AN EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATION OF THE HAWAIIAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY

VOL. XXII NO. 12 DECEMBER. 1974 NEW SERIES NO. 180

by TAIZO NINOMIYA

the ridge and body whorl grooved from underthe center of the body. Two obscure brownbands ornament the center of the body, and liredirectly below the shoulder.

2 & 3. Conus eugrammatus. The bodywhorl has spaced ridges with brown sub.

quadrate spots allover the entire body. Onespecimen has three dark bands around the body,which are not present on the second.

4 & 5. Conus praecellens. Has evenly

spaced ridges with narrow brown subquadratespots and two brown bands around the body.

6. Conus species. Widely spaced ridges

with strong brown dots and pale orange blotches

allover the body whorl. Has three widely spacedbands.

7 & 8. Conus japonicus. Smooth body

whorls, but with grooves downward on thecenter of the body, with blackish brown dots allover. Has three widely spaced bands.

9. Conus wakayamaensis. Has widely

spaced ridges allover the body with smallsquare brown dotting. Also three bands consist-

ing of obscure irregular blotches.Measurement Data

From the measurements, I have the following

fiDdings:1. The D / A values of c. eugrammatus and

C. nR.~ui (See page six) are identical at 23mm.'flley al8() have the most elongate oodies. Conu.~walfayama(~n.~is gives an appearance of burlyshortness when compared.

TOKYO - For years. one of my fore-mo8t malacological fa8Cination8 has beenConus (Conasprella) Thiele, 1929, and its\IJ1U8ually beaUtiful 8mall cone8. Mo8t of these8pecie8 are rare, but I have been able to gatheradequate fine 8pecimen8 to pre8ent and 8hare8Ome intere8ting data with other collector8.From a good 8hell friend in Hawaii, I havereceived a pair of the extremely rare Conuseugrammatus Bart8ch and Rehder, 1943,which are u8ed in my 8tudy. Oddly, one 8peci.men i8 banded and the other not, which hasbeen of no little intere8t. Compari80n of theJapane8e 8pecie8 with the other8 from thePacific h88 been intriguing. It al80 has providedme with many hour8 of rewarding 8tudy and, I

hope, accompli8hment.My 8tudy has encompa88ed the following

8pecies :1. Conus nasui Kosuge, 1971. Collected in

1971 from 400 meter8 off the we8t 8hore ofMidway 18land by Japane8e trawler. (figure 1)

2. Conus eugrammatus Bartsch andRehder, 1943. Dredged from 400 fathom8,three mile8 8OUth of Honolulu in 1970. (figure82 & 3'

3. Conus praecellens A. Adam8, 1854.Trawled from 300 meter8 off Kii Penin8ula,Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in 1967. Ref.:Plate 99, figure 1, Selected Shells of theWorld, Volume 1, by Shikama and Horikoshi.(fijtllres 4 & 51

4. Conus 8pecie8. (Not yet identified' Col. jCont'd on PafIp

lected in Tosa Bay, Kochi Prefecture, Japanfrom 200 meters by trawler in 1973. (figure 61

5. Conusjaponicus Hwass, 1792. Trawledfrom 300 meters in Kii Channel off Tanabe,Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in February1972. Ref.: Plate 121, figure 187 and Plate 68,figure 14, Selected Shells of the World, byShikama and Horikoshi. (figures 7 & 8)

6. Conus wakayamaensis Kuroda, 1956.Collected from 300 meters off Kii Peninsula,Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in 1967 bytrawler. Ref.: Plate 99, figure 1, SelectedShells of the World, Volume 1, by Shikamaand Horikoshi. (figure 91

General CharacteristicsThese cones are small, rather thin with

moderately elevated spires. The last whorl iselongate with nearly straight sides. Aperture isnarrow, either white or orange. Outer lip is pro-tracted, shoulder angular, spire elevated butslightly concave with the later whorls beingsmooth. The last whorl is white ornamentedwith brown subquadrate spots mainly confinedto ridges and variably widely spaced or con-densed to form two or three spiral lines aroundthe body. Spires are ornamented with widelyspaced subquadrate spots. Periostraca very thin,yellowish brown, translucent and smooth.

The individual species have these specialcharacteristics:

1. Conus nasui. Has narrow striae on edge

of shoulder. Body whorl has widely spacedridges with brown quadrate spots confined to

HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS December. 1974Page 2

REEFCOMBINGS

The author of the article on the ConBspreliasubgenus of Cones appearing on page one of thisissue - Taizo Ninomiya of Tokyo - is one of

the foremost shell collectors in Japan. He hasbeen a member of the Society for several years,and reports that he hopes to visit Hawaii in the

coming year.In addition to owning what is reputed to be

one of the finest and most extensive shell collec-tions in the world, Ninomiya is a keen student ofmalacology, as his article shows. When notworking with shells, he runs his Ninomiya Bio-logical Laboratory in Tokyo.

In submitting the material for his article,Ninomiya expressed hope that it would assistHMS members in recognizing the differencesamong the ConBsprelia species. He offered todo his best to answer questions. (His address:Taizo Ninomiya, 10/12 Himonya 2, Meguro,

Tokyo, Japan.)+ + +

Remember the report in HSN (Jan. 1974)about the six-inch Cypraea tigris collected byGabby Kawelo of Kailua, Oahu? Was it real?

HMS past president Charles Wolfe recentlymeasured the prize with vernier calipers and gota reading of 152.88mm. (6.019 inches) -clearly a world record. Despite repeated reports

DO A FRIEND A FAVOR!HMS Members: Nonmembers will receive

a complimentary copy of Hawaiian ShellNews I with a membership applicationl ifyou send the Corresponding Secretary theirfull name and address.

Everet C. (Easyl Jones, former HMS direc-tor, marine biologist and ardent conservationist,has been appointed an assistant professor in theDepartment of Science, Oceanography andBiological Inquiry at the North East MissouriState University at Kirksville. "Professor"Jones' many friends in Honolulu - where he

made his headquarters before retiring from theU.S. National Marine Fisheries Service a yearago - would guess that he dreams of the warm

blue Pacific as he braves the wintery blasts enroute to his classes.

The message from the Jones family said thatEasy is thrilled with his teaching job; we knowthat his students must enjoy associating with aman so well versed concerning the ocean.

of sales at fabulous prices, Gabby still has theprize specimen and says he intends to keep it!

+ + +"For the past few years I have heard repeated

complaints regarding an unusual scarcity ofgood shells offered for sale from Taiwan and thePhilippines," HMS past president Elmer Leeh-man commented recently. "HMS memberstravelling to those areas reported that the pre-ponderance of rare and gem-quality specimenswere being bought for spot cash (mostly withU.S. dollars) by well-financed Japanese. Sincethese sales produced immediate payment andinvolved no mailing\ the sellers understandablygave them preference.

"The shells being bought up apparently werefor a ready market in Japan, since few wereexported. I understand that there has been ahuge increase in shell collecting among theJapanese - probably a natural trend in view oftheir great interest in the sea. The Emperor is aworld recognized malacologist and shell col-

lector."Recently, however, several reliable people

have told me that the Japanese no longer are en-gaged in their massive buying, and in most caseshave recalled their buyers. One important U.S.dealer says he has been offered export shellsfrom Japan for the first time in years, althoughat greatly increased prices. Others tell me theyhave again had normal offers from Taiwan andPhilippine sellers.

"I was unable to learn the basic reason forthis change, which might be the result of eitheran economic decline or a saturation of themarke~. Whatever the cause, this should berecognized as a development that favors collec-tors in other parts of the world. Taiwan and thePhilippines long have been recognized as two ofthe most prolific and important shell-producingareas. The resumption of normal market condi-tions will result in more rare shells being avail-able and probably at better prices."

+ + +

The Jones' address is Route 2, Box 29-A,Norwood, Missouri 65717.

+ + +Lyman Higa, who conducts the "Recent

Finds" column each month, was not responsiblefor a slip in reporting a Cypraea langfordi fromJapan (HSN, Oct. 19741 measuring 6Omm. Itwas noted that C. M. Burgess reports a sizerange up to 41.4mm. The sentence should haveread "56.6 to 41.4mm."

In calling attention to the error, Cypraeaexpert Ray Summers wrote: "My largest onefrom Queensland is 59.5mm, about the largest Ihave seen. The Japanese specimens, I believe,are usually smaller than those from Queensland,so 60mm is large - and larger than any that

Burgess knew of at the time the book waswritten."

Perhaps this is a good time to remind HSNreaders to report suspected record-size shells toBob Wagner, Route 1, Box 21, Marathon, Fla.33050, for confirmation and possible inclusionin the next issue of the Standard Catalog ofShells. Include information on the origin of theshell and who did the measuring.

+ + +Dr. R. Tucker Abbott has written to

comment on Enrico Romagna-Manoja's articlein HSN for October 1974 ("Strombus(Lentigo) fasciatus elegans: a New Sub-

species"I."The subspecies. . . is probably invalid on

three counts," he says. "Firstly, the nameelegans was previously introduced by Sowerbyin 1842. Secondly, the 'new subspecies' wasalready give a name (flavigula Tryon, 18851and, thirdly, it is probably only a minor form ofa very variable species."

While he is at it, Abbott supported HSNCorresponding Editor Thora Whitehead in herdiscussion with Bob Purtymun whether NassaBerta is synonymous with N. francolin us.

"Regarding Nassa Roding (not NassaLamarck which is now Nassariusl, Mrs. White-head is correct in following Virginia MaesIProc. Acad. Nat. Sciences, vol. 119, p.132,19671 who considers N. francolina (Bruguierelthe Indian Ocean species, and N. Berta(Bruguiere) as the Pacific Ocean species. Thelatter has a valid Red Sea subspecies, situla(Reeve I. We need an Indo-Pacific Molluscanumber on this genus."

December, 1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page 3

RANGE EXTENSION fOR EPITONIUM SCALAREby HENK K. MIENIS During our current revision of the Red Sea

molluscs present in the collection of the HebrewUniversity of Jerusalem, we found two addi-tional samples from this area.

JERUSALEM - The precious wentletrap,

Epitonium scalare (Linnaeus, 1758), was inthe seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a muchsought after collector's item, fetching high pricesat auctions. There was even a period that thisspecies was so rare that faked specimens madeof rice paste appeared on the market. Today, itis still a popular species, but prices dropped

considerably.

A fine but empty shell was collected in 1957near Massawa, Ethiopia, while a second speci-men was dredged in the harbor of Eilat. Thelatter specimen was found alive. Unfortunately,however, there is no data about exact depth andthe year in which it was collected.

These two finds in the Red Sea and theliterature records of Epitonium scalare fromthe Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf ofOman and the Persian Gulf, indicate that theprecious wentletrap lives not only in the PacificOcean but that it is also widely distributed in thenorthwestern part of the Indian Ocean.

Epitonium scslsre has been considered for along time a typical Sino-Japanese species, sincemost specimens originated from the Far East.However, specimens have also been foWld else-where - in the Philippines, Indonesia, New

Guinea and Queensland. According to Cer-nohorsky (19721 this species is moderatelyWlcommon in the Western Pacific. References

Cemohorsky, W.O., 1972. Marine Shells ofthe Pacific, II. 411 pp. Sydney.

Jousseaume, F.P., 1912. "Faune mala-cologique de la Mer Rouge." Mem. Soc. Zool.France, 24 (3-41: 180-246.

Melvill, J.C., & R. Standen, 1903. "Thegenus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as representedin the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and NorthArabian Sea, with descriptions of new species."J. Conch., 10: 340-351.

Hardly known or maybe overlooked is thefact that this species has also been reported fromthe northwestern part of the Indian Ocean. Mel.viii & Standen (1903' reported it from the Per.sian Gulf, the Mecran Coast and from Bombay,while Jousseaume (1912) mentioned it fromAden.

HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS December, 1974Page 4

WHAT'S NEW IN SHELL IDENTIFICATION?ian Shell Ne~s - identify them fully. Be sure

your name, the species name and the locality arewritten legibly on the slide or the back of theprint. Even if you send a separate sheet withdetails, give us the above information on eachitem.

Except in special instances when a photo is tobe run in color, HSN prefers to receive a colorprint. If you have any choice in the matter, aprint that shows the shell alone (rather thanwith a lot of background or border I is best. Butclarity of detail is vital. Bad focus, uneven light-ing, shaky camera - impossible!

COMING EVENTSThe January 1975 issue of Hawaiian Shell

New8 will feature a remarkable report by DavidThomas, of Morro Bay, California, on his

recent visit to remote Easter Island, home ofCypraea englerti and C. cap utdra con is as wellas of the famous stone men. Be sure your HMSdues for 1975 are paid up, to avoid delay indelivery .

by CHARLES WOLFE

Cymatium trilineatum (Reeve, 1844). Thistriton seems to be fairly common in the Red Seaand Persian Gulf areas. Reeve's type localitywas the Philippine Islands, but I have neverseen a specimen from anywhere in the Pacific.The spire is markedly longer in relation to thebody whorl than in the following species.

Cymatium boschi Abbott & Lewis, 1970. Ihave seen this uncommon triton only from theGulf of Oman. It differs from C. trilineatum inhaving a decidedly shorter spire and in thetabular appearance of the subsutural area.

Mitra (Dibaphus) edentula Swainson,1823, is found throughout most of the Pacific,including Hawaii where it is extremely rare. Thepeculiar recurved siphonal canal is distinctive.Like most of its genus, it is a sand-dweller.

Conus suratensis Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792.Some authorities consider this a form of c.betulin us Linne, 1758. However, c. sura-tensis is a smaller, more slender shell with asharper edge at the shoulder. The spots on C.suratensis tend to .line up axially; this feature isnever seen in C. betulin us.

Phalium (Semicassis) umbilicatum (Pease,18601. This Cassid is endemic to Hawaii. Al-though crabbed specimens are occasionallytaken by divers, the shell apparently lives below

scuba depth. Live specimens have been taken bydredging and in crab traps, the most recent byHMS member George Donner in November,1974. Its heavy spiral cording is distinctive andcontinues to the inside of the lip.

Year end wrap-up: Since this is the final issuefor 1974, the editors asked for an up-dating ofname changes, errors, etc., for the last twelveshell identification pages. Following are thenecessary corrections of which we are aware atthis time.

In the photo captions, parentheses around theauthor and year should be removed for thefollowing species: (April 1 Lambis scorpiusindomaris, (August) Murex rectirostris andStrombus marginatus marginatus, (Septem-ber) Conus moreleti and Codakia thaanumi.

From the May issue: The name Mitranigricans has been found to be a synonym ofMitra luctuosa A. Adams, 1853. From theJune issue: Correct the generic designation toScabricola (Swainsonia) newcombii (Pease,1869). From the July issue: Correct the genericdesignation to Cancilla (Domiporta) grana-tins (Lam"arck, 1811). M. gracilis has beenfound to be an invalid name and the speciesshown is now named Cancilla (Domiporta)

gloriola Cernohorsky, 1970. My apologies toWalter Cernohorsky for overlooking his 1970study, and my thanks to numerous memberswho cawrht mv error!

~

Photo: Christensen

RARE CONUSFigured in the above picture are four of the

rarest of the cone family. These fine shells arefrom the personal collection of Olaf Christensenof North Brighton and are all of gem quality.Top is shown a COIIUS gloriamaris and bottoma Conus bengalensis. They are flanked by twoConus milneedwardsi, one with dark brownpattern and the other with lil!ht brown.

The Hawaiian Shell News Shell Identifica-tion Pages, about which some misgivings wereexpressed early in 1974, appear to have estab-lished their popularity. Reader response wasfairly good and almost 100 per cent positive.

Criticisms were directed at the use of color vs.black-and-wlHte, the ratio of Hawaiian toworldwide specimens, and the eternal questionof what to print on the reverse page. On thebasis of the mail (and a few oral comments), theHMS Directors recently authorized- ten colorpages for the next year or so, along with black-and-white for intervening months.

Charles Wolfe,who has been in charge of theill page, has been asked to continue. He alsowrites the brief notes that accompany thefeature on a separate page.

"I invite HMS members - in fact, you mightsay I plead with them - to assist in this

feature," Wolfe declares. "Send me photos thatyou think should be included, or send the speci-men and I will photograph it here.

"My need is not for the very common species,nor for the excessively rare. The object of the ill

page is to assist collectors to identify andseparate the specimens that give them trouble.

"For the moment I need black-and-white,rather than color, but I am willing to try toreproduce color in HI W if that is what you have.Give me two views of the shell - dorsal andventral - at the same scale. It is helpful to in-

clude a strip of paper or tape indicating length,either metric or in inches (see the current ID

photos)."The primary concern is not with artistic

merit, but with clarity of detail. I need a clearillustration of the characteristic features - ex-terior sculpturing, distinctive markings, colum-nellar peculiarities, and so forth.

"If you are not absolutely sure of the identify,please say so. In any event, report the source ofyour name - your local expert on the genus, a

shell book, or another publication. In some in-stances, I may ask you to send me the originalshell for additional study. Needless to say, theshell will be returned safely and as quickly aspossible. A brief writeup on the species - itshabitat, range, rarity, etc. - will be helpful,also.

"Full credit will be given to the owner of theshell as well as to the photographer."

The Shell Identification Page should not beconfused with the "Little Stranger" photos thatappear frequently in HSN. The latter are

specimens that cannot, or have not been iden-tified by the owner and his immediate circle.Nor is the ill page competing with the occa-sional pictures of remarkable shells - the world

record sizes, the abberant colors, the mon-

strosities, etc.A filial word on submittinll photos to Hawai.

HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWSDecember. 1974 Page 5

Comments on Cribrariaby RA Y SUMMERS

The adult Valuta fulgetrum Sowerby, 1825,approximately actual size.

Photos: Trenberth

After the middle of January, all activityceases and no more specimens are to be found inthe area. A few dead specimens, up to 1 Y2inches, may be found, but no adults, so ob.viously the young shells, as well as the adults,have again made it to deep water. The smallestof the adult shells taken during this periodwould be about four inches in length, butsmaller specimens are trawled, so it would seemthat this is the length when they reach adultstatus.

Although specimens are trawled at times, thisis the exception rather than the rule. When thishappens the trawler is not getting the bestresults with prawns and promptly resets hisotter board, so that the net works some distanceabove sea bed level. In a correctly set net, noshells are obtained.

Voluts fulgetrum Sowerby, 1825 and itsmany forms has often been quoted as a between-tides volute, but study has disclosed that this isnot correct. Some justification for this conten-tion is given by the fact that most specimenshave been taken at low tide. This only occursduring certain months of the year, however. Thefact that JI: fulgetrum is normally a deep-waterspecies has been established by the taking ofspecimens by trawlers when working at depthsof around forty fathoms. Thus, from theexperience of trawlers and collectors and thecompiling of the data so accumulated, thefollowing pattern has evolved.

During the months from late January to earlyOctober the common habitat of JI: fulgetrum isin deep water. The close inshore migrationusually starts in October, when it is obvious thatthe egg-laying season commences. In theshallow water the action of the tides and the sunon the exposed sands creates an ideal incubationtemperature for the eggs. The shell comes in onthe high night tide and burrows in such aposition, that, when the tide recedes in themorning, it is left buried in the sand a few feetabove the low water mark. When the tide againturns and begins to make, the shell breaks out ofthe sand and slowly makes its way to meet theincoming water, then by stages, back to the deepwater again.

It has been observed that soon after the firstshells are found, very juvenile specimens, someno more than the protoconch, but unmistakinglythat of JI: fulgetrum, can be found in the area.These are always empty of any animal and itmust be presumed that the immature animal hasfallen prey to some marauder.

In most cases the buried shell cannot bedetected, the tide having levelled out the sandabove it. But where the shell has gone a little toohigh and buried in the less compacted sand, asmall mound may be seen. When the top of thisis scraped off, the shell is plainly visible.

There does not seem to be any pattern to thearea chosen for egg laying. Seldom is the samesite used in consecutive years. Quite often thereis a lapse of six or seven years between visits toany given area.

Just how many eggs are laid in a sitting hasnot been established, as the temptation to exca-vate the nest has so far been resisted. One of mycollector friends asserts that each shell lays butone egg. This I find hard to believe, in view ofthe obvious mortality rate.

The inshore migration has been substantiatedby skin divers, who have taken JI: fulgetrum at

free-diving depths during this period of egg-lay-

ing in the vicinity.

PETALUMA - Jerry Donohue's recent

note, "A Key to the Cribraria" (HSN June19741, states that Cypraea catholicorum haslateral spots on the right side only and that c.cribraria does not have lateral spots. This mayresult in some confusion in identification, whichthe following constructive comments shouldhelp to prevent.

I am aware that the original description ofCribraria (Cribraria) catholicorum Schildill'and Schilder, 1938, (or C. catholicorum,whichever one may choose to call it) only men-tions lateral spots on the right side. This wasevidently constant on the sixty-six specimensfrom Mope and Karlei, New Britain that theSchilders had studied at the time it wasdescribed in their very fine Prodome. I amgrateful for the vast knowledge it contained.

I have not checked specimens from all local-ities, but the specimen from New Caledonia onplate 13, figure A of Burgess' Living Cowrieshas several lateral spots on the columellar (leftlside with a few faint spots extending over thebase. Through the generosity of CMSgt. EdwinL. Fobes, this specimen is now in my collection.Specimens from Lau lagoon, Ataa, Malaitaisland, British Solomon Islands, sometimes havelateral spots on the columellar side as well as on

the labial side.During the several years that elapsed between

the writing The Living Cowries and itspublication, Cypraea catholicorum wascollected quite often on Malaita by J. van derRiet, a personal friend of mine. Previously, ithas been extremely rare, particularly in finecondition. I had only seen the very fine paratype[ obtained through the generosity of Dr. F. A.Schilder, and three specimens from New Cale-donia (two of which were in the Fobes collec-

tion).The Living Cowries states that lateral

spotting occurs in varying degrees on both sideson some specimens of C. cribraria from allareas. Although I have not observed this, it

seems logical.In certain parts of the Philippines the large

heavily calloused variation of C. cribraria oftenhas distinct lateral spots on the labial side, atleast. I have not seen this on the type of C. cri-braria most commonly found in the Philippines,although it may occur. Those from Ceylon andEast Africa sometimes have lateral spots oneach side, but rarely on the columellar side ofthose from East Africa. I believe that those fromthe Ceylon area are the most likely to have

lateral spots.In short, the difference of lateral spots noted

by Donohue is not constant, and should not be

regarded as an infallible key to identification.

Immature II: fulgetrum, same scale as above.Photos: Trenberth

by W. PAUL TRENBERTH

Page 6 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS December, 1974

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shortness when compared.2. The DIB value of C. eugrammatus is

28.5mm and the smallest of the six species.

Conus praecellens measures 30mm in DIBvalue. Conus japonicus proves to have the

most blUnt profile.3. The D/C value of C. nasui shows it to

have the most elevated spire, which indicates avalue of .92mm. Next in order is C. praecel-lens. c. wakayamaensis has the flattest spire ofthe six species.

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The October issue of Hawaiian Shell New8carried a photo sent by Luisa Berzigotti, ofRimini, Italy, of an unidentified bivalve fromLake Garda. Did anyone recognize it?

At least two top-level experts did. Both Dr. R.Tucker Abbott, of the Delaware Museum ofNatural History, and Henk K. Mienis, curatorof the mollusc collection, Hebrew University ofJerusalem, called it Dreissena polymorpha(Pallas), a recent arrival in northern Italy.

"Since about three years it has been living inLake Garda, Mincio River and the Lake ofLedro," Mienis wrote. "It is a well known factthat Dreissena can cause extensive damage towater pipes transferring cooling water to electric

power pl,ants. It is therefore considered a pest in

many places."Dr. Abbott added that the freshwater zebra

clam is "the scourge of industrial plants in AsiaMinor and Russia. There is a $500 fine forimporting them into the United States. A harm-less brackish water cousin, Mytilopsis, lives inthe eastern United States."

The photo from Italy included other shellsthat had stumped Ms. Berzigotti. Both Dr.Abbott and Mr. Mienis recognized them asCepea nemoralis (Linne), a common Europeangarden snail that is occasionally found in NorthAmerica, also. The latter apparently werebrought across the Atlantic by early immigrants.

December, 1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page

SHELLS FOR SALE

DIRECT FROM DIVERRARE NEW CALEDONIAN SHELLSMelanistic Cypraea, Voluta rossiniana, rare

Conus (lienardi, merleti, nigrecens, etc.,)

gem quality specimens.Write for price list or send needs to:

M.J. BOTA,B.P. 3163Noumea, New Caledonia

(Black lienardi available now).

SINISTRAL CYPRAEAA "left-handed" cowry is rare under any

circumstances, and doubly so when it is a scarcespecies. Mrs. Gwenda Pini, HMS member inQueensland, has a specimen of what she believesis Cypraea capensis Gray, 1828 that isunquestionably sinistral.

"How many other members have sinistralcowries in their collection ?" she asks. "I am ledto believe that the abnormality is extremely rarein Cypraea."

Members may write her at P. O. Box 780,Innisfail 4860, Queensland.

GROW YOUR OWN

CONUS GLORIAMARIS (Cont'd.)

SPECIAL BOOK LISTAUSTRALIAN SHELLS, Wilson {\ Gillett,

ASI2.95.SHELLS OF NEW GUINEA {\ the CEN.

TRAL INDO-PACIFIC, Hinton, A$4.95.MARINE SHELLS OF THE PACIFIC,

Cemohorsky, Rev. FIRST Ed. A$7.00. NewSECOND Ed. AS13.00

Postage is additional at A$I.10 Paymentrequested with order, in Australia Currency, byBank-draft to:

OLAF CHRISTENSEN, BOX 124NORTH.BRIGHTON, 3186, AUSTRALIA

I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I= Shells of the Seas. Inc. == ~ FLORIDA =~ The Friendly Dealer ~~ Wr;t. for FREE l;,t ~~ ~~ ~~ SPECIMEN SHELLS ~~ BOUGHT & SOLD ~~ Eo'" Sp.,;me. Compl.'. ~~ W;t" A,,",ot. lo,oo;o. ~~ telep one Doto ~~ 305-763-7516 Sh,'" ,"de" "",dio, t, HMS.,SGS ~~ P. O. BOX 1418 !~ M~ FT. LAUDERDALE. FLA. 33302 ~~ U. S. A. ~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOURCE FOR RED SEA SPECIMENAND COMMERCIAL SHELLS

DOV PELEDHazalafim 6. Haifa, 34.739, Israel

Buys, sells and exchanges shells. Price list onrequest. New price list for 1974-75.

lain Gower of Guadalcanal, whose successfulattempt to raise a Conus gloriamari.. from atiny juvenile into a healthy adult specimen wasreported (HSN July 1974), writes that the shellis still hale and hearty, but that he fears it hasreached maximum size without threatening anyworld records.

lain did not report 1ts actual present length,however. The shell still lives happily, withplenty to eat, in a cage on the bottom of MarauSound, Guadalcanal, in the British SolomonIslands.

It has been proposed that the food supply becontinued, in hopes that the shell will continueto grow, and that when the specimen dies the

animal be preserved for scientific study byWilliam Old, Jr. of the American Museum ofNatural History in New York, Dr. R. TuckerAbbott, of the Delaware Museum of NaturalHistory, or Dr. Alan Kohn, of the University ofWashington - all of whom are cone experts.

The opportunity to study this rare species wouldbe most welcome, I suspect.

The Conus gloriamaris of the Solomon Is-lands have never approached the Philippinespecimens in size. The world tecord is 155mm.Of the numerous specimens found offGuadalcanal in 1968, none exceeded 12Omm.No larger ones have been recovered since then.

Elmer G. Leehman

CARFEL SHELL EXPORTCARFEL SEASHELL MUSEUM

1786 A. Mabini St.Malate, Manila, Philippines

We offer quality specimens, ornamental,commercial shells & handicrafts. Write for freeprice list. Visit us and see our permanent displayof beautiful collection.

Stranger from Thailand

Write for Free Itinerary for 1974 Season.P. O. Box 1418

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33302

Personally Guided Shelling and Diving ToursAround the World. Tried and Proven.

COME JOIN THE FUN!

DELAYED FERTILIZATIONby OLIVE SCHOENBERG

Occasionally a mollusk will lay eggs shortlyafter it has been placed in a home aquarium.

Sometimes these eggs hatch into tiny velligershells after an incubation period. More often,however, the eggs never hatch - either because

they have never been fertilized or because ofcontamination in the egg cases prior to hatching.

On rare occasions gastropods have beenobserved laying fertile eggs when no other simi-lar species has been around.

In 1973 John Drury found a Cypraea tigriswhile scuba diving off Oahu's shores. He put thecowry in his aquarium where, a few weeks later,she laid eggs under a rock. It wasn't ascertainedwhether the eggs hatched as the Drurys wereaway at the time.

Then the unusual occurred. About six weekslater, the same C. tigris laid another batch ofeggs. These hatched into a grayish-white cloudof ciliated, swimming velligers. No other C.tigris lived in this aquarium to fertilize theseeggs. How, then, were they fertilized?

In the Cypraeidae (and many other gaStropodfamiliesl, the sexes are separate. Dr. Alison Kayworked on C. caputserpentis, a very commonshell, and noted that females have a seminalreceptacle that has several diverticulations or

pockets."More sperm are ejected during copulation

than are utilized in fertilization of eggsdeposited at one time, and these sperm areaccumulated I stored 1 in the seminal recepta-cle," she reported. "The sperm remain activein the receptacle for at leaSt eleven days follow-

ing copulation."Delayed fertilization sometimes occurs. It

appears that the female will use only part of thesperm at anyone time, storing the reSt for fer-tilization of future eggs at widely spaced inter-vals. This would explain the phenomenon thattook place in Drury's aquarium where a lonefemale laid a fertile batch of eggs after she hasbeen in an aquarium many weeks with no otherc. tigris and also after she had laid a previousbatch of eggs. This too, would explain the fertilee!{!{slaid in 8<)b Purtymun's aquarium a seCfmdtime by a Cymatium nicobaricum without thepresence of a male. IHSN Oct. 19741.

Species employing the delayed fertilizationphenomenon seem to be found over a wide areaof ocean. This may explain why such shells asCypraea tigris, S. caputserpentis, and Cyma-tium nicobaricum are found over much of theIndo-Pacific.

References:Abbott, R. T.: Kingdom of the Seashell. p.

150.Bartsch, Paul: Mollusks. p. 155-156.Kay, Alison: The Functional Morphology of

Cyp. caputserpentis . . . Int. Revue ges. Hydro-bioI. 45. p. 187-191.

Arun Chaiseri's malformed "Little Stranger"from Thailand (HSN Oct. 1974, p.5j is a notuncommon malformation of Latirus poly-gonus (Gmelinj, "possibly the subspecies bar-clayi Reeve," according to Dr. R. TuckerAbbott. "Umbilicate forms are due to growthinjuries, sometimes resulting in double siphonalcanals." he adds.

Page 8 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS December. 1974

. . . it is remarkable how big a prey can beRabbled up.

References:1. Zelazny, Bernhard 1974, "A close look

at the radula tooth," Hawaiian Shell News,Vol. XXII, No.9 (New Series No. 1771:3.

2. Kohn, A. J., Nybakken, J. W. & VanMol, J. J. 1972, "Radula tooth structure of thegastropod (;onu.~ irnperialis elucidated byscanning electron microscopy," Science, Vol.176: 49.51.

3. Holeman, J. & Kohn, A. J. 1970, "Theidentity of Conus mappa (Lightfootl, c. insu.laris Gmelin, C. aurantius Hwass in Bruguiere,and Hwass's infraspecific taxa of C. cedo-nulli," J. Conch., Vol. 27: 135.137.

Oahu Observations

CURACAO - Several studies on the struc-

ture of radula teeth of cones have been pub-lished recently. Bernhard Zelazny selectedConus miles Linnaeus for his studies (ref. 11;Kohn, Nybakken and Van Mol elucidated thestructure of the radula tooth of C. imperialisLinnaeus (ref. 2). In both cases the tooth wastypical for a small group of closely relatedConus species with a very specialized diet, con-sisting almost exclusively of polychaetes of thefamily Amphinomidae. According to PeterPercharde in Trinidad, C. mappa (Lightfoot)and C. regius Gmelin also live on a diet ofamphinomid worms.

Does Conus aurantius Hwass from Curacao(which according to some authors is only avariety of C. mappa (Lightfootl (ref. 3) havethe same strange food preference?

It was one of those peculiar coincidences inlife that at about the time this question arose Igot a phone call from my friend Pieter Stoel,who had found a C. aurantius on Curacao withremains of fireworms in its "gullet". The findwas quite exceptional, not only because of therarity of c. aurantius, but also because of thescarcity of Conus specimens with food in the gutthat can be identified. When he was so lucky tofind another specimen of C. aurantius, Pietertook the initiative to put it in an aquariumtogether with fireworms. Before long the Conusattacked a worm and started to swallow it. Sincethen we have kept the specimen alive on' aregular supply of fireworms.

When the Conus is hungry, say after five toseven days without food, it gets excited as soonas a fireworm walks nearby. Its proboscisbecomes very long and a "tongue" appears,pointing in the direction of the worm. (photo 1).When the "tongue" touches the worm theradula tooth is suddenly injected into the prey.(21. The worm reacts violently and wriggleswhile venom is conveyed through the tooth intothe wound. The worm then tries to walk awaybut the barbs on the tooth hold it firmly.

The victim sometimes succeeds in freeingitself. Strangely enough, the Conu8 is notcapable of catching its prey again immediatelyafter a failure. It attacks the worm but cannothold it. It could be that not enough venom isproduced in time or that a second radula tooth isnot quickly available if the first one .is lost withthe prey.

Normally the partially paralyzed worm isslowly hauled in and swallowed whole (31. Only"n a few occasions the worm is not consllnledcompletely. It is remarkable how big a prey canbe gobbled up. Some time later, slimy packagesof bristles of the fireworm are expelled (41.

We also verified that Conu8 regiu8 feeds onfireworms. This soecies seems more active and

A few of our shells seem to thrive on themuddy conditions that have prevailed aroundOahu this past year. The erosion from our landhas been extremely bad, due to the fact that anumber of heavy storms have hit the islandwhen the sugar cane fields and subdivisiongrading were vulnerable. Even now, the silt is inevidence out where the water is sixty to eightyfeet deep.

Still, other mollusks cannot tolerate thiscondition - a fact about which much has beenwritten, without naming any specific shell. Iwould like to name a victim. It is the beautifullittle member of the Cribraria group; Cypraeagaskoini Reeve, 1846. Rarely has it been foundalive outside of the Hawaiian Islands, and here,in the past, it has been a rather uncommonmollusk. Now, it appears to have disappeared.Areas which usually produced a few are nowcovered by swirling mud. Several years ago, thehard coral flats of Haleiwa, in forty to sixty feetof water, were home for several thrivingcolonies. In October and early November thelittle "mother hens" could be observed broodinga cluster of orange-yellow eggs, but not this year.During the past five months of hard week-enddiving we have observed only three small speci-mens.

Very few shells can equal the brilliance of thislittle gem. It has a bright orange-red dorsum,contrasted by a white base, with small dark-brown lateral spotting.

Other c. gaskoini hot spots on the island donot seem to be much better. Just a short timeago, during a Kona storm, a group of us dovethe windward side. Eureka! Everyone came upwith C. gaskoini, nine specimens in all. Closerobservatio~ proved only one small specimen wasalive.

Dr. Burgess, in his Living Cowries, rates thismagnificent little jewel with number (71 on hisscale of rarity. If conditions continue as theyare, we may have to give our almost endemicCypraea gaskoini Reeve, 1846, an X rating.

Bob Purtymun

by DANKER VINK

aggressive. It even crawls towards its prey.whereas normally C. aurantius patiently waits.partly buried in the sand, for its victim to passby. Feeding time is late in the afternoon or atni"ht. earlier on cllmdy days. Photographingwith natural light and Kodachrome II is almostimpossible at such times.

December, 1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Supplement 12-74

---~~ ::~b!l~~~~~ P.O. BOX 730 0 OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA 93644 USA

~ WorlJ WiJe anJ Ral'e Slell

WIDE SELECTION OF WEST MEXICO,PANAMA AND CALIFORNIA SHELLS

MONTILLA ENTERPRISESpecimen Shells of the Philippines - Free

List - Shell & Seed Necklaces - Monkey Pod& Wooden Wares - Black Coral Bracelets &Earrings - Fibercraft - Artificial Flowers -Shell Craft - Windchimes, etc.

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Philippines

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Merv Cooper of Perth Sheil Distributorsavails you of his New List No.6.

- FREE-Write to:

PERTH SHELL DISTRIBUTORSP. O. Box 186

Mt. Hawthorn; Western Australia 6016The Home of Cypraea rosselli

Phone 815-542

WORLDWIDEQuality Shells

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I CATALOGS ON REQUEST 1L ~::::::~~~~~ }Contact the reliable supplier in Taiwan for

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SPEAKING Of BOOKS:

Stuart Lillico

Sally Diana Kaicher's Card-Pack of MitridaeII has been received and welcomed by those ofus struggling with identification. Cataloging ofMitridae is becoming a complicated process,however, necessitating a system oJ cross-index-ing with so many listed subgenera: Austro-mitra, Costella ria, Cancilla, Neocancilla,

S!,bcancilla, Dibaphus, Domiporta,1mbriraria, Mitra, Pu.~ia, Pterygia,Strigatella, Scabricola, Swainsonia, Thala,Vexillum, Ziba, Zierliana and probably more.

If any HMS members has been able todevelop an effective and (hopefully) simplemethod of cataloging, please share it with us.

Bunnie Cook

HMS November MeetingRECENT FINDS

SEASHELLS OF HAWAII, by Stephen J.G. Quirk and Charles S: Wolfe. Photography byLarry Witt. Honolulu, W. W. Distributors Ltd.$2.50.

A new volume by Steve Quirk and HMS pastpresident Charles Wolfe meets a real need forinformation on the most common species ofshells found in Hawaii. Seashells of Hawaiigoes considerably beyond the earlier HawaiianSeashells, to which Quirk was an importantcontributor. It illustrates some 380 species -about twice the number in the other volume -

and it lists them in handy form. All photos are incolor.

Shellers planning to visit the Fiftieth State -

and even nonvisitors who want to check thecompleteness of their collections - will do wellto consult the new publication. It is not com-plete, in the sense that some rare species are notlisted, but Quirk and Wolfe have brought to-gether information on just about every Hawai-ian shell that is likely to be encountered incasual collecting.

Included are a couple of apparently newspecies - an olive and a cerith - found recently

in deep water east of Oahu. The authors givethem popular names, but carefully abstain fromdescribinl( them scientifically.

In accordance with the Bylaws, members ofthe Hawaiian Malacological Society met inNovember for their official annual meeting.Officers for 1975 were elected. They are:

President: Olive Schoenberg.Vice President: Ruth Fair.Treasurer: Bob Purtymun.Corresponding Secretary: Ellen Owens.Recording Secretary: Lucy Kwiatkowski.Four Directors were elected: Don Grace, Ed

Konopka, George Cummings and Inkie Shields.Four more directors will be named by theincoming president. The editor of HawaiianShell News and the outgoing president are ex

officio directors.The new'officers will take office on 1 January.The shells remaining from the September

auction were sold at the November meeting,adding approximately $300 to the total.

The January membership meeting will beheld on 8 January at the First United MethodistChurch, Honolulu, rather than on 1 January.

Thora Whitehead of Brisbane, Australia re-ports several recent finds by Australian collec-tors. Two Cypraea martini have been takenfrom North Queensland waters - one ex pisce

in the vicinity of Sudbury Reef, off Cairns, andthe second taken by a diver on a reef off Towns-ville, N. Queensland. Both specimens were ingood condition and the ex pisce shell still had abit of the animal in it.

Another unusual find in the Cairns, Australiaarea was a live-collected Cypraea testudinaria.And a report of two specimens of Conuscrocatus, (one dead, one alive) taken by diversoff Townsville, could be a new record for

Queensland.On Kauai, Keith Zeilinger was excited by his

find of a crabbed specimen of Cymatiumcingulatum . . . rare in Hawaii.

And finally, Steve Carr of Honolulu recentlycollected a second live specimen of Murexfenestratus, thus definitely establishing th"presence of this species in Hawaiian waters.

HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS December, 1974Supplement 12.74

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: Photo: Kemp.~ ~: To use these illustrations, cut carefully along the dashed lines. Perhaps a bit of

~', : extra trimming may be necessary. Then carefully mount the illustration on a standardI

: 3 x 5 inch file card. Additional data about shells of this species in your collection,: sizes, etc., may be entered on the back of the file card.

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