 'PO Box /37, FreshMeadows,N,)C ,//365.U.S

on

October. 1987

HAWAIIAN

SHELL NEWS

Page 13

By JAMES L. BARNETT* BAGUIO, PHILIPPINES - An earlier article on the land snail life of the mountains of northern Luzon [HSN August, 1984, P 11] dealt primarily with severalspeciesfound in and around Baguio, in Southern Benguet, and concentratedsolely on the snail's shell. The presentseries of articles will deal with snails from throughout Benguet, as well as those from the nearby provinces of Ifugao to the east, and Mountain Province to the north. The articles will concentrate primarily on the entire snail rather than just the shell. Mountain Province and the provinces of Benguet and Ifugao form the southernsection of the Cordillera Central mountain range of Northern Luzon. The Cordillera Central ranges from about 3,500 feet at its lowest point to 9,612 feet at its highest. Most of the snails discussedherein were collected between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. The Cordillera Central is influencedby two climatic systemswhich prevail at different times of the year. The southwest monsoon, which blows from May through October, brings heavy rainfall to the western side of the mountain range. During this period, the eastern side of the region is generally dry. The northeast monsoon, which blows from Novemberthrough April, brings moderaterainfall to the eastern side of the mountains, and during this period, the western side of the range is extremely dry. Tropical storms, including typhoons, which are strongest during August-September, bring heavy rainfall throughoutthe entire mountainMea. During the dry season,the mountain land snails go underground, burrowing under rocks, loose earth, old logs, buildings, and just about anything that will protect them from the heat and the dryness of the dry period. During this period of hibernation, the snails seal off their aperturesso that they will not dehydrate, and generally remain stationary for the entire duration of the dry period. Given the wet conditions which prevail throughout the mountains for most of the year, scientists, students,and collectors usually have accessto live snails and shells on a year-round basis. Thus far, terrestrial snails of the following specieshave been collected and maintained in terrariums: Trachystyla dattaensis,Chlorea benguetensis,Helicobolinus vi. dali, Helicostyla libata, Helicostyla butleri, Heli. costyla butleri gravida, Helicostyla montana, and Obba marmorata benguetana, Ryssota dvitija, Hemiglylpta semperi, as well as several apparently unnamedspeciesof various genera. The snails were found in a variety of places; some on smooth tree trunks at about 10 to 12 feet; someunder loose rocks and earth; while others were found under damp forest debris. Several species were found on the floors and walls of abandoned mines and caves used as World War II ammo *225 Session Road, Baj(Uio, Philippines.

dumps. Some arboreal snails were found on the leaves of large and small temperate and tropical plants including bamboo. Besides being found on and under the ground and on low walls, plant leaves and tree trunks, mountain snails were also found on almost any vertical structure which afforded them climbing space. Snails of one Eulota specieswere observed40 to 50 feet up on the smooth wall of a Baguio hotel. Approximately six specimensof each of the species mentioned above were maintained in three terrariums - two seven gallon tanks and one ten gallon tank - which were fitted with severallargeleafed plants. The behavior in the tanks was similar to the behavior of the snails in their native habitat. The species known to be arboreal, immediately climbed to the highest point in the tank. The true terrestrials, on the other hand, climbed the pots and settledin the earth of the potted plants. Most of the arboreal species died within one month, while the terrestrials survived for the

three-month life of the study. Two Helicobolinus vidali and one Hemiglypta semperi laid egg clusters. The H. vidali eggs were white and were laid in clustersof about one-hundred,while the H. semperi eggs were pink and were laid in a cluster of about twenty. All eggs were approximately 5 rom, and were removed to a heavily vined area outside after about one week in the terrarium. The snails remained near the egg clusters, which were laid in an upper comer of the tank, for about two days and then returned to their usual place in the terrarium. As to food preferences,the snails liked cabbage better than eggplantand sayoteleaves, but preferred lettuce best. When the more pungent lettuce was placed in the tanks, most of the snails would converge on the plastic food container, indicating that the snails have an olfactory capability. It could be that the snail's sense of smell comes from organs located in the shorterpair of tentacleslocatedon the snail's head, but this has as yet not beenconfirmed. (Cont'd on paRe14)

Page 14

HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS

October, 1987

Land Snails of

Northern Luzon

1856

(Cont'd from page 13) Mountain snails are very difficult to collect in any great quantity. Most are found in highly inaccessible mountain areas quite far removed from population centers, and since most snails are active during late night and early morning hours of very rainy periods, it has always been difficult to find collectors who would be in the mountainsduring those periods. At present, it is virtually impossible to find collectors who dare venturevery deepinto the mountains. I. Obba marmorata benguetana (Bartsch, 1933) The only Camaenidaeknown to be found in the mountains. The snail is comparatively small both in girth and in length, with the rear of the foot very seldom protruding from the shell. Mature adults average 40 to 50 mm, while the short eye tentacles averageabout 12 mm, and the smaller, lower tentacles average 4 to 5 mm. The animal is brown SpondylustenebrosusReeve, 1856from 52 feet in MaunaiuaBay, Oahu, Hawaii.

By WES THORSSON*

Photo: Burch

As shells become scarce, as here in Hawaii,

Many species of Spondylus are spectacular and sought by collectors, often bringing high prices. S.

it

may pay you to become more interested in the less lovely ones.

tenebrosus, however, is an exception, with very few adorning coffee tables. In life, ~hey tend ~o live .on the upper surface of recesses m rock clIffs. Arca

LIke

ventricosa they blend in very well with the ..

background,

covered

, you

from the cliff

wIth

wouldn

t

algae

and

calcare-

close when you ap-

. consIder

them

as

separate

identified as a living animal. They maintain. a "normal" attitude, with the hinge toward the clIff wall and the ventral margins outward. They may be partially recessedinto the cliff, or entirely separate, appearing as a hump on the upper recess surface or

. on the cliff or rock wall. Attachment IS from the hinge side of the larger valve by calcareousdepoSI 't s. Spondylus tenebrosus is a large shell. I have measured

them

to

107 mm

ind a d limited aI

collection A' I

ObbamarmoraJa benguetana,northof BaguioAt 5,000 sample, and have seen larger ea v ves. gaIn, feet. Photo:Barnett don't see the smaller shells when diving. It is rela-

throughout, lighter on the bottom and darker on the top, particularly near the head. The head, foot and tentacles all have a heavily pebbled texture. They are generally found on the leaves of low-lying mountain plants. In the terrarium, the snails preferred to station themselveson the sides of the plant pots. The shell of Obba marmorata benguetana is the smallest of th~ large marmorata complex, but it is the most highly colored. The shell averages32 mm in length, and is light brown below and highly decorated with dark brown above. The narrow, ovate aperture is red-orangewithin., and the shiny white lip is thin but solid.

Bull.

of 153,

pp

the

Hawaiian

100-102,

Islands. pI

B.

P.

Bishop

Mus.

25.

Kay, E. A., 1979. Hawaiian Marine Shells,. Reef and Shore Spec.

Fauna of Hawaii: Mollusca. Publ. 64(4) p 532 fig 171.

B.

P. BIshop

Mus.

rock. However, they do not always

close until you actually touch them, so they can be

~-~~-

Manual of the Recent and Fossil Marine Pelecypod Mollusks

bemg

ous deposits. If they didn't proach,

REFERENCES Oall, W. H., Bartsch, P., & Rehder, H. A., 1938. A

tively common in a few areassuch as on cliffs off Makapuu and Kahala (Honolulu) but is absentfrom many cliffs. Often, you see both S. tenebrosusand Arca ventricosa on the samecliff. At Kahala, however, I found S. tenebrosus on the cliff walls but usually not A. ventricosa. At Makaha (Honolulu) the opposite was true. E. Alison Kay, in her excellent Hawaiian Marine Shells, lists S. tenebrosus being 77 mm in diameter and living in tide pools and fringing reefs. I haven't really looked in the shallow areas but find them at 40 to 80 feet deep (my diving habitat). I have a younger shell which exhibits the rib sculpture describedby Kay. When older, the sculptureis usually severelyeroded. *122Waialeale, Honolulu,HI 96825.

WHAT MAKES A

SHELL RARE? ' (Cont d f rom . . page 10) 19. Textiha cervus Lamarck 20. Textilia dusaveli H. Adams 21. Textilia vicweei Old 22. Phizoconus 23. Textilia bullatus gloriakiiensis buUatus Linnaeus Kuroda & Ito 24. Asprella armadillo Shikama(2 forms) 25. Embrikena Rhizoconus 26

barthelemyi pergrandis

Bernardi Iredale

. I've adoptedKawamura's booklet as a guideline, a "target" for shell acquisitions. I highly recommend this excellent booklet to any collector who wishes to enrich his cabinets,or who merely wishes to dream. The color photography is superb (see HSN September1983 P 10) but, alas, many of the illustrations are natural size - a failing of so many .hp.ll 0"_" hnn~. ".

REFERENCES CITED Eisenberg, J M., 1981. A CoDector's Guide to SeasheDs of the World. McGraw-HiD Book Co, NY, 239 pp Rice, T., 1980, 1983, 1985. A Catalog of Dealer's Prices for Marine SheDs,Of Sea and Shore Publications, Port Gamble, WA. National ScienceMuseum, Tokyo, 1983. World SeasheDs of Rarity and Beauty - the KawamuraCollection. Wagner, R.J.L. & Abbott, R.T., editors, 1964. Van Nostrand's Standard Catalog of SheDs,Princeton,NJ.