Hawaii`s Colorful Heritage

YOLo XXVIII
SEPTEMBER, 1980
NO.9
NEW SERIES 249
BAlUT ISLAND,
PHILIPPINES' NEW
TREASURE HOUSE
By FATHER AL LOPEZ S.J.
and EV ARISTO ZAMBO
CEBU - The island of Mindanao, in the extreme
south of the Philippines, and the Sulu Archipelago
that extends southwestwardfrom it form the northern boundary of the CelebesSea. The frontier between the Philippines and Indonesiaruns about five
degreesnorth of the equatorand parallel to it at this
point.
Some 50 miles from the boundary, in Philippine
waters, lie the Sarangani Islands. One of these
specks of land is Balut Island - the hithertounidentified sourceof recent spectacularshell finds.
(Seemap on page eight.)
Many shell fishermen from Punta Engano, near
Cebu, have moved their nets southward in recent
months to work the depths off Balut Island. The
results have been staggering. Balut is truly a treasurehouse.
Conus excelsus Sowerby is one of. the recent
prizes. Other membersof the Conidaehave included
C. cervus Lamarck,C. dusaveliH. Adams,C.
aurisiacusLinne,C. thomaeGmelin,C. armadillo
Shikama,C. kuroharai Habe,and the uniqueC.
(Turn to Page 8)
Photo: Goldberg
Some selected members of the Achatinella s. str. complex: Top (left to right): Achatinella lorota (Ferussac)
from Nuuanu, Koolau range (species varies from streaked to banded); A. lorata var. ventrosa Pfeiffer, from
Mt. Tantalus, Honolulu (short compact shells with blackish streaks); A. concavospira Pfeiffer, from '.'Green
Mountain,"
Waianae range (differs from A. mustelina by its concave-slender spire); A. swiftii Newcomb
var. coniformis (Gulick) from Kalaikoa, Koolau range (a brown line or narrow band borders suture).
Lower: A. mustelina Mighels, from Mokuleia, Waianae range (invariably sinistral; extremely variable
species); A. mustelina lymaniana Baldwin, from "Green Mountain" (a well-marked subspecies, always
sinistral); A. turgida Newcomb, from Waiawa, Koolau range (typical form); and A. decora (Ferussac),
from Kawaiholona, Koolau range (white sutural band, either narrow or wide).
Hawaii's Colorful Heritage
By RICHARD GOLDBERG
alreadyhavebeen wiped out..
Among the most beautiful and colorful land shells
I must emphasize that no collecting of
are the tree snails of the tropics. The Polymita and Achatinella is done today. All of the researchand
Liguus of Cuba, the Liguus of southernFlorida, the collecting I discusshere was done in the l800s and
Papuina of the Solomonsand New Guinea, and the early 1900s. My emphasis will be upon the
Achatinella of Hawaii, to name a few, rival their conchologicalaspectsof the genus, which no poputerrestrial relativesin color and pattern.
lar literature has coveredin the past 60 to 70 years.
My interest in land shells has been diverse, but
The Achatinella hold an important place in genthe Achatinellidae of Hawaii (and in particular the eral biological literature. The doctrine of evolution
genusAchatinella in Oahu) has had my full atten- grew out of a study of these snails. The classition recently. These colorful little gems of the high fication of Achatinella is based solely upon the
ridges and gulches of the Koolau and Waianae shell's characteristics.Dr. H. Pilsbry statesin Manmountain ranges of Oahu (Honolulu), are on the ual of Conchology (1912-14) that, as far as is
precarious edge of extinction. Some species may known, the animals are practically alike. The Fam-
. An excellent
articleby Alan Hart in Natural
Conus excelsus
Photo: Lopez
History magazine(Dec. 1978) covers this and other
ecologicalaspects,too numerousto discusshere.
R.G.
ily Achatinellidae
divides into two groups:Partulina.
..
and Achatinella. Achatinella has been further split
into three subgenera.These are helpful when study(Turn to Page 4)
Page2
HAWAIIAN
September. 1980
SHELL NEWS
"7I4«.lattale S Ieett '1teett4
ISSN 0017-8624
Editor Emeritus ..
STUART
Editor
Associate Editors
ELMER
SCHOENBERG.
Advisor
Consullant
GEORGE
Higa.
Cliff
John
Fr.
HAWAIIAN
Rick
Luther.
Peter
van
KAY
and overseas members visiting Honolulu early in
December - are particularly invited. Details of
O. CERNOHORSKY
Lyman
POBox
OLIVE
CAMPBELL
E. ALISON
W.
K
Tucker
AI Lopez
William
Pel.
Weaver.
Thora
E. Old
prices, menu and parking arrangements will be
circulatedlater.
S.J..
Jr..
Whitehead
MALACOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
(Founded in 1941)
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
10391
President
LILLICO
LEEHMAN.
Editors:
Stall
Science
Science
Editorial
Corresponding
Distant Early Warning: The Hawaiian Malacological Society's annual banquet is scheduledfor
Wednesday, December 3 at the Elks Club at the
foot of Diamond Head, in Honolulu. All HMS
members and guests - including U.S. Mainland
E. R. CROSS
,
",.,..,
DR. TOM BURCH
Vice President
Treasurer
JOHNEARLE
WESTHORSSON
RecordingSec'y
LIZ KANE
CorrespondingSec'y
OLIVESCHOENBERG
Directors
GEORGE
CAMPBELL
RAYMcKINSEY
WM. CHRISTENSEN
MIKEOWENS
EOOUNHAM
TOMRICHERT
BRUCEHOOK
OOROTHY
WENOT
STUARTLILLICO
KEITHZEILINGER
The Society meets the first Wednesday of each month at the
Hawaii National Guard headquarters. Diamond Head Road
& 22nd Avenue. Honolulu at 7:30 p.m.
VISITORS WELCOME!
Hawaiian Shell News is issued free to members of the
Society Postage rates have been computed and added to
membership dues Single copies of any issue, $1.00, postage included Individual copies of any issue may be ob1ained, free of charge, by qualified individuals for bona fide
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Members outside the United States are askedtopaywnh a
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(Be sure your name and address appear on the cheque.)
$1400
(Recommended)
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and
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As Printed Matter to Canada and
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HMS DUES FOR 1980
First Class delivery of HSN in US.,
By Bulk Mail to U.S. Zip Code
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There is a $1.00 charge for Change of Address.
Articles of interest to shell collectors are solicned Contents are not copyrighted Republication, wnh credn to HSN,
is invned.
Advertisements are accepted at the rate of US $15 per
column-inch/issue, payable in advance. Discounts are offered for six and twelve insertions. Wrne to the Corresponding Secretary for information
WELCOME TO HAWAII!!
HMS membersvisiting Hawaii are invited to contact the Society while in Honolulu. Pleasekeep in
mind, however, that the Society office is open irregularly, and that it does not have a telephone.
Society officers are listed individually in the telephone book. If in doubt, ask the Waikiki Aquarium
or the Bishop Museum for names.Better still, write
to the Society in advance. The Museum's Karl
Greene Shell Room has a good display of both
Hawaiianand Indo-Pacificsoecies.
Hawaiian Shells That Aren't
"I have been getting requestsfrom HMS members for specimensof two shells that supposedlyare
available in Hawaii, but which actually aren't,"
notes HSN AssociateEditor Elmer Leehman. "They
are Conus smirna Bartsch & Rehder, 1943 and
Cypraeathomasi Crosse, 1865.
"Both sets of requestsapparently stem from data
in recently published reference books. Members
might take the opportunity to pencil in suitable
commentsin their copies.
"The idea that Cypraea thomasi is found in Hawaiian waters seemsto be the result of an editorial
slip in Tom Rice's latest (sixth) Catalog of Dealers'
Prices. Rice lists Hawaii as the locality of C.
thomasi - which it distinctly isn't, unlessyou fol-
sharp coral tears trawl nets to shreds. So it is unlikely that the shells will be found as a byproduct of
fishing activity.
"A similar situation exists with regard to Conus
eugrammatus Bartsch & Rehder, of which small
specimens occasionally are brought up by deep
dredges.
"Next time your trading contact in Hawaii tells
you the shell you want isn't available, believe him.
He is telling the truth, unfortunately," Leehman
concludes.
*
*
*
Longtime HMS memberEdward T. Schelling has
recently retired from the U.S. Army and now resides permanently with his family at 15 Chelsea
Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548. He writes
that he plans actively to collect and trade shells
again.
*
*
*
Joel Greeneof San Franciscohas visited the Philippines frequently in recent years, seekingshells for
his own collection and as stock for his business.
Now he is planning a shelling tour of the Central
and Southern Philippines for January 10 to 26,
1981. In addition to opportunities for swimming,
diving,
shoppingand sightseeingin Cebu and Zamlow the now-almost-forgotten theory that it is a
boanga, the schedule includes time in Manila and
synonymof C. ostergaardi Dall, a Hawaiian shell.
"As most membersknow, C. thomasi has been Baguio. Details from Joel Greene, Ltd. P.O. Box
pretty well pinpointed as a valid Red Sea-northwest- 99331, San Francisco,CA 94109.
*
*
*
ern Indian Ocean species,after nearly a century of
Speaking of travels, Father AI Lopez, S.J. of
uncertainty.
Cebu, veteran sheller and a correspondingeditor of
"The matter of Conus smima is a bit more comHSN for many years, is being transferredback to
plicated, since the speciesactually has been found
Nicaragua as a professor of electrical engineering.
in Hawaiian waters. A single specimenwas dredged
Father Al served in Managua previously, after earfrom about 300 fathoms (600 meters) by the old
lier teachingtours in Taiwan and the Philippines. "I
U.S. Fisheries Bureau researchvessel Albatross in
will be sending you news of Central American
the late 1920sor early thirties. (I can't find a record
of the exact date.) There is a rumor that the R. V. shells in the near future," he promises.
*
*
*
Pele found another specimen here about 20 years
In anticipation of the annual membershipmeeting
ago.
in November, HMS presidentTom Burch has desig"In his Hawaiian Marine Molluscs (1962), Oifnated former president George Cook to chair the
ton S. Weaver listed C. smirna as a Hawaiian species, but called attention to the unique specimen. nominationcommittee.
The Society lost an officer in August when RecDr. E. Alison Kay's very complete Hawaiian
ording Secretary Liz Kane moved to California to
Marine Shells (1979) makes no mention of C.
enter law school. The Board will name a successor
smirna. In sum, it is no longer regarded as a
to fill the balanceof her term.
genuineHawaiian species.
*
*
*
"The recent flurry of interest seemsto have ariAn earlier departer was Bruce Hook, who was
sen from a statementin Jerry Walls Cone Shells unexpectedly transferred to the U.S. Mainland.
(1978) to the effect that C. smima is 'uncommonto Hook had been an active collector, as well as filling
rare in deep water off the Hawaiian islands and a seriesof volunteerjobs in running the Society.
With only one paid staff member, HMS is almost
southern Japan.' Walls lists C. profundorum
entirely dependenton volunteersto stay in business.
Kuroda, C. soyamaruaeOkutani, and C. scolulicola Interestingly, the most active workers seemto wind
Okutani as synonymsof C. smima, and those forms up on the Board.
unquestionablyare found in Japanesewaters, so he
Hawaiian Shell News accepts worldwide shell
is right to that extent.
dealers' advertising in good faith, assuming that
"Be that as it may, Conus smirna is virtually
unknown among Hawaii's collectors. It is a very they will deal fairly with their customers.Inclusion
deep-water species, and if other specimens are of advertisingin USN, however, does not imply an
found it probably will be by dredging. Hawaii has endorsementof the advertiser. If you are in doubt,
no larl!e-scalecommercial trawlinl!: the excessivelv investigatefirst.
September, 1980
HAW AllAN
Photos: Cailliez
By J.C. CAILLIEZ
LAUSANNE
-
What's
new with
the Genus
Halpa
since Dr. Harald A. Rehder in 1973 pub-
lished
"The
Indo-Pacific
family
Harpidae
Page3
SHELL NEWS
of the World"
in
MoUusca?
Left to right:
ventricosafrom
Halpa
costato from
Mauritius,
H.
the Maldives. and two specimens of
H. major forma alba from the Maldives. All from
the Cailliez collection.
Nothing much, judging by the dearth of new writing on the subject. About the only material that has
recorded
appeared has been based on Rehder's work, some
brought together the currently available information
opposing the views expressed there, some support-
on this. Several "record"
ing them, and a few merely reporting range exten-
session of fellow members of the Societe Internationale de Conchyliologie in Lausanne, Switzerland.
sions or possibly aberrant specimens. In contrast to
maximum
and minimum
other genera, Halpa has seen no new speties.
specimens are in the pos-
Min.
There has, however, been a series of interesting
sizes. I have
Species
in mm. Max.
(Known to me)
finds and observations in the Indian Ocean, which I
amouretta
20
visited twice during
al1icularis
40.9
103.1
1979. Let me offer them as
65
COStota
30.4
109.9
major
crenata
32
107.3
1798 have been found in Maldive islands
davidis*
42.5
101.4
and (possibly) the Chagos archipelago to the south
doris
31.1
85
(USN Dec. 1979). These specimens are more lightly
colored - even white - and their ventral spot may
gracilis
20.6
harpa
42
food for thought.
During the past two years, some Harpa
Roding,
35.4
may be that the shell is an "intermediate"
108
vary from dark brown to deep black. Finds have
kajiyamai
61.3
72.4
major
48.4
125.6
ventricosa
38
100
color than the East African variety, also have been
majorf.
61.4
found in that area since autumn of 1979.
'Wagner & Abbott's Standard Catalog (1977) lists a
ll9mm specimen from the Philippines. This may be in
error, since the specieshas been reliably reportedonly from
the Bay of Bengal area.
A specimen of H. harpa
lighter
color
pattern,
Linne,
was found
also with
a
in Sri Lanka
Finally, H. costata Linne has been reported from
near Mombasa, Kenya (USN April 1980).
It should be noted that the Chagos and Maldive
I know
archipelagoes lie within the established ranges of H.
ventricosa, H. harpa, H. davidis, H. amouretta
and H. major, and are adjacentto the realms of H.
costata and H. articularis (although not all have
actually been reported from there). This relatively
unexploredareahas yet to reveal all its secrets.
The passageof nearly a decade since Rehder
comoiled his information has seen chan2esin the
of only
about a dozen Harpa
99.1
All collectors of HalpQ,
reaches that size. Halpa doris, too.
to the Mombasaarea.
QUALITY
DISPLAY CASES
ith Tempered
Glass
Cases W
.GOlO ANODIZEO AlUMINUM
.WITH SECURITYlOCK
ANDTWO KEYS
.SIZE:34" x 22" x3"
.Shippingwt 20 Ibs
As in sports, malacological records are bound to
be broken. Therefore, I appeal to all collectors into communicate with me (and
with each other) if they have new information
I am sure, will be in-
tensely interested in validating the range extension
A substantial number of species have specimens
terested in Halpa
$89.00
+ $900 postage
andhandling
on
the genus.
CHARLES CARDIN
125715W268th5t / Naranja,
Fla.,33032
Another rare member of the Harpidae is figured
in color on lJage 12 of this issue.
inter-
mediates found in the past fifteen years.
exceeding l00mm. It is possible that H. kajiyamai
- which is akin to H. halpa but not very well
known -
a
be even rarer than a regular H. costata.
(Ceylon). This is the first time this species has been
reported from there, to my knowledge.
-
cross between double and single Harpa. That would
been scarce, so far.
Specimens of H. ventricosa Lamarck, lighter in
alba (Maldives)
By MAURICE MAUREL
BENARES, Mauritius- I was greatly interested
in Mrs. Elizabeth Kinloch's report of obtaining a
specimenof HalpQ costata Linne in Kenya (HSN
April 1980). While not an expert in HalpQ, I regard
myself as an advancedcollector, with 17 years of
experiencemostly with shellsendemicto Mauritius.
In the first place, I have never heard that H.
costata was found outside Mauritius. (Dr. H. Rehder, in his 1973 monograph' 'The Family Harpidae
of the World" in Indo-Pacific Mollusca, lists "Islands of the western Indian Ocean:Mauritius, Rodrigues and northeasternMadagascar" as the species'
range. Ed., HSN)
Although I trust Mrs. Kinloch, I would appreciate
knowing more about her specimen:Was it live-taken
or beach?How many ribs? And is she certain that
the finder got it on the beachnorth of Mombasa?
There is, of course, the possibility that the finder
got the shell from someonein transit. But it also
.Shippedonly to USA
incl. APO/FPO addresses
Page 4
HAWAIIAN
(Cont'd
from
SHELL NEWS
September. 1980
Page 1)
ing long series of species.
The
subgenus
Achatinella
ovate
shape,
callous
and outer
ridge.
Pfeiffer,
an outer
within,
not
lip
slightly
s. sIr.
thickened
within
color
evolved,
lip thickened
expanded,
Achatinella
1854,
of
the
by the oblong-conic
or not
and the
Swainson,
or
by an internal
The A chatinellastrum
have
The
Bulimella
is distinguished
Pfeiffer,
1854,
thickened
at all
spire
1828,
is conic.
the outer
In
lip is
and the shape is globose-conic.
patterns
of Achatinella
and may have in their
are
highly
form
con-
sisted of dark streaks in the direction
of growth
lines
on
of
a light
ground.
commonly
exhibit
deposited
The
have
often
becoming
tesselated,
marbled
lines.
developed
zigzag
young.
The
pattern
In the
are not sharp-
run in harmony
patterns
or form-
patterns.
with
growth
are a less evolved
than the banded or zoned patterns.
which have spiral bands in adults
banded
is
well-defined
or mottled
and always
The streaked
when
shells
pigment
or oblique,
the streaks when present
ly defined
land
in which
instead of continuously.
Partulina
Achatinella,
families
this pattern,
periodically
streaks,
ing
Many
primitive
several
stages
characterize
various
stage
Many species
were streaked
from
streaked
to
races or species.
Photo: Goldberg
Some members of the Bulimella
comT?lex: Top (left to right): Achatinella
abbreviata
Reeve (typical pattern
as figured
by Reeve) and A. abbreviata
var. bacca Reeve, both from Palolo,
Koolau range; A. viridans
Mighels (Reeve's A. radiata Pfeiffer)
and A. viridans
var. subvirens
Newcomb, from Palolo and Waialae,
Koolau
range,
respectively.
Lower:
A. pulcherrima
Swainson,
from
Waiawa
Albinism
may occur at any stage of patterned evolut"Ion as a mu t a t"Ion, an d per hI"
aps me arusm IS more
bulimoides
rotunda
Gulick, from Kaaawa,
Koolau range; A. taeniolata
from
Koolau
range
less evolved
form
of taeniolata);
A.
Koolau Wailupe,
range (considered
to be (aa form
of bulimoides).
frequent in later stages.
The typical
group of Achatinella
live
has the four-banded
important
pattern.
differences
between
hand,
and Achatinellastrum
other.
The many-banded
developed
Dr.
y
er.
on the
the most
In
John
or dextral,
is hereditary
had never'found
a jacen
T.
..
Gulick,
0
in
one
.
evolutionIst
e
'
and
as a general
a sinistral
co orues
predominate
forms
,
P ' Isb
I
of Conchology
I
ry pac
ed
entire
or two
isolated
migration.
h
branches
same
race,
valle
.
.
in
an-
Achatinella
d
f A h '."
c atilleua
home
caIne
.
it
Ua
Like-color
evidence
of their
through
ally
Various
were
trees.
but (with
are not found
is one
genus.
in
.
of
Each
valley
studies
the
in widely
distinctive
species
abundance
..
'.
.1
sot
f
h
e
n
.d
ges
Awa
.
of
y from
an
d
upper
hybrid
3. Elementary
.
colonIes,
but
colonies
where
patterns
almost
always
in
rarely
occur
colonies
prised of two or more patterns .
specific
in pure
com-
variations with no
rank.
The Achatinella are sedentarysnails. and many
collections
collections
well
localized.
on these to satisfy
ing fresh-collected
(1950s
Unfortunately,
our collecting
Achatinella
less than molluscan
are usu-
we
instincts.
today
would
that
must
Tak-
be no-
genocide!
LITERATURE
Baker, H. Burringion,
today
and before)
CITED
1963. "Type
Land Snails In The
Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia,
Nat. Scl. PhD. Vol.
115, No.8.
Part
pp.
II."
193-
Caum.
Edward
L.,
1928. "Check
List of Hawaiian
Land
and Fresh Water Mollusca."
Bishop
Mus. BIdI. No. 56.
Pilsbry, Henry A. and Cooke, C. Montague, 1912-14.
Manual of Conchology. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., Second
Series, Vol. XXII, Achatinellidae,428 pp.
geographical
hybrid
not
in private
older
800 to 900 varieties. Today, 41 are considered to be
I' d
.
va I species.
collectors
Many
the
that
of
Kay, E. Alison, 1979. Hawaiian Marine SheDs.Reef and
~~~r~. Fauna of Hawaii - Section 4: MoDusca. pp.
Early
.
subspecies.
-
a true picture
Oahu's two mountain
ranges (Koolau
and
Waianae) have furnished 227 described species and
were more
interested
in new spe-
Hence, many descriptions state localities as merely
Sandwich Island Hawaii or Oahu.
,
meet
not give
pp.3-4.
Cooke,
Jr., C. Montague. 1931. "The Land Snail Genus
Carelio." Bishop Mus. BIdI. No. 85, pp. 3-20.
Hart. Alan. D., 1978. "The Onslaught Against Hawaii's
Tree Snmls." Natural Instory. pp. 46-57.
colonies - true species.
2. Geographical races blending
through
would
A.
Newcomb,
Helemano
in
for survival.
The valleys probably
act as barriers
the spread of species along the ranges.
cies than in where they came from, and did not
recognize the significance of the island's terrain.
ranges
pattern);
197.
ravines, . since the valleys lack the humidity needed
under three groups:
races
rely
from
Academy
of
Proc.
Acad.
1. Shells with permanent characteristics and coexisting with allied races without forming hybrid
with other like
Achatinella
thing
of thiS species diminish.
snal
in the field
has its
or succession
typical
the genus.
take place
adjacent
This
is found
are
tree.
areas, even down
in the same locality,
the
examples
-
might
or metropolis,
y s where
this valley,
A h t
trees
species
of
one
small
from
localities.
characteristics
in
very
Migration
exceptions)
separated
own
(Second Series Vol.
I .
t e mu tltu e 0
a few
life
from
intertwined
versa.
been proven. Color pattern is usually independent of
the direction of coil of the shell.
In Manual
slow
their
are known
to one
vice
dextral
and
embryo
researcher in the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s,
thought dextral and sinistral snails would find some
mechanical difficulty
in mating
but this has not Yet
,
XXII)
out
forms
species may be found
sinistral
of a dextral
mother and
d .
t
I .
f th
shells
h
ot
on the .one
stage is probably
of the coil
Pilsbry
in the uterus
F
tl
'
sinistral
this group
and Bulimella
may be either
the direction
requen
never
in pattern evolution.
Achatinella
rule.
(Apex)
This is one of the most
(Pfeiffer's
Pfeiffer var. rubiginosa
rosea Swainson " from
These
with
collections
1920s
and
collections
collections
of Achatinella
1930s
had
are of
containing
very
utmost
type
compiled
exact
during
locality
data.
importance
material)
(along
in
better
Reeve, Lovell, 185.°. Conchologia
the Genus Achatillllela.
Iconlca.
Monograph of
Thwing, E. W., 1907. "Original Descriptionsof the Genus
Achatille~." Occ. Papers, Bishop Mus. Vol. III-No.
I, pp. V-XI.
Welch, D'AIte A., 1938. "Distribution and Variation of
Achat~,:,el~amu.telilla Mighels in the Waianae Mts.,
Oahu. BIshop Mus. BuD. No. 152, pp. 3-14.
.
1942. "Dist.
~nd V~.
of the Hawaiian
Tree Snail
A. apexfulva
DIxon
m the Koolau
Range,
Oahu "
Smithsonian
Misc.
CoD., Vol. 103, No. I, pp. 1-9.
. 1?54;
"Dist.
buhmoide.
Slopes
of
~nd
Var.
Swamson
the Koolau
of the Haw.
on the Leeward
Range,
Oahu."
Tree
Snail
A.
and Northern
Acad.
Nat.
understanding this complex genus. The environment
Sd. PhIl;,Proceedings, Vol. CVI, pp. 63-67.
where
. 1958.
Dlst. and Var. of the Haw. Tree SnaIl A.
bulimoide..
Sw
nn
~lnnp
nf
----- th" W;nclw.rcl
-,,
-'-y~
-. thp
...~
Koolau
Range. Oahu."
Proc.
Acad.
Nat. ScI. Phil.
the"e
"nail"
liv"
-,-
h""
,---
h"f"n
c"rf""tlv ,
"Itf"rf"~
frnm
.
..
the times of their original study. Further distribution
Vol. CX. DO.123-125.
.
September, 1980
HAWAIIAN
Page5
SHELL NEWS
CONUS CONFUSION:
C. planorbis
-and the
Amethy~
By DIETER ROCKEL
DARMSTADT - All cone collectors (including
the "advanced" ones) have difficulty identifying
Conus planorbis Born, 1778. Especially, it is difficult separatingit from C, vitulinus Hwass, 1792.
We are told, however, that there is a simple way
to distinguish betweenthesetwo species.According
to Walls' Cone Shells, C. vitulinus differs from C.
planorbis "in having a large violet-brown blotch
anteriorly in the mouth" (p. 948) and C. planorbis
"is readily distinguishedby the lack of a violet spot
anteriorly in the mouth" (p. 801).
Earlier, Cemohorsky wrote in respect to C. planorbis: "Aperture. . . interior white" (p. 83). As
far as I can see, this violet blotch inside the aperture
is the most characteristic distinction between the
speciesusually called C. planorbis and C. vitulinus.
Thanks to Dr. Alan Kohn, we have information
on the original descriptionsand the types of many
species (see "Bitler's Bibles," HSN Oct. 1976).
Rather casually, I looked in Kohn's treatises for
Born's description of C. planorbis.
Born wrote: "Basis intus amethystina," and the
same in German: "Der Grunde inwadig amethystifarbig" - "the base color is amethyst."
If the baseof the apertureof Born's C. planorbis
is colored (you may call it violet or more precisely
amethystine),and proceedingon the other assumption, that this coloration of the mouth is an important criterion, then the speciesnowadayscalled C.
planorbis is in reality not planorbis at all, but another species.
So two questionsarise:
1. What is the correct name of the cone apparently erroneously called C. planorbis, as figured,
for instance,by Walls on p. 544?
2. What is the taxonomic status of the true C.
planorbis?
My conclusionson thesetwo questionsfollow.
Question 1: I examined the names and descriptions of C. senator Linne, 1758, C. vulpinus
Hwass, 1792, and C. ferrugineus Hwass, 1792.
Some authors of the last century figured specimens as C. senator which could be conspecificwith
the speciescalled C. planorbis today. For instance:
Reeve(pl. XXXVI sp. 197b, perhapssp. 197, also)
and Kiener (Pl. 27 No.1 and la). But Reevedidn't
mention the inside coloration and Kiener pointed out
"l'ouverture est colore dans Ie fond d'un violet tres
pale. . ." Anyway, C. senator has been labeled
nomen dubium by Kohn.
Similarly, C. vulpinus is not available for the
specieswe have been calling C. planorbis. Hwass
~~-~~-~-~"~~~"~~
Photo: Rockel
The cast of characters in the mYSTery:Top, from
left: Conus planorbis from the Philippines, C.
planorbis from Queensland,C. loebbeckeanus(locality unknown), and C. planorbis from the Solomon Islands - all with white interiors. Lower row:
C. vitulinus (violet interior) from Samoa, C.
planorbis (violet interior) from the Philippines (the
shell figured by Born as planorbis), C. planorbis
(violet inside)from SolomonIslands, and C. chenui
(white)from New Caledonia.
underlined "intus violacea." So C. vulpin us, according to Kohn's findings, is a junior synonym of
C. planorbis Born.
This seems to be the case with C. ferrugineus
Hwass, 1792, also. The holotype, pictured by Kohn
(IV, pl. 4 fig. 43) is conspecific with C. vulpinus
and thereforewith C. planorbis.
So there remains from the old names only C.
polyzonias Gmelin, 1791 - and again we read in
the original description' 'intus violacea." Therefore
C. polyzonias would seem to be a synonym of C.
planorbis as well.
From all this, we find two names which could
,~~""~~"~,~,~-~~"-~"~~"~~,-~,-,~,~,,
,~~"~""-
match the species we today call C. planorbis - C.
chenui Crosse, 1857 and C. loebbeckeanus Weinkauff, 1873. Both seem to fall within the infraspecific range of our "planorbis."
Of the two, the
preferred name would appear to be C. chenui, the
earlier of the two.
Question 2: The true C. planorbis Born - as we
have seen - has inside the base a violet blotch. In
this respect it is not distinct from C. vitulinus. But
what differences remain?
Most of their characteristics are identical: Sides
almost straight, shoulder sharply angled, a white
band below the shoulder covered with axial flammules, etc. Compared with this high degree of conformity the differences are negligible.
This fact was noted by Kiener (p. 105) with
respect to "C. senator" and C. vitulinus. Born's C.
planorbis is yellowish brown, contrary to the dark
or reddish brown of C. vitulinus. Sometimes C.
planorbis has a pale yellowish band in the middle of
the body instead of C. vitulinus' white band.
Facing the high variability of both C. planorbis
and C. vitulinus, there is no possibility of making a
distinction between these forms. All color and patterns run into one another, I believe, therefore, that
the "true" C. planorbis Born (violet blotch inside)
and C. vitulinus are one and the same species, for
which planorbis is the earlier name and vitulinus is
a junior synonym,
Literature
Cemohorsky.W. 0, 1964.The Veliger, 7 (2):61-94.
Kohn, A. J. 1963, J. Linn. Soc. London, 44 (302):740786,
Kohn, A, J, 1964. Ibid., 45 (304):151-167,
Kohn, A. J. 1868. J. Linn.
503,
Soc. (Zool.),
47 (313):431-
Kiener, L, C, 145 - 1850. SpeciesGen. et Iconogr. des
coqu. vivantes, vol. 2,
Reeve, L, A. 1843-1849.Conchologia Iconica, vol I and
suppl.
Sowerby. G. B. 1858, Monograph of the Genus Conus.
Tryon, G. W. 1883-84.Manual of Conchology.
Walls, J, 0, 1979, Cone :;heUs.
Weinkauff, H. C., 1873-75. "Die Gattung Conus" In
Systematisches Conchylien-Cablnet von Martini uod
Chemnitz, neue Folge, 4,
Page 6
HAWAIIAN
By KATHLEEN
R. SMYTHE
BOGNaR REGIS - May I offer some comments
on F. R. Hinkle's
Kuwait"
"Preliminary
in HSN March
Checklist
1980? Considering
from
the
large number of molluscs that occur in Kuwait, the
list is not only remarkably brief, but somewhat inaccurate. Many common species of Turridae, Nassariidae, Cerithiidae, Thaididae, Fissurellidae, etc. are
not mentioned, nor are any bivalves, Chitons or
Scaphopods.
I have been studying the mollusca of the Arabian
Gulf and Gulf of Oman for some 15 years, consulting with competent conchologists in museums in
England, the Continent and in the United States. I
have collected extensively myself in Kuwait,
Bah-
rain, the Emirates, Oman and along the Iranian
coast. Therefore, I offer my criticisms of Mr. HinkIe's checklist with some confidence.
(See also Stephane Pras' comments and additions
to the checklist in HSN July 1980.)
First, note at least two spelling errors: the author
of Euspira pulicaris is Philippi (with two p's), and
the muricid genus should be spelled Hexaplex. (The
editor takes the blame for those. Ed., HSN)
Hinkle's
Lamarck,
entry Ancilla
(Castanea)
which he figures,
cinnamonea
is Ancilla
castanea
(Sowerby, 1830). This is the first time I have come
across 'Castanea' as a subgenus.
SHELL NEWS
His ':4ncilla sp. No.1 and No.2" both are most
likely color varieties of Ancilla ovalis (Sowerby,
1830), which is very common along the coast of
Kuwait. There are several other speciesof Ancilla.
The' 'Fusinus sp." certainly is neither of the two
speciesHinkle suggested.If the genusis correct, the
shell is almost certainly Fusinus arabicus (Melvill).
I questionMurex acanthostephesWatson, unless
the shell was imported to Kuwait. The speciesis
most likely to be Murex scolopax Dillwyn, 1817,
which is very common from the intertidal beaches
downward, but is often overlooked.
Strombus decorus Roeding must be S. decorus
persicus Swainson, 1821.
Hinkle's Rapana rapiformis Born is properly
Rapana bulbosa (Solander, 1817). There is doubt as
to which of two different speciesBorn intended to
namempiformis, and no type has been located.
Hexaplex turbinatus Lamarck is a northwest African species, according to Tom Pain, and the correct name for Hinkle's specimenis Hexaplex kues.
terianus (TapparoneCanefri, 1875). The Hexaplex
sp. to which he refers is purely a color form of the
above, which is variable in sculpturedue to age and
damage, and in color. Brown or banded forms can
be found and the color of the aperture varies from
white through pink, violet and pale brown to deep
chocolate.
September. 1980
Monodonta canalifera Lamarck is properly M.
vermiculata (Fischer. 1874).
I cannot hazard a guess as to the identity of
Hinkle's Neocancilla papilio Link or Mitra plicaria
Linne. Neither speciesis in my collection, nor have
I ever seenany from Kuwait.
Bulla ampulla Linne is usually called Bullaria
ampulla.
Several species of Terebra are known from
Kuwait, but I have no record of Terebra bernardi
Deshayes,which Hinkle includes in his list.
His Solidula solidula Linne is more likely to be
Aceteon affinis (A. Adams, 1854).
The only specimensof Cypraeagrayana Schilder
from Kuwait I have seen have been brought by
dhow or other transportfrom the Emiratesor Qatar.
I consider it to be unlikely that Hinkle's identification of Cypraea onyx succincta Linne is correct. I
suggestthat he has a beachwornadolescentspecimen of C. turdus, the color pattern of which in its
juvenile stages very closely resemblesthat of C.
onyx.
Some 600 species of mollusca are to be found
along the shores of Kuwait. With Barbara and
David Glayzer, I have been working on these for
many years. We are preparing a paper on the subject for the Journal of Conchology.
September,1980
HAWAIIAN
Page7
SHELL NEWS
SHELLS FOR SALE
Thomas Honker
SPECIMENSHELLS
P. O. BOX 1011, 25 N.E. 10TH STREET
DELRAY BEACH, FL 33444 U.S.A.
PHONE (305) 276-9658
WRITE FOR FREE LIST
PIllLLIP W. CLOVER
P. O. Box 83, Glen Ellen
Calif. 95442 U.S.A.
Dealer in World Wide Specimen
Seashells, specializing in rare cypraea,
conus, voluta & murex. Write for free lists.
20 Years in Mail Orders.
Yea Der Enterprise Co., Ltd.
P. O. Box 456, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Fine and Rare SpecimenShells
Cut mother-of-pearl.Decorativeshells,
Sharkjaws, Shark teeth and Shell craft.
Write for free lists
Tel. 2814438 . 2114438
Retail and Wholesale
Merv Cooper's
OF THE ZOILA
HOME
GROUP
PERTH SHELL DISTRIBUTORS
P a Box 186, Mt. Hawthorn
West Australia Tel 328-5768
List #8 available Send $100 for list
Showrooms 157 Bowtort St, Perth, W Aust
Also sell Afurex, Volute, Hallotus, Conus, etc
OSTINI est. 1967
Vis San Godenzo 141 - 00189 ROMA -
ITALY
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2) Extensive price list of mediterranean and
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3) The book (GUIDA ALLE CONCHIGLIE MEDITERRANEE)
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59 Maria Clara, Quezon City 3008
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Specimen Shells of the Philippines - Free
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KENY ACRAFf
& SEASHELL
GIFfS
600 North La Brea Boulevard
P.O. Box 45082, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Retail, Wholesale, Commercial
Specimen Shells Worldwide
Buy, Sell and Exchange I Write for List
Photo: Martin
By ELMER LEEHMAN
Who has the biggest known specimenof Cypraea
valentia Perry?
The shell figured above was procured recently by
Roger and Samia Martin of Cebu. They measuredit
at 99mm.
Wagnerand Abbott's Standard Catalog of Shells
(third edition) refers to a 98mm specimen in the
British Museum (Natural History) as the maximum
on record.
HSN Associate Editor Olive Schoenberghas a
Cymatium nicobaricum Roding that measures
103.2mm- listed by the Standard Catalog as the
largest. A close contenderhas been brought forward
by HMS member Al Moran, who found it at Honaunau,on Hawaii. It measures102mm.
This fine specimen, figured above, was found in
about 10 feet of water in sand and coral early this
year.
Photo: Chapman
By G. H. ERNST
LAUSANNE -
The expression' 'world record
size" is a poor one to use in reporting on shells.
Our information is always partial. Even before
"record" figures can be publishedthey are likely to
be out-of-date. I suggest,therefore, that we refer to
the' 'biggest known" or "maximum recorded" in
reporting dimensions.
At any rate, as a contribution toward size records
I offer the following, compiled by fellow members
of the SocieteInternationalde Conchyliogie. All are
Cypraea.
species
staphylea
fortis
chinensis
violaria
chinensis
violacea
coxeni
hesperina
cribraria
comma
errones
coxi
ziczac
ziczac
pallidula
luchuana
vredenburgi
guttata
guttata
felina
felina
length
locality
owner
24.4mm
Tanzania
Emst
39.5
Tanzania
Ernst
36.5
Tanzania
Ernst
24.1
Malaita
Ernst
24.7
Tanzania
Ernst
34.7
.
Rarneswaram
Emst
26.0
Sulu Sea
Cailliez
24.0
Okinawa
Bali
Cailliez
Baer
32.5
87
28.4
?? Gaspard
Nossi Be
Parisod
Page8
BAlUT ISLAND,
PHILIPPINES' NEW
TREASURE HOUSE
HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS
SHELLS
SOUTH
CHINA
SEA
(Cont'd from Page 1)
marielae Rehder& Wilson.
There are some strangers among Balut Island
finds, too. At least three cones have not yet been
identified.
One is a two-inch dark-brown somber looking
shell; anotheris a biconical Asprella, somewhatlike
,~
C. sowerbyi, but more slender and lighter color.
0
The third is the samesize and shapeas C. memiae
~
Habe & Kosuge, but with different color and pat~
~
tern.
Balut Island has surprisesfor cowry lovers, also.
Many rare Cypraea consideredendemic to Japanese
and Taiwanesewatershave been found. To mention
a few, Cypraea teramachii Kuroda, C. hirasei
backgroundwith white spots, maculationsand narrow bandsthat remind one of the designon someC.
generalis.
The live-taken 78mm gem specimen figured on
page one was recently acquiredby Evaristo Zambo.
The shell had been brought up in a tangle net from
deepwater off Balut Island.
Walls (Cone Shells, 1979) lists Conus pulcherrim us Brazier, C. tannaensis Cotton, and C. nakayasui Shikama& Habe as synonymsof C. excelsus.
The names(pulcherrimus = "most beautiful" and
excelsus= "outstanding'') reflect the impact of this
shell on the viewer.
The range is given as a wide arc from the
northern New Hebrides through New Guinea, the
Moluccas, the Philippines and up to southernJapan
- just about all the western Pacific. Walls also
reports' 'recent" finds from the northeasternIndian
Ocean. He is of the opinion that the shell has a
wider distributionin deep water,despiteits great
scarcity.
-~
~"\J~~<::
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Q:;
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FOR SALE
CROWN SPECIMEN SHELLS INC
2293 Novus Street
Sarasota,Florida, 33577, USA
~
tf'
"-
--
Roberts, C. langfordi Kuroda, C. sakuraii Habe,
and C. porleri Catehave beentaken there recently.
The sea around Balut Island descendsquickly to
almost abyssal depths. By contrast, the maximum
depth in the vicinity of Magellan Bay, off Mactan
Island, is not much over 200 fathoms(400m).
Samal Island, nearer to Davao City (see map),
recently has yielded Conus thomae Gmelin, C.
dusaveli, Cypraea teramachii, C. porteri and
Murex miyokoae Kosuge. It also is close to very
deepwater.
Of the Balut Island cones, the most spectacular
undoubtedlyis C. excelsus (seecolor photo on page
one). Although it is overshadowedin size by recent
C. cervus (HSN May 1980), outdonein scarcity by
the super-rareC. marielae, and perhaps in shet:r
color by C. dusaveli, neverthelessthe extremely
beautiful C. excelsus greatly appeals to collector
and noncollectoralike.
Its prominently steppedspire is the highest of any
cone you ever saw, higher even than C. milneed.
wardsi, which it somewhat resembles. The lip is
curved in a sweepingpleasantline and the design is
outstandingin color and pattern - orange-yellow
September, 1980
Il Suan...'1...d
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Celebrating a decade in shells
mstralian
-
S!lfELLS
SpecialisingIn shells endemicto the WesternAustralia coast plus fine
specimensfrom die rest of Australia and overseas Selling agentsfor
the Frank Abbottsmith Volute collection Price list free by sea; $2 by
air
Box T1738, G.PO., Perdl6001, W Australia
Ted QUIT of 34 Lantana Way, Kelmscott 6111,
Western Australia, says he would like to exchange
W.A. shells for the following: Cypraea childreni
lemurica, C. hirundo francisco, C. walkeri walkeri
and C. ziczac undata from the Indian Ocean (i.e.,
Seychelles, Maldives, Andaman Islands) and C.
oweni oweni from East Africa.
Homer J. Rhode, Rt. 1, Box 585, Big Pine Key,
Florida 33043, has extensiveCaribbeanand Tropical
Western American and some worldwide shells to
exchange.He writes that he can offer Cypraea cervus, C. zebra, Murex florifer, and Pecten nodusus,
among others. Write him.
When in ~s Angeles visit
FINE SHELLS AND FINE ART
We do not publish a list but we will answer
specific requests for Rare Shells - our specialty.
Sh.tt,"'.0. "'0'.'"
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Malibu, California 90265
September, 1980
HAWAIIAN
Page9
SHELL NEWS
Sanibel Thinks 'Conservati
on'
By DONAI JD MOODY
SANIBEL - "Many shells formerly common on volumes of newspaper stories, letters to the editors
SanibelIsland have all but disappeared,while others and streetcorner discussions that had the issue
are quite rare. The abundanceof shells on the is- framed as the' 'do-gooder conservationists" versus
land, especially the larger and more showy species, the "self-serving" shellers.
Photo: Schoenberg attracts many tourist-collectors during the winter
After days of testimony, the council established
Terebra funiculata Hind, an uncommon shell, is seasonfor the purposeof collecting. . . this might an ad hoc committee to look into the live shell
found in sand in Hawaii. Its extremevariability has explain in part the paucity of many of these forms question, and most people found out that they were
pretty much saying the same thing - that there are
led authors to give it other names, including lang- that were abundanta few years ago. . ."
fon/i and archimedis, but protoconchs of the three
Dr. William J. Clench, noted naturalist and mol- probably not any fewer shells on Sanibel than there
are identical. T. funiculata is sometimesconfused lusk expert, pennedthoseobservationswhile looking were in previous years, there are just thousands
with T. tricolor.
acrossthe wave-washedsandbarsin front of historic more people out in the early morning mist trying to
Sanibel Lighthouse as they emerged from the fog find them.
shroudedmist one early winter morning in 1921.
Bill Lyons, director of invertebrate biology at the
For many Sanibel Island residents, and indeed Marine Research Laboratory in St. Petersburg, agpeople across Florida, the passion for collecting
rees that beachfront collectors can't deplete populaSAN FRANCISCO - The Golden Gate Bridge those' 'gifts from the sea" is being increasingly
tions of offshore shells, which are thrown upon the
stretchedacrossthe entranceto the Bay - a splentemperedby the same nagging questionsthat con- beaches in the winter.
did crown. lending to the scenean air of fantasy. It fronted Dr. Clench during that winter visit to this
"The shells that wash up on the beaches come
was a glorious Saturday morning in mid-August popular island resort more than half a century ago.
from shell beds that extend as far as 15 miles into
1978.
Shelling is reportedly the second most popular the Gulf of Mexico," notes Lyons, "and no amount
On my way to a dental appointment,I stoppedto hobby in the world. Each year thousandsflock to
of beachcombing can endanger that resource."
admire the view across San Francisco Bay. In the the beachesof Florida's west coast and convergeon
Shell clubs throughout Florida have adopted and
distancea boy with his pants rolled up was playing those fragile string of islands known as the Florida observed codes of ethics for shellers.
in the water. The tide was out, leaving a myriad of
Keys to searchfor thesetiny treasures.
"Most of the shell club members are interested in
rocks in plain sight. I had never seen so much of
Every year people complain that the shelling is the living animal as well as collecting th.e shells
the shoreexposedand I decided to walk out on the worse - and some point to live shelling as the they create," notes Southwest Florida Conchologist
rocks as far as I could go.
cause.
Society President Janice Moore, "and they are
All around me were countlesstidepools. Excited
"Seashells can't reproduce in shell cabinets or probably more interested in conservation of this reat the possibility of finding a live shell, I stooped cigar boxes," notes naturalist George Campbell, a source than most people."
for a closer look. There they were! .No cowries, strong supporter of efforts to halt live shelling on
Faced with strong emotions, lack of accurate scicones or volutes, to be sure, but live shells never- Sanibel.
entific data on which to base a resource decision
theless.Mostly periwinkles and black tops.
"The Great Live Shell Debate," as this increas- and questionable legal authority to regulate state
The black top shells were beautiful. Out of five ingly heatedcontroversy has been labeled by many waters around the island, the Sanibel City Council
fine specimens,I choseone, large and perfect. I put over the past few years, has been most intense in finally approved an innovative program of education
the othersback.
this island city, while interested environmentalists, and conservation awareness.
Soon I was again on my way to the dentist, but nature enthusiasts, shell collectors and scientists
The Live Shell Committee produced a pamphlet
feeling something that can only be expressedas from all over Florida watch.
for island visitors entitled' 'Shelling on Sanibel Is"infinite consciousness of kinship" with others
For more than five years, the Sanibel City Coun- land: Important information to make your shelling
who, like me, have bent over a coastal tidepool cil has been annually faced with increasingcries of better now and in years to come." The pamphlet
or perhapsa distant coral reef - to discover as I island residents to do something to protect the includes information on Gulf and bayside shelling;
~
My First Shell
did, "my first shell."
John Talavera
unique island resource.
Public hearings on the island were precededby
the "Sanibel
Shuffle' '; descriptions of live shells
and egg cases; and reminds beachgoers of a resolution by the City of Sanibel that asks them to practice sensible conservation techniques and to restrict
their take to two live shells per person per species.
Committee members have also distributed posters
in three sizes urging conservation on the heavily
visited beaches and backbay areas of the island.
"There is no doubt that the live shell committee
was not successful in passing a total ban on shelling
on Sanibel Island,"
notes Sanibel Conservation
Foundation Director Dick Workman.
"But at least
we have raised people's consciousness on this issue,
and a lot more of them are thinking conservation."
From Florida
Conservation News
Florida State Dept. of Natural Resources
Donald Moody, the writer, is a resident of Fort
Myers and an active member of the Southwest
Florida Conchologist Society, whose newsletter he
has edited for several years.
Page 10
HAWAIIAN
SHELL NEWS
September,1980
RECENT FINDS
By LYMAN HIGA
Norm Gardner of Auckland has reported an interesting find in New Zealand waters - a solitary
specimen of Trivia oryza Lamarck. "It's a new
record for this country," Gardner wrote. The shell
was found by a diver at Poor Knights Islands, a
small group off the North Island, about 100 miles
north of Auckland.
*
*
*
Here's further word on H. H. Heinicke's "Very
Rare Miter" - Mitra sanguinolenta Lamarck
(HSN April 1980).
"I have found two specimensat Umdloti, about
12 miles north of Durban, South Africa," writes
Michael Meyer of the Marine Fauna ReferenceLibrary, Durban. "Both specimens were washed
ashoredead. They were found in February 1969and
November 1972. I have seenno specimensin recent
years."
The specimens were identified by the Natal
Museum.They measure31.7mm and 30.4mm.
*
*
*
Anne Wilson, of Pretoria, sent photos of a beach
specimen of Cypraea fultoni Sowerby, found at
Haga-Haga,"close to East London on the eastcoast
of the CapeProvince, South Africa."
"It representsa substantialextensionof the range
of that little-known species. I have not previously
heard of afultoni from south of Umkomaas, which
is close to Durban on the Natal Coast" - a matter
of nearly 300 miles, R. N. Kilburn, who identified
the shell, commented.
The actual find was by Tom Duncan, a member
of the Pretoria Group of the South African Conchological Society, "on the beach after heavy
seas."
Cypraeafultoni is one of the rarest of the cowries. Most specimens are recovered from the
stomachsof fish. It is believed to live in quite deep
water, as even fragments are very scarce on the
beach.
*
*
*
Meanwhile, back home in Honolulu, a local
scubadiver, Alan Ogawa,came upon a 16-inch-plus
Triton's trumpet, Charonia tritonis Linne, in about
40 feet of water off the Kahala Hilton Hotel. (For
you out-of-towners, that's right in front of one of
our best residentil\l neighborhoods.)Eventually Alan
discoveredhow smelly the cleaningjob could be, so
he gratefully acceptedmy offer to take it off his
hands.
Down on the neighbor island of Kauai, just over
the horizon from Honolulu, John McFarland recently found a live Strombus vomer hawaiensis. I
believe it camefrom off the mouth of Lawai Stream
on the south shore. Live specimensare quite rare.
Even deadshells are scarce.
Whatever may be the case in other parts of the
world, Cypraea lynx is an extremely rare shell in
Hawaii. Most of our collectorsfeel they are lucky to
have found one in their careers.But Larry Kimbal
recently found five of the beastsaround the island
of Oahu (Honolulu) within a matter of days. Sites
included Ala Moana Reef (a couple of hundred
yards from one of our busiestavenues),Fort Kamehameha(at the mouth of Pearl Harbor), Waianae
and Kaena Point (in Leeward Oahu). I understand
that other lynx have turned up lately. We may be
having a modest' 'bloom" of this elusive species.
*
*
*
OccasionallyI am charged with collecting shark
stories, rather than shells, but I heard one at a
recent HMS meeting that combines the two. Wes
Thorssonand Ray McKinsey, both veteran and prudent divers, were chasedout of the water in Maunalua Bay TWICE in one day. They didn't even get
to the bottom on their first dive before membersof
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Walter O. Cernohorsky. HSN's ScienceConsultant,
is well known for his prolific writings on malacology, but is seldomphotographed. He was in his
office at the AucklandInstituteand Museumwhen
HSN Associate Editor George Campbell called on
him recently, and got this photo.
the visitors' bureau began circling. Wes and Ray
climbed back into their boat; after a decent interval
they started down again and discovered the same
delegation waiting around the anchor line. That
seemedlike a good time to return to shore for more
beer.
At about the same time and in the same neighborhood, Walter Taira lost all his fish (he had been
spearingand had them on a holding line) and a nice
juicy octopus to a friendly shark that made two
passesat him.
I saw plenty in a single day when I made three
dives at points in Maunalua Bay more than a mile
apart. I dido't count. Even one is too many. A week
later, while netting fish, our dive again was interrupted by three sharks. We finally assigned one
diver to . 'ride shotgun" with his bang sick (an
explosive antishark weapon) while the rest of us
chasedfish.
IT'S TIME TO RENEW
Hawaiian Malacological Society membershiprenewal notices for 1981, went out with the August
issue of Hawaiian Shell News. Much as we hate to
say it. the January 1981 issue of HSN will go only
to paid-up members. Send in your renewal notice
right away!
Dealerin
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September.1980
The Other Shell Clubs
PNG COLLECTORS
ORGAN IZE
HOHOLA, PNG - Since returning to Port
Moresby, I have been devoting some attention to
forming a shell club for Papua New Guinea. We
have now got as far as holding an inaugura1meeting
and formmg an organizing committee. We call oorselves the Niugini SheIl Oub. Should any HMS
memberswish to get in touch, they can do so by
writing to P.O. Box 9229, Hobola, Papua New
Guinea. H any HMS membersare passing through
Port Moresby they could get in touch with me at
home on 1S6095 or Roy Ealson (form«ly vice president of the Fiji SheIl Oub) on 258992.
Whilst the Niugini SheIl Oub wiI\ be largely
basedon Port Moresby, we hope to attract members
from other centers in PNG so as to facilitate such
activities as trading sheIls and developing a listing
of sheIlersthroughout the country so that visitors to
places outside Port Moresby can get in touch with
sheIlers in those centers. So far we have had ex~ssions of interest from people in Rabaul and
Kieta (Bougainville).
We aim to hold monthly meetings as well as at
least monthly club coIlecting trips. Our lrincipal
interest, in the early stagesat least, is in educating
oor beginner members on coIlecting and cleaning
techniques, and to foster safe and conservationconsciouscoIlecting.
QJite a few of our more experiencedmembersare
scuba qualified, and diving trips, both day and
night, are planned. My only regret is that I did not
get a club going three years ago, rather than now,
eight months before we return to cold, inland, "nosheIls" Canberra.
K. J. Granger
HAWADAN
SHElL
Heve Fun Shelling
But Don't Forget
The Sun's e Threet
SHELLS FOR SALE
By TOM RICHERT M.D.
Those of us who have spent many happy houn
beachcombing,reefwa1kingor snorkeling have developed great respectfor the effects of sunlight. The
Might clear days when the water sparkles and the
hot sun "bites" c8TY an obvious w.-ning. Automatically we protect ourselves.
It is the overcast day that fools you. There may
not be any sun, but the short heat waves still come
right through the haze, reflecting off water and
sand, and really get to your skin. So, regardlessof
the weather, at the beach or on the water protect
younelf well - ~ulatly
if you have not developed a base tan, or are fair haired and fa.. skinned.
Start with a gO(d big straw hat to shadeface and
neck and ears. Then a light long-sleeve shirt with
collar, a pair of lightweight jeans, and socks as well
as shoes. The top of foot and ankle is a favmte
place to overlook.
Many sun-screen lotions are available at drug
stores. Inform yourself on the numbering system
that indicates the degreeof protection in each type.
I cannot tell you which to use. Some people are
sensitive to one or another of the ingredientsin the
lotions. Buy any standardbrand and try it on your
skin before a long exposureto the sun.
Do not use oils alone. They increasethe burning
aoo anyhow they don't really improve the tan.
Those who scuba dive from open boats are
particularly vulnerable to sunburn. The heat rays
bounce off the water even when you are shielded
from the direct rays of the sun. The breeze and the
movement of the boat may keep you cool, so that
you do not feel the burn - but just wait until you
dressf<x-dinner!
So coat younelf well with sun-screenlotion <xcream before you go shelling, even if you do not
expect to be in direct sun. Be sure to cover parts
that are seldom exposed - upper legs and shoulders, in particular.
Even a moderately severesunburn can make you
ill, producing chills, fever, nausea, headacheand
even kidney complications. Strict precautions are
not "sissy stuff."
But, in spite of all the advice, you got a bad
sunburn,eh? So what can you do about it?
I. H the burn is not too bad, use oils, lotions or
an anaestheticspray to relieve the pain. Take an
The SantaBarbara (California) Malacological S0aspirin-type pain reliever and plenty of fluids. Plan
ciety is sponsoringits 1980 West Coast SheIl Show to stay out of the sun f<x-the next day or two.
2. H it's severe,apply cool compresses- a bath
the weekendof 19 to 21 September,at the Museum
of Natural History. The doors wiIl be open from 9 towel soakedin a concentratedsolution of horic acid
or Epsom salts (Rochelle salt). Leave the towel on
a.m. to 5 p.m. and the admissionis free.
the b~ed area for an hour or m<x-e.This will help
Judging on the afternoon of Thursday, 18 Sep- to reduce the swelling and to ease the discomfort.
Again, take a lot of fluids and a member of the
tember, wiIl be in the handsof Anthony d' Attilio of
aspirin family - and don't do it again!
San Diego, Ruth Greenbergof Malibu, and Oifton
Martin, noted coIlector from San Diego County.
Members of all shell clubs are invited to enter
displays, which include both competitive and
noncompetitive classes. Information from Show
Committee co-chairman Charles Glass, P.O. Box
Wanted (exchange or buy): C"rata
."s,
30191, SantaBarbara,CA 93105.
tuberculata. bicornis and tricornis. Gem with complete data. Michele LoCastro, Pie Dateo 6, Milano,
Italy.
Santa Barbara Shell Show
DO A FRIEND A FAVOR!
HMS Members: Nonmembers will receive a complimentary copy of Haw8ii8D SheD News (with a
membership application) if you send the CorrespOndin2 Secretary their full name and address.
Page II
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Page12
HAWAllAN
SHELL NEWS
and color, but becauseof their scarcity it is unusual
to get more than one or two specimenstogether for
comparisonand study.
Figured here are four shells in the collection of
HMS member Marion McDowell, who lives on
Ascension Island. The variation within the species
in both size and pattern is well illustrated. Length
rangesfrom 35mm to 48mm.
The specimensalso vary in the brilliance of the
red blotches on the body whorl. The spire likewise
is bright red. The tip of the protoconch,however, is
almost black.
McDowell reports that these shells were all collected in 30 to 40 feet of water, under rocks in
sand, at English Bay, Ascension,during 1979.
Elmer G. Leehman
RARE AND REMOTE
September, 1980
3 Shades of Strombus
HMS JULY MEETING
Harpa dons approx. x 2/3
Photo: Chapman
One of the very rare membersof the Harpidae is
Harpa dons Roding, 1798. Particularly prized are
specimensfrom Ascension Island, far out in the
South Atlantic. They are not only especially scarce;
they are in demandbecauseof their vivid coloring.
Actually, the speciesis quite variable in both size
IT'S A BIVALVE
HOLLYWOOD
- A
Veteran sheller-di ver-raconteur-biologist Scott
Johnson- three-times winner of HMS scholarship
awards - kept Society members alternately delighted and envious as he described a recent research tour of Kure atoll, the most northwesterly
island of the Hawaiian chain, at the July meeting.
He and fellow-member Stan Jazwinski participated
in a project to capture, measure, identify and tag
spiny lobsters, then releasethem.
The Stateof Hawaii, with the assistanceof Coast
Guard personnel stationed on Kure, is trying to
determinethe economic potential of the atoll's lobster population. Johnson and Jazwinski were members of a scientific team that periodically backstops
the CoastGuardsmen.
A~'D A GASTROPOD
recent reference to the fam-
ily Juliidae (HSN Sept. 1979) cited membersffom
Japan,Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean,but there
was no mention of those from tropical West
America.
Two speciesare found there - Julia thecaphora
(Carpenter, 1857), of which "J. exquisita Gould"
of authors(not of Gould, 1862) is a synonym, and
Bel1helinia chloris (DalI, 1918).
The latter has a range from Baja California to the
Galapagos.The color photo (below) of this snaillike
animal and its bivalved shell was taken by David
Mulliner on the Ameripagos Expedition to the
Galapagosin 1971.
The specimenswere found in shallow water on
Caulerpa, the seaweedthat resembles tiny green
grapes.
Twila Bratcher
Photos: Schoenberg
Berthelinia
chloris bivalve J/astrofJod
Photo: Mulliner
Hawaii's endemic Strombus helli Kiener is not
uncommon, but it is infrequently found alive. Usually it is brought up in dredge hauls from 300 feet
or more. There is a surprising amount of variation
within the species, as the figures above prove. All
the specimenswere live-taken off the leeward coast
of Oahu (Honolulu).