A NEW COWRY OF THE CRIBRARIA GROUP Cypraea
Transcription
A NEW COWRY OF THE CRIBRARIA GROUP Cypraea
AN EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATION OF THE HAWAIIAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY A NEW COWRY OF THE CRIBRARIA GROUP Cypraea haddnightae Trenberth, 1973 The recentdiscoveryofa new memberof the Cribraria group of cowriesin South Australia, and its subsequentdescriptionin the publication of the MalacologicalSocietyof South Australia by W. P. Trenberth, is significant news.Shells of the Cribraria group, although small, are in my opinion among the most beautiful conchologicallyr~lated in the genus. In order of their original descriptionsmembers of the group are: Cypraea cribraria Linne, 1758; c. cumingii Sowerby,1832; C. esentropia Duclos, 1833; c. gashoini Reeve, 1846; c. cribellum Gaskoin, 1849; c. fischeri Vayssiere, 1910; C. catholicorum Schilder-Schilder,1938; and c. haddnightae Trenberth, 1973. Cypraea cribraria is found over the entire Indo-Pacific.The individual ranges'of the other membersof the group, so far as I know, do not by c. M. I Patl BURGESS being the recorded western extent of their ranges. Cypraea gaskoini is confined to the Hawaiian chain. Fiji is included in my monograph - but the cowrie responsiblefor this extensionof rangeof C. gaskoini has sincebeen identified as C. fischeri. Cypraea haddnightae is the only memberof the group reportedfrom 'southwest WesternAustralia, where c. cribraria has not beenreported. So C. gaskoini, C. haddnightae, C. esontropia and C. cribellum are the only speciesin the group whoseranges arenot alsooccupiedby C. cribraria, asfar as I know. The discoveryof Cypraea haddnightae extends the range of the group to the southern coast of Western Australia. The Cribraria Group - Left to right, Cypraea This new cowrie,although closelyresembling cribraria, C. cumingii, C. esontropia, C. gashoini, C. cribellum, C. fischeri, C. catholi- c. cribraria, can be separatedfrom it by the f Cont'd on Page 41 corum and C. haddnightae. overlap exceptfor C. cribellum and c. esontropia which are found togetheron Mauritius. Cypraea cribellum is also found on Reunion. Cypraeafischeri has beenlive collectedin Fiji by Dieilev Thaanumand by myselfin American Samoa.Theseislandsare severalhundred miles apart and no doubt the specieshas been collected by others betweenthese points.* Cypraea catholicorum is known from New Britain, New Hebrides, and New Caledonia. Malaita Island especially has the cowrie in moderatenumbers. Cypraea cumingii occurs in easternPolynesia,Cook and Jarvis Islands Page 2 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS June. 1974 REEFCOMBINGS HAWAIIAN MALACOLOGICAL (Founded in 1941) SOCIETY P. O. Box 10391 Honolulu Hawaii 96816 President Vice President Treasurer Recording Secretary Corresponding Sec. STUART LILLICO OLIVE SCHOENBERG ROBERT PURTYMUN INKIE SHIELDS . LORETTA RICHERT Directors DR. THOMAS BURCH FRANCIS HEE GEORGE COOK ELMER G. LEEHMAN E. R. CROSS DR. TOM RICHERT DEANE GONZALEZ CHARLES S. WOLFE DONALD GRACE The Society meets the first Wednesday of each month at the First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania St., Honolulu at 7:30 p.m. VISITORS WELCOME! ~4l(taitale Sleett ~4 Editor-in-Chief """""""""""" E. R. CROSS Editors STUART LILLICO, RUTH FAIR Editorial Staff: Elmer Leehman, Lyman Higa, Genevieve Wheeler, Beatrice Burch Corresponding Editors: Peter van Pel, Dr. J. C. Astary, A. G. Hamlyn-Harris, Fr. AI Lopez S.J., Thora Whitehead, William E. Old, Jr., Rick Luther This is a reminder that the American Malacological Union will hold its fortieth annual meeting August 4 to 7 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Connecticut Valley Shell Club and the Springfield Museum of Science are hosts. The Western Society of Malacologists meet June 19 to 22 at Pomona, California. In addition to a program of symposia, papers and business, arrangements have been made to open the mollusk department of the I..os Angeles County Museum of Natural History for a tour of research facilities and the reference collection. And finally, let us not forget the Conchologists of America convention at Seattle, -June 13 to 16. * * * How do you show off your shells, casual. like? Several members have responded to Fran Wright's question in the February issue. Esther Atkins, of Pasadena, sent this photo of wind chimes assembled from drift. wood, cone shells, olives, sand dollars and shark vertebra found bleaching on the beach of the ~ea of Cortez. She remarked, incidentally, that the water was cold and that snorkelling was a chilly ex. perience. Around La Paz, their party found very few shells. * * * The mail recently brought a request from Academia Sinica in Peking, the prestigeous scientific organization, for copies of Hawaiian $hell News on an exchange basis. It is the So. ciety's first official contact with Mainland China. * * * They may not be as glamorous as golden 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, $1.00, postage included. Individual copies of any issue may be obtained, free of charge, by qualified individuals for bona fide research projects. cowries, but the Littorina have a place, too. A symposium on "Taxonomic Trends in the MEMBERSHIP DUES: U.S. (Includes Hawaii, APO, FPO) ..$ 8.00 U.S. AIR (incl. Canada) 10.50 FOREIGN SURFACE 9.00 FOREIGN FIRST CLASS 10.00 FOREIGN AIR 16.00 ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP 1.00 (Each additional family member may join for $1.00 but does not receive HSN.) tional membership, Articles of interest solicited. Advertisements are $10 per column inch are available for six to shell collectors are accepted at the rate of per issue. Special rates and twelve insertions. Littorinidae" at the Royal Scottish Museum Edinburgh "an informal all workers tropods.." in recently endorsed a proposal to form Littorinid group, with an interna- as far as possible comprising actively Coordinator interested in of the project these gasis Charles Pettitt, Manchester Museum, The University, Manchester M13 9 PL, England. Anyone interested should write * to him. * * Stephen Samu, of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, has raised a question about the true Conu8 legstu8 Lamarck, 1810, about which HSN Corresponding ris wrote in the April Editor A. G. Hamlyn-Har- issue. "The description and photograph are identical with a pair found by my wife and me at Diego Garcia, Chagosarchipelago,in October 1970 - alive and mature. The larger is 66mm. "La Conchiglia (March 19731had a photo and descriptionof C. legatus. The descriptionis very much the same,but the photo shows a different shell. The inside of both our shellsis bright pink; Mr. Hamlyn-Harrisdidn't mention this is his article. "Who hasthe (true) C. legatus?I would like to go alongwith Hamlyn-Harris,but doubt that his or ours is c. legatus." Can any HSN readersrespond? * * * At least two knowledgeablemembershave sent identifications for the "Little Stranger" conethat appearedin the February issue.Both Rear Admiral W. S. Bitler, USN Ret., of Annapolis, and Mrs. Thora Whiteheadof Brisbane called it Conus monile Hwass, 1792. Bitler noted t\tat C. monile "comes with or without the dark longitudinal streaks,and also appears in albino form." Mrs. Whitehead calls it "a form of C.generalis (or C. monile, which some consider is a form of c. generalis alsoI. Perhaps this is an intergrade betweenthe two?" * * * On the subject of the "Uttle Strangers," pictured regularly in HSN, comment by readers on the usefulness of this feature would be welcome. There is criticism that the shells shown frequently are not really "strangers," that finders are engaging in a subtle "show and tell," and that difficult identifications can't be made from photographs, anyhow. On the other hand, some displays have provoked lively exchanges among HSN readers. It has been suggestedthat the "Little Stranger," if retained, should be given more permanent value, but there is no agreement on how this should be done. One obvious improvement would be to require detailed data on time, place, and habitat as well as incidental observations. * * * Mrs. George F. Kline of Honolulu has sent word of the recent death in Sydney of Mrs. Denise Reverce, of Noumea, New Caledonia, known by friends allover the world as "Misette." "Misette was deeply interested in shells and shelling, and always was helpful and generous to visitors who had a sincere interest in malacology," Mrs. Kline wrote. "During our two expeditions to New Caledonia, our successful collections were aided immeasurably by the gracious cooperation of Misette, her husband Pierre, and her sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Andre Lapelerie. "Her loss will be felt by shellers everywhere." HA WAllAN SHELL NEWS Page 4 Cypraea haddnightae June. 1974 I Cont'd from Page II much finer and mo~e developed teeth. This character I believe to be specific. Another distinguishing difference is the marked pyriform shape of C. haddnightae. I do not believe, as Mr. Trenberth stated in his original description, that the columellar sulcus or the denticles are specifically different from those of c. cribraria. It might be worthwhile at this time to illustrate this group of cowries and to briefly discuss specific conchological characters as I see them. Preserved animals, and the shells from which they came, are available for study with the exception of C. haddnightae. In life animals are colored orange-pink to dark carmen in all but C. haddnightae, which so far has not been observed. Cypraea cribraria, the first described, is probably the largest, most beautiful, most widespread and most common of the group. The range of all others, so far as is now known, is sharply limited. The pure white base, the evenly spaced and uniform sized white spots, identify c. cribraria at once. The "spots" on the dorsums of this group consist of a lack of deposition of the color, be it dark brown, brilliant orange or dark yellow to gold. How the pliable and ever moving mantle, which forms these spots, can cover exactly the same area time after time to form these round and accurately placed circular spaces lacking the usual dorsal color is a mystery. Occasionally, in all species, this accurate approximating mechanism slips a bit, and the result is an elongated or blurred but still recognizable "spot." This blurring has not been observed in C. haddnightae, but probably does occur and will be noted when more specimens are found. Cypraea cumingii can be separated from all others in the group by its extremely fine and sharply cut teeth. Also the dorsal spots on C. cumingii, alone in the group, are ringed with darker pigmentation. In the dorsal view, c. fischeri cannot be differentiated from c. cumingii except by these ringed spots. The teeth of C. fi8cheri, although finer than those of C. ga8koini, are much differently formed and coarser than those found in C. cumingii. Cypraea e8ontropia is easily separated from all others in the group by the dark transverse embryonal bands visible through the dorsal pattern even in fully adult specimens. This embryonal banding, together with the definitely red-brown color, results in C. e8ontropia being the darkest in color, when fresh, in the group. It has about the same pyriform shape as c. haddnightae, but the discrete brown spots on both sides of the baseof C. e8ontropia separate them at a glance. Cypraea ga8koini resembles c. fl8cheri more than it does any other member of the group. This similarity is more pronounced in small, immature and elongated forms of c. ga.koini. It is distinguished positively by the finer and more produced and differently formed teeth in c. fiacheri. This is a character readily seen when shells of equal size are compared, but which may not be evident in the illustrations. Also the lateral heavier jet black discrete spotting of C. fiacheri is better noted by direct comparison of shells of equal size. Cypraea ga.koini is almost always globular except for dwarf specimens, while C. li.cheri is elongated in all specimens examined. Cypraea cribellum is surely the smallest of the group. It may have scant lateral spotting just above the labial callus and also occasionally a few faint basilar spots, but the base is usually pure white. The chief characteristic separating it from c. e.ontropia is the lack of embryonal transverse banding and, of equal importance, the truly cylindrical shape. In studying small specimens of c. e.ontropia some difficulty is found in positive separation. The gross animal characters are said by observers to be "different," but so far I have been unable to exactly establish these dif. ferences, since they are manifest ouly in the liv. ing fully active animal. Here soh parts examina. tion may be of great value. These soh parts are available, as are the individual shells from which they came. Cypraea /i.cheri has already been described. It is my opinion, and also that of Dr. Alison Kay, that the differently formed teeth, the more elongated shape, and the distribution and character of the lateral and basilar spotting justify full separation from C. ga.koini, and is not to be considered a synonym as was listed in my monograph on the Cypraeidae. Cypraea catholicorum can be separated from C. cribraria only by the much smaller, more irregularly sized and spaced dorsal spots. A more cylindrical shape is also an aid. Both may have faint lateral spotting just above the labial callus. This smaller dorsal spotting is striking when compared to c. cribraria of equal size. I have specimens of equal size from the same reef. The characters of C. haddnightBe have al. ready been discussed. The species is known only from a limited number of specimens. They were first collected by Sisters F. Haddrill and M. Knight of the Albany Regional Hospital, who sent them to Paul Trenberth of Tumby Bay, South Australia. He described the species in publication No. 17, 1973 of the Malacological Society of South Australia, and named them for the sisters who first collected them. * Scott Johnson, in a recent personal commu. uication, reports the discovery on Kwajalein of a cowry that is believed to be c. /i.cheri. I have not yet seen the specimen. C.M.B. SHELLS FOR SALE MONTILLA ENTERPRISE SpecimenShells of the Philippines - Free List - Shell& SeedNecklaces- Monkey Pod & WoodenWares- Black Coral Bracelets& Earrings - Fibercraft- Artificial Flowers- ShellCraft - Windchimes, etc. 59 Maria Clara - Quezon City D-503 Philippines JAPAN SPECIMEN SHELLS WANTED I can use all the varieties from worldwide, both seaand land, from commonto rare. Offer best prices with information on sizes, quality and availablequantities. Sho Yasuda,Box 30, Fujisawa, Kanagawa,Japan. . :: .. .. . . . . ~ 1 Shellsof the Seas,Inc. ~ '" .. I FLORmA ~ The Friendly .. W';'e 1o,De.ler l;,. IREE " I I SPECIMENSHEllS. I . tOUGHT &SOLO . Eo,h Spe,;me. Comple,e . W;,h A«u'ote ~o... . Palo. telephone .. . ...~ . . :: . 305-763-7516 ... . ~~~: Shell, ,"dod'",'d'", t, HMSISGS P. C. 8CX 1418 FT. LAUDERDALE. FLA. 333C2 U. S. A. SOURCE FOR RED SEA SPECIMEN AND COMMERCIAL SHELLS DOV PELED Hazalafim 6, Haifa, 34-739, I8rael BUY8,8e118 and exchanges 8he1l8.Price li8t on request. Page 5 Every area of the shell world has a few leaders, some self-educated, who rise to great heights in malacological circles. Such a person in W. Paul Trenberth, of Tumby Bay, South Australia. His name has come to the fore as author of the new CypraeB haddnightae, but he earlier was known for Cypraea trenberthae, as well. Both are endemic Australian cowries. Trenberth was born and educated in Kadina in the Yorke peninsula of South Australia. Being fond of animals and the outdoors he took up farming, from which he finally retired in 1950. Subsequently he leased his land to a "share-farmer" and was pleasantly surprised to find his net income was almost identical to what he had been earning by working from dawn to dark. In his retirement, Trenberth became a Justice of the Peace and a Coroner in South Australia. A habit of early rising, the result of years on his farm, led to his taking long walks on the nearby beaches before breakfast to pass the time. By nature an inquisitive person, Paul began to look closely at the life on the beach, a tendency that was to change his life. One bright morning on the reef he spotted a magnificent eight-inch gem specimen of what proved to be a Voluta fulgetrum. Trenberth seriously began searching for more shells. That first shell still has a place of honor in his vast collection. Eventually, Paul began to wonder if shells could be found after dark with a strong light. Many night expeditions followed. By this time, Mrs. Trenberth had also become a collector and often accompanied Paul. Prior to his malacological interest, Trenberth was an accomplished pianist, but music was doomed to be PUBLICATIONS REVIEW Card Catalogueof World-wide Shells. Sally Diana Kaicher, St. Petersburg,Fla. $3.25 per set. Pack No.3 - Mitridae Part I illustrates ninety-six miters covering a wide geographic area. Each card has a black and white photo of the shell in natural size and one or two poses in magnification showing structural detail. Although the description is very brief, the clarity of the pictures and the occasional helpful hints for comparing similar shells make this set a worthwhile addition to the identification library. I found several miters I had never seen pictured, especially the miniatures, and am looking forward to Mitridae Part II. Bunnie Cook abandoned in deference to his new hobby. It naturally followed that a boat would be purchased, also that an ingenious array of longhandled collection devices must be invented. Mter spotting a shell with the ever efficient "look box," the Trenberths would snag or scoop it up with one of his inventions in depths of up to twenty feet. This activity led to a surplus of many species and an increasing desire to trade for others not yet in his collection. The late Ray Steele was one of Trenberth 's earliest American contacts, eventually leading to correspondence with veteran HMS member and cypraea expert Ray Summers. It was only a question of time until Summers introduced Trenberth to his good friend, Hawaii's Dr. C. M. (Pat) Burgess. Paul was in the Big League of the shell world. "Ray Summers was unusually patient with me, and painstaking in his teachings," Trenberth recalls. "I was soon to learn that I had an outstanding tutor who was far above ordinary collectors." For many years Summers continued teaching Trenberth, supplemented by the cypraea expertise of the equally helpful Pat Burgess. Their admiration is mutual. "In addition to being an excellent shell friend for many years, I consider Paul Trenberth 's contributions to malacology to be quite substantial," Burgess said recently. For many years, th~ three friends exchanged shells as well as scientific information. RARE SPECIMEN SHELLS WANTED Pleurotomaria beyrichii Hilgendorf, 1877 gemma Bayer, 1965 midas Bayer, 1965 quoyana Fischer & Bernardi, 1856 salmiana Rolle, 1899 Voluta (Volutoconus) grossi mcmichaeli Habe & Kosuge, 1966 (Volutoconus) coniformis Cox, 1871 (Volutoconus) hargreavesi daisyi Weaver, 1967 (Cymbiolacca) perplicata Hedley, 1902 Conus gloriamaris Chemn~tz, 1777 cervus Lamarck, 1822 Cypraea fultoni Sowerby, 1903 hirasei Roberts, 1914 rosselli Cotton, 1914 armeniaca Verco, 1912 If you have specimens of the above for sale, please write stating size, condition, coloring, location data and price in U.S. dollars. RICHARD C. HOUSER 108 N. StateStreet,Chicago,IL 60602 In the meanwhile, Trenberth had become closely associated with the late B. C. Cotton, widely known malacologist of the South Australian Museum, who permitted Paul to study the books, papers and shell specimens there. Cotton taught Trenberth scientific terms and names, as well as how to locate rare shells, spending many hours in the process. Another early associate was Lance Moore of Sydney, who came to depend on Trenberth for identifications and price data. Dr. Franz Schilder was another shell-world "great" with whom he exchanged information as well as specimens. Gradually, Paul's interest had become centered on the cypraea, on which the influence of Burgess and Summers might be surmised. Today, Trenberth is one of the foremost malacologists in Australia. He is consulted regularly by collectors and dealers all over that country. The Hawaiian Malacological Society is proud to have Paul Trenberth as a member. June, 1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page 6 CAN YOU TOP THIS? by FRED L. and DAPHNE Data on world record size shells are being brought up to date in anticipation of a new edition of Van Nostrand's Standard Catalog of Shells. Have you anything larger? If 80, write F. DUNN An outbreak of gastro-intestinal disorders among some American troops stationed on Canton Island, in the Phoenix group of the Central Pacific, early in World War II, resulted in a survey of molluscan life on the reefs of that little known speck of land that is of great interest to shell collectors today. Dr. Reed W. Fautin of Laramie, Wyoming was a member of a U.S. Army medical team sent to investigate and control the outbreak. After the task was completed, the team had a prolonged wait for transportation back to Honolulu - the better part of three months, in fact. Dr. Fautin, a zoologist, was able to devote his spare time to studies of Canton Island's animal life, including the mollusca. He gave particular attention to the cowries, most of which were collected as living animals from the exposed reefs and coral heads of the lagoon during low tides. The randomness of the collection over a period of many days without any knowledge of species differences, probably reflects fairly well the relative abundance of the speciespresent at that time. Recently the authors were able to study Dr. Fautin's collection, and record and identify the species.We were assisted with identifications by Dr. E. Alison Kay of the University of Hawaii, Dr. C. M. Burgess of Honolulu Ithrough Dr. Kayl, and Dr. Harry G. Lee of the University of California, San Francisco. We are indebted to them. We particularly thank Dr. Fautin (the father of D.F .D.) for allowing us to borrow his interesting collection for study. We found the following species represented (number of specimens in parentheses): CyprseB issbells (24), c. teres (2), c. irrorsts (41, C. fimbriats (II, C. porsris (54), c. helvols m), C. csputserpentis 129), c. csrneols (8), c. depresss(43), C. scurrs 14),c. tigris Ill, c. mBuritisns (I), C. nucleus 161, C. bistrinotsts 171, C. globulus (7), C. moneta (177). Comments:The species total sixteen. Cyprses moneta were clearly the most abundant cowries on Canton Island in 1942. Cyprses helvols, C. poraris, C. depresss, C. csputserpentis, and C. issbells constituted a second group of fairly abundant animals, as represented by their shells. Ten other species were encountered infrequently. The Cyprses csputserpentis specimens fall toward the large end of the 15 to 39mm size range noted by Burgess in his Living Cowries (1970: 177). No specimens of other species are unusual in respect to size. Two of the eight c. csrneols specimens have exceptionally prominent spires, placing them close to the T"Rmnh' variatinn described bv Burgess. to: Robert Of the Cypraea depressa specimens, twentyseven are adult and sixteen are classified as immature. (These c. ambica-like immature specimens are presumed to be c. depressa because c. arabica was either absent or, if present, very rare on Canton in 1942.) One of the specimens of c. globulus is strikingly similar to the Canton Island form of this species illustrated by Burgess (Plate 30, G). We have found little published information about the cowries of Canton Island, other than some distributional references in Burgess. Several notes in Hawaiian Shell News (vol. 4, no. 8, p. 80,1956; vol. 7, no. 5, p. 50,1959) deal with Canton without providing any data about cowries. It is of interest to compare the present list with records for a few other islands of the central and south-central Pacific. Rehder ( 1966) lists seventeen species for the Tubuai (Austral) Islands, a total similar to that for the Canton collection. Only eight of the seventeen species, however, are common to Canton. Much closer to the Phoenix group are the Line Islands. Jewell (19621 recorded a total of forty-six species of Cypraeidae for Jarvis, Fanning, Palmyra, and Christmas Islands, but the total for each individual island is considerably lower and the species assemblages are not strikingly similar to that for Canton. One list has been published for McKean Island, a close neighbor of Canton in the Phoenix group (Nielsen 19691. This includes fourteen speciesof cowries, of which no less than eleven also appear on our Canton list. Missing from the Canton list but present on McKean J. L. Wagner,Editor Van Nostrand's Standard Catalog of Shells Route 1, Box 21 Marathon, Fla. 33050 When submitting data, include the name of the presentowner, where and when collected, andby whom. It is important, also,to statewho measuredthe specimen. Speciesnormally measuringless than about 5Ommare not listed in the current series. Murex nigrospinus Murex pliciferoides Murex pomum Murex ramosus Murex recurvirostris Murex recurvirosms lividus Murex saxatilis Murex scolopax Murex torrefactus Murex torrefactus insula rum MureX triremus Murex troscheli Muricanthus nigritus Mytilus californianus Mytilus edulis Namaeopelta dallians Natica aleutica Nautilus pompilius Neptunea eyerdami Neptunea ithia Neptunea lirata Neptunea pribiloffensis Neptunea Batura georgianus Naptunea smirnia Neptunea tabulata Nerita ornata Neverita reclusiana Norrisia norrisii Notoacmaea persona Ocenebra poulsoni Oliva incrassata Oliva Rives Oliva porphyria Oliva spicata Oliva textilina Opalia wroblenskii Opeatostoma pseudodon Ostrea laperonsii Panomyaturgida Panope generosa Parapholas californica Patella mexicana Patinopecten caurinus Pecten diegensis Pecten sericeus are: Cypraea talpa, c. schilderorum, and c. Pecten ziC%BC vitellus. Missing from the McKean list but Penion dilatatus Periglypta multicostata presenton Canton (in 1942): C. teres, c. irroPeriploma planusculum rata, C. fimbriata, C. tigris, and C. bistriPhalium glaucum notata. It is of interest that c. caputselpentis Phalium granulatum on McKean is also large (average34mm in Phasianella australis length) and that the commonest McKean Pholadidea ovoidea Pinna nobilis species include four of the six commonest Pinna rugosa specieson Canton: C. depressa,c. caputsel'" Pitar lupanaria pentis, C. poraria, and C. isabella. On the Placiphorella velata magellanicus other hand, C. helvola and c. moneta are rela- Placopecten Placunanomia cumingii tively much less abundant on McKean than Pleuroliria artia (List to be continued I they were on Canton in 1942. 142.9 146.0 132.6 298.5 58.6 74.9 196.8 151.4 123.8 101.5 187.3 166.8 186.5 220.0 105.0 52.7 60.5 222.0 130.0 138.0 185.8 160.0 70.0 168.0 113.6 54.3 78.0 61.8 53.1 62.6 95.0 54.3 131.7 85.2 86.8 59.8 64.0 344.0 90.0 191.0 131.2 254.0 288.0 108.0 95.4 127.0 231.0 131.5 65.6 120.0 106.8 99.5 125.0 750.0 391.0 67.8 62.0 230.0 68.0 53.0 Page 7 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS June. 1974 COWRIES FROM JORDAN'S ONLY HARBOR SHELLS FOR SALE by JOHN ORR The desert kingdom of Jordan touches the sea I at only one point - the immediate vicinity WESTERN of tudes are between four and five feet - expose narrow, rocky re1!fs jutting from the shore. Along the outer fringes of these reefs, which drop steeply to the ocean floor, colorful corals abound. Numerous caves and crevices are populated by spectacular fishes, crustacea, shells and other tropical marine fauna. Surprisingly, however, the brightly patterned starfish usually associated with such environments were absent. Eel grass was also scarce and small pastures in sandy areas were stunted and thinly spread. Shell fauna is varied and, except for those known to be indigenous to the Red Sea region, consisted mostly of the common Indo.Pacific species. Cowries were my main objective. I particularly wanted to find live specimens of Cypraea pulchra Gray, 1824; c. macandrewi Sowerby, 1870, C. pantherina Solander, 1786. and C. erythraeensis Sowerby, 1837. I found none of them, not even occasional beach-worn shells as evidence that living specimens were around. What I did find were plump C. nebrites Melvill, 1888 (frequent I; c. grayana Schilder, 1930 (frequentl; C. turdus Lamarck, 1810 (scarceI; C. talpa Linne, 1758 (scarceI; C. carneola linne, 1758 (frequent I; C. nucleus Linne, 1758, (scarce1 and C. isabella Linne, 1758 (scarcel. Had I been able to extend my search forty or fifty miles to the south into Saudi Arabia I would probably have found some of those other species. Among hundreds of C. pantherina brought across the Saudi Arabian border for sale in the shops of Aqaba were fair numbers of C. pulchra and C. erythraeensis. I was told that all of them had been found among the extensive shoals and coral reefs of the Tiran Straits at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba. But the Saudi frontier officials were not very obliging and a one-day visa (back before nightfall! I was all they would grant me - hardly enough time to reach any promising shelling grounds. So I spent the day prodding and poking among half-dead corals in five to six feet of murky water near Aqaba's main harbor. Cypraea grayana and C. nebrites were plentiful, C. turdus less so. A scarlet patch beneath a brittle slab of plate-coral looked sus- SHELLS Western Australia 6001 Fine shells from Australia, New Guinea, Borneo and other interesting areas of the world. We specialize in high quality cowries, volutes, cones, marginellas and chitons. We supply the loveliest Cypraea rosselli and lemon Pecten australis. Also colour slides of live mollusks & shell hooks. Free 1974-75 catalogue sent on request. the port of Aqaba, Arab "twin" of the Israeli port of Eliat. Both cities are at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is split from the Red Sea by the Sinai Peninsula. A few steps to the south puts you in Saudi Arabia; across the mouth of the River Jordan to the west is Israel. Recently I spent two weeks shelling at Aqaba. The ecology of Jordan's coast around Aqaba and for fifteen kilometers to the south is typical oftropicalGulfregions.Lowtides- theampli- AUSTRALIAN Box T1738 G.P.0., Perth piciously like soft sponge. But, no. It was an exceptionally large C. teres - the first of four I found within an hour. All were the alveolus variant (Tapparone, 1882) and the largest 45mm. long. Although widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions and listed by a few dealers as coming from Eliat in neighboring Israel, C. teres has not - as far as I know - West Coast Curio Co. 1940 Maple Avenue Costa Mesa, Calif. 92627 "13 miles south of Disneyland". wngest es. tablished shell dealer in the world. More than 2,000 species stocked regularly. No lists - No mail order. Buy or browse - YQu're always wel. ~ come! been officially recorded from as far north as Aqaba. This may, therefore, represent an extended geographical range for this colorful species. Perhaps, after all, the decision not to use my hard-won visa to venture across the border was a blessing in disguise. COME IN AND SEE US . -~a"t,,11 ~~--;;~ C}""flAII""" " 0 OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA 93644 USA WortJWJe anJ Rare Sl.etl WIDE SELECTiON OF WESTMEXICO, PANAMA AND CALIFORNIA SHELLS ! HAWAII ~eQ8Rell <7'aradise (Formerly ParadiseShells' WORLDWIDE SHELLS OF SPECIMEN QUALITY - Hawaiian SpecialtyWE BUY, SELL AND TRADE WANT LISTS INVITED ..-,,- ---"-" ..~" , u,," 0"0" ,~_,,~..~m KING'S ALLEY 131 Kaiulani Ave.,Honolulu, H.I 96815 NEW LOCATION- Expanded Stock ! I i I Largest Stock of Shell Booksin the World! * SELL -/( BUY -/(EXCHANGE FREESHELL, BOOK AND ACCESSORY I CATALOGSON REQUEST s.==::..=~~---' i WESTERN AUSTRALIA Merv Cooper of Perth. Shell Distributors avails you of his New List No.6. - FREE - WriteDISTRIBUTORS to: PERTH SHELL P. O. Box 186 Mt. Hawthorn, Western Australia 6016 llle Home of Cypraea rosselli Phone 815-542 ~~~ ~ ~ . = ~ = ~ : RICHARD 1575 NO. 118 ST. M. . j KURZ ~~.~.~~ ~ ~ ~ , INC. WAUWATOSA, WIS. 53226 U.S.A. :~ : ~ = : DEALER IN FINE & RARE SPECIMEN SHELLS OF SUPERIOR QUALITY SHELLS BOUGHT, SOLD & TRADED : : : = Write for Free Price Lists : = House of Quality and Service Largest Mail Order Shell Dealer in the U.S.A. ~ ~ ~ 5 ~ ~ ~ ~..~..~~~.~.~~~.~ ~ ~ ~ : 5 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~.~~.~~... Page 8 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Cypraea guHata Vs. C. azuma; Oahu Observations The water off Honolulu's Magic Island is about ten feet deep close to shore. The hard coral bottom slopes gradually outward for about 200 yards to a ten.foot dropoff into a large sand Some interesting evidence!in the problem: "Is Cypraea guttata azumai Schilder, 1960 a valid subspecies?" has been submitted by HMS member Nee Chung, of Causeway Bay, Hong pocket. . Some time ago, I was poking along the crest of this dropoff, in about twenty-five feet of water, when I came upon a Cypraea leviathan. The sight of this striking shell always boosts my blood pressure a few points, and I started plowing along like a bulldozer. A few minutes later, as I hastily flipped over a small slab of dead coral, four little furry balls rolled out. A gentle surge washed all but one into cracks and holes in the reef. They were less than one centimeter in diameter and, as I grabbed for the remaining one, the mantle retracted, revealing a white shell beneath. Later, my prize proved to be the petite Trivirostra ory%a (Lamarck. 1810). Though only 7mm long, the sculpture on this shell, when viewed under moderate magnification, is a true work of art. Wh~n you go for yours, turn the slabs over slowly and carefully. Bob Purtymun Kong. He sent a set of excellent color photos of some fine specimens of C. guttata Gmelin, 1791 and C. g. azumai, with notes on specific differences he has observed. His C. guttata, he reports, was trawled off the coast of Indonesia by Taiwan fishermen, who provided no data. Its size is 53.1mm by 33.7mm. The azumai form was trawled at 100 meters off Danjo Island, Japan. It is 58mm by 35.8. Mr. Nee compiled the following table of dif. ferences between the two forms by reference to the photos: Notes on Identification Page SwainsoniB newcombii (Pease,18691is a Hawaiianmitrid which has beenconfusedwith SwainsoniBcasta(Gmelin, 1791). Both species have a broad brown band on the body whorl. However,in S. castathe band is epidermisand can be removedby cleaning,while in S. newcombii the band is permanentcolor in the shell itself. Bursa bufoniB (Gmelin, 1791) has a wide distribution throughout the tropical Indo. Pacific. In someareasthe apertureis white; in others, cream or yellow. This shell has been featuredbeforein Hawaiian Shell News,but is figured here for comparisonwith the following species. Bursa leo Shikama,1964.This name is consideredby someto be a synonymof B. bufoniB. However,therearecleardifferencesbetweenthe shells which are constant in the fifteen or so specimensof B. leo and the many times that numberof B. bufoniB that I haveexamined.In B. leo, the left edgeof the columnellarshieldis sinuate and is almost horizontal at the lower termination; in B. bufoniB the left edgeis an evencurvebecomingan almoststraight vertical line at the lower end. Thesefeaturesshould be visible in the photos. Venus hawaiensis Dall, Bartsch & Rehder, 1938. The sculpturing on this little Hawaiian clam is quite distinctive, consisting of sharp, concentricribs. SassiBsemitorta Kuroda & Habe, (year unknown). This uncommon cymatiid is found from Japan to Taiwan. It is deep brown and seemsquite fragile in comparisonwith the usual sturdy membersof its family. Charles S. Wolfe June, 1974 REEFCOMBINGS Photo A B C.g.azuma; C. guttsts "Fatter,wider, left edge "Thinner, narrower, left invisible" edgevisible" "No dark right side." brown spot on c 'Linesstop at margin. D 'No white blotch," 1 "Long br{)wn stain on right side." 'Linescontinue upward. "Large white blotch on side." Dr. C. M. Burgess of Honolulu, author of The Living Cowries, when shown the above photos and notes, expressed some reservations. "I still think that Cypraea guttata and C. azumai are synonyms," he declared. "I am impressed by his photos of two beautiful specimens, however. "I suspect that the difference Mr. Nee has noted are essentially related to the age of the shells, rather than subspecies differences. Nevertheless, 1 would welcome the opinion of other HMS members." The HSN correspondingeditor in Brisbane, Mrs. Thora Whitehead, was interested in a remark madeby the late Karl Greenein his arti. cle, "Let's Go Dredging," reprinted in our December 1973 issue. He reported having brought up a cone resembling Conus pulchellus and c. pertusus. "I think I have a specimenof this," writes Mrs. Whitehead. "I bought the shell from a friend who wassellingher collection,which she no longerhad time to curate properly. Shetold methe shellhad beensentto her by Mrs. Mariel King (long-timepatron of HMS and owner of the researchvesselPele). The data with it is 'Dredged in Keehi Lagoon,off Oahu, September 6, 1959.' "The shellis definitely not the onementioned in the Greene article - it is just 1 Y4 inches long but it conforms to the description otherwise. - Is its identity known now? "I obtained another shell from the same source, also said to have come from Mrs. King. It is labelled only 'Dredged off Hawaii.' This shell is slightly smaller and looks as if it were related to Conus glans, but it is less cylindrical than that species - more conical. Most of the body whorl is golden color, the base is white and it is pink at the shoulder. There are fine ridges with raised 'dots' on most of the body whorl, although the pink area at the shoulder is smooth. The spire is not very tall, convex, and the protoconch is pink. The spire whorls have about three spiral grooves. "Can anvone heln me with the names?" June. 1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS Page 9 SHELLS FOR SALE KInK flnOfns T~.A.VEI.- by F. A. SCHILDER (From HSN, Sept.1965) Write for Free Itinerary for 1974 Season. P. O. Box 1418 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Personally Guided Shelling and Diving Tours Around the World. Tried and Proven. COME JOIN THE FUN! CARFEL SHELL EXPORT CARFEL SEASHELL MUSEUM 1786 A. Mabini St. Malate, Manila, Philippines We offer quality specimens, ornamental, commercial shells & handicrafts. Write for free price list. Visit us and seeour permanent display of beautiful collection. Yeppoon Shell Museum R.T. & D.A. Brown Box 74, Yeppoon, Q., Australia The largest dealers of Specimen Shells in Australia. Fine and rare specimens bought and sold. Will exchange for rare shells. Prices to suit all pockets. On hand at present, choice shells from New Guinea, Australia, Philippines and Africa. Write for free Price List. Collectors who do not Wtderstand Latin and Greek will possibly be interested in the meaning of the scientific names of some well known cowry species. Most scientific names are Latin, but a few are Greek (marked by*) or even other languages (marked by * * I. If we restrict the explanations to living species and well recognizable subspeciesof true cowries (Cypraeidae), and omit the hWtdreds of varietal names and synonyms of minor importance, we can arrange the scientific names according to their meaning as follows. FORMOSA SHELLS WHOLESALE CHU~SHAN CHIANG Specimen& commercial seashells WE BUY, SELL AND TRADE Write for FREE Price-list Box 332, Tainan, Taiwan Republic of China TELEPHONE: 50520 Tainan Chien Shen Company Reliable 1. Most namesrefer to the charactersof the shells: Shell P. O. Boxes Shells, Horn paintings, Over craft, Shell ten years Taiwan craft, Shark Butterfly Dealer and 01128 1.28 Kaohsiung, Specimen craft, jaw specimens, in Coral craft, craft, Pig Butterfly business. Jade craft, Oil craft. Satisfaction /{uaranteed. There are some general designations, as gracilis - graceful; pericalles.*very beautiful; pulchella - rather beautiful (not: small pulchral)j pulchra - beautiful; stolida foolish; vasta - coarse; and venusta charming like Venns. Far more names refer to the size: immanis MAURITIUS Buy-sell-exchange worldwidespecimens MIKADO SHELL HOUSE 6, Sir William NewtonStreet' Port-Louis,Mauritius U.S.A. STIX DISPLAY STANDS FOR SALE ENHANCE THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FAVORITES Rare shells,preciousmineralsand an endless list of valued treasuresare exhibited to their maximumadvantageand safetyin the patented STIX STAND. Available through many fine shops,or write for specifics:STIX, 13 Vandam Street, New York, N.Y. 10013. - very large, or are descriptions of the general shape: angustBta - narrowed j coloba stunted j latior - broaderj pyriformis - pear shaped; teres oblong j tortirostris with a - - tortuous beak. Some names recall peculiarities in morphology; acicularis - needle shaped (referring not to the lateral denticulate j pittingsl; erosa - edentula - rather polished I; serrulifera OS TIN I Box 167 MASSAWA (Ethiopia) - eroded (at the margins)j esontropia * - keeled within j eunota* - with solid dorsum j marginalis and marginata - margined j microdon * - small tooth (with small teeth}, minoridens - smaller tooth; obvelata - surroundedby a sailj semiplots - (not intelligible, possiblymisspelledfor semipolitB AUSTRALIA Lance Moore Marine Specimens Pty., Ltd. 27 A George St., Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia Free catalogue on request. All specimenscannot be listed, our stock too comprehensive. Ask for your "wants". Offer you from Dahlak: SPECIMEN SHELLS LIVE RED SEA FISHES LOCAL HANDICRAFTS DRIED AND EMBALMED SEA ARTICLES - bearing& small saw (in front of the columellal, WHEN IN LOS ANGELES, VISIT - sulcidentBta BEST SOURCE FOR SHELLS FROM TAIWAN with furrow-like teeth. Most names, however, refer to the color of shells: the general aspect is indicated by the names adusta - burned (brown}; albuginosa - - FINE SHELLS AND FINE ART We do not publish a list but we will answer specific requests for Rare Shells - our specialty. Exceptional GEM quality Japanese Latiaxis and Typhis now available. Sholl, ,..'ed .",.om, t, HMS-ISGS TIDE POOLI 22762 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, California 90265 - whitish; cinerea- ash gray; citrina lemon color; exusta - burned ("scorched" ac- cording to Reeve, brown!; fuscorubra brownish red; helvola -lurid - - - Wholesale & Retail Come & visit our show room or write to: T. C. LAN 40, Lane 105, Liao-ning St. Taipei, Taiwan (Tel. 750-6801 yellowish red; lurida (pale}; lutes - saffron; pallida pale; pallidula - rather pale (palish, as Gaskoin said}; sanguinolenta blood red (referring to - the lateral spotsI; spadices - chestnut; dirty; subviridis - rather green; spurca viridicolor - green. (To be continuedl Contact the reliable supplier in Taiwan for your collection or for retail of shells: JOVIAL ENTERPRISES, L w. P. O. Box 1046 Taichung 400, Taiwan Rare & Common Shells, Wholesale & Retail, Handicrafts & Novelty also in our line. Page 10 JW1e,1974 HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS "OLIVE SHELLS" The Other Shell Clubs Olive Shells of the World, by Rowland F. Zeigler and Humbert C. Porreca (New York: W. Henrietta, 1969,96 p.1 is one of the standard shell identification volumesfound in the libraries of most seriouscollectors. Somehow, the subject of shell club emblems came up. With a little encouragement from the Honolulu end, HSN Corresponding Editor Thora Whitehead, sent the following information on the Cairns (Queensland) Shell Club's attractive pin. Although now a resident of Brisbane, Mrs. Whitehead is still a member of the Cairns group. Dr. Zeiglerrecentlycompileda list of corrections, on the basisof subsequentresearchand the suggestions of readersand researchers.The list of correctionswas publishedin Of Sea and Shore. Olive Shells of the World is distributed by the Shell Cabinet,P. O. Box 29, Falls Church, Va. 22046. In the meantime,here are the changes: PAGE CORRECTIONS Page 4. Brugiere should be Bruguiere. Pages 23, 29, 30. Duclos dates after Oliva ka/eontins should be 1835. All Lamarck dates should be 1811. Pages 33,94. Oliva oblongata Marra!, 1870 should be Oliva oblongs Marrat, 1870. Pages 54, 76. Duclos dates after Oliva tigridella should be 1835. Page 66. Vanatta date after forma Immaculata is 1915. Pages 66, 91. craBBS Martini should be craBBS Marrat, 1871. Page 73. Johnson date after forma marratl should be 1914, not 1871. Page 76. Melvill and Standen's date after forma wllllamsi should be 1898, not 1897. Page 79. Oliva rutula Duclos, 1835 is Plate7, Fig. 12 (not Plate 8). Page 90. Marrat's date after Oliva arctata should be 1871, not 1877. Dautzenberg's date after Oliva azona should be 1927, not 1811. Page 92. Oliva hlspldula Blainville, 1828 shouJd be added to the index after hiraseL Pages 78, 96. After Oliva zebra, add Weinkauff in Kuster. 1878. PLATE CORRECTIONS Plate2, Fig. 3, Oliva reticularis Lamarck, 1811 forma bollingi Clench, 1934 should be forma formosa Marrat, 1870. We are now in possession of specimens of the formabolilngi wh ich match the ill ustrations and descriptions of Dr. Clench. Plate 12. The identifications of figures 6 and 9 should be reversed: i.e., fig. 6 is Oliva ponderosa Duclos, 1845, and fig. 9 is Oliva tremullna Lamarck, 1811, forma olympiadlna Duclo~ 1835. Plat~ 12, Figure 8 is Oliva hirasei "Kuroda and Habe, 1952", Kira, 1959 rather than Oliva tremullna Lamarck, 1811, formafumosa Marrat, 1870. Plate 13. Fig. 11, Oliva avellana Lamarck, 1811 is doubtful. The illustrated shells seem to be old and discolored (pseudofossils?). To date, I have been unable to acquire any definite information on this species from contacts in New Guinea (alleged habitat) or elsewhere. Plate 13, Figure 12 in not Oliva calosoma Duclos, 1835, but rather a form of Oliva bulbiformis Duclos, 1835, 1835. The acquisition of a large series of Oliva bulbiformis shows many color forms that match the illustration. Oliva calosoma, admittedly rare, thus remains a mystery to this writer. The blank space for the missing photograph of Oliva anlomina Duclos, 1835 must remain so at present. This species remains elusive and controversial. Tryon gave Japan as the locality for Oliva anlomina. The solitary example of Oliva aniomina in Marrat's collection at the City of Liverpool Museums proved to be Oliva ka/eontina Duclos, 1835. Marrat's own label gave Galapagos as the locality! This information was obtained by Bert Porreca from photographs and correspondencefrom the Liverpool Museums. by mORA WHITEHEAD The original design for the Cairns Shell Club badge was the work of Mrs. Jane Mitchell, formerly of Cairns but now "world wandering." noto: Don D. Chapman The shell we chose for our emblem is Vexillum taeniatum Lantarck, 1811, a species that in years gone by was not hard to obtain in North Queensland, where there was more trawling in During the past few years reports of the dis- progress and also some Trochus diving, I'm told. These days, J:;;taeniatum are scarce, like covery of five-inch specimens of Cypraea therhen's teeth, as the Australian expression goes. I sites Gaskoin, 1894 have come from Australia. was lucky enough to have one in my collection, To date, however, none have been confirmed. however, and we used it as a model for our In the above picture is a Cypraea thersites which is over four inches, a normal specimen badge. and a melanistic shell. These were all collected in South Australia by Trevor J. Castle, well known diver and shell dealer. The color range of this species is fascinating. Specimens are found that are pure white (Cypraea contra ria) and almost black as shown in this picture. Cypraea thersites, an endangered species, presently is protected by the Australian Government. This beautiful shell is a member of the Australian "Zolia" family of cypraea. A VARIABLE SPECIES ElmerG. Leehman The original design was executed on a wooden shield, which was photographed and sent to Specimen8 of the following Cypraea 8howing various badge manufacturers. Getting just what melani8mor ro8tration: we wanted proved to be difficult. (I was Club C. mometa secretary at the time.) One firm kept sending us C. cribraria different designs by return mail, based on C. lynx Vexillum taeniatum, but with odd shape disC. eglantina tortions and even odder color combinations. c. stolida Finally we found a company in Brisbane that could produce very nearly what we wanted. c. felina The badge measures one inch across the top C. e~nes and 1Y4 inches from top to bottom. It's one of C. caurica the prettiest badges I have seen, but then I C. arabica haven't seen all that many badges and I'm C. annulus probably biased, anyway. I have many very happy memories of my all-too-short four years in Some of the specimensshould have the aniCairnes. mal preserved; others may include only the shell. Normal shells collected from the same SPECIAL BOOK LIST area as malformed ones also much desired. AUSTRALIAN SHELLS, Wilson & Gillett, Outright donation of specimens will be appreASI2.95.. SHELLS OF NEW GUINEA & the CENciated, but a small amount is available for purTRAL INDO.PACIFIC, Hinton, AS4.95. chase. Accurate collection data required with MARINE SHELLS OF THE PACIFIC, each specimen. Shells cannot be returned as Cemohorsky, Rev. FIRST Ed. AS7.00. New they will be damaged or destroyed during SECOND Ed. AS13.00 Postage is additional at AS1.I0 Payment testing. WANTED JAMES D. TOBIN 2050 S. E. MulberryDrive Milwaukie.OR 97222 requestedwith order, in Australia Currency,by Bank-draft to: OLAF CHRISTENSEN, BOX 124 NORTH-BRIGHTON, 3186, AUSTRALIA HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS June. 1974 THE TONNIDAE Of HAWAII The Family Tonnidae is assigned to the Superfamily Tonnacea, being one of either three or six families so assigned, depending on which authority one choosesto follow. Some include in Superfamily Tonnacea the following families: Page 3 by CHARLES S. WOLFE form brown in color. These two specimens were collected together. I have heard of another similar pair being taken together, which might indicate the possibility of sexual difference. Cassidae, Tonnidae, Ficidae, Cymatiidae, Bursidae and Colubrariidae. Others separate the last three of these and place them in Superfamily Cymatiacea. Past issues of Hawaiian Shell News have covered the Hawaiian species of two of these families the Bursidae in Vol. XXI, No.3, - March 1973 and the Cassidae in Vol. XVII, No.5, May 1969. Hawaiian Tonnidae will be covered in this article. Hopefully, it will be possible to cover the Cymatiidae and Colubrariidae in future issues. Ficidae are not represented in the Hawaiian fauna. Tonnidae is a worldwide family whose species are mostly thin, light-weight and globose in appearance due to the body whorl's being inflated. They are sand-dwellers, are carnivorous and, with the exception of the Genus Oocorys (not found in Hawaii), they lack an operculum. A total of five species in three genera are found in Hawaii. All are rare in collections except Tonnaperdix (Linne, 1758) which is uncommon.. T. perdix is also the only species which is found in both deep and shallow water (occasionally in the intertidal region', all others being found in deeper water only. In addition to T. perdix, the species are Tonna dolium (Linne, 1758), Tonna melsno~toma (Jay, 1839), Msles pomum (Linne, 1758), and Eudoliumpyriforme (Sowerby, 1914). Tinker includes Tonns csnaliculsts (Linne, 1758), a name which some authorities consider invalid and replace with Tonns ceps (Roding, 1798). I have not seen nor heard of a specimen of T. ceps collected here, nor have I encountered any other literature records. Tonna perdix (Linne, 1758) Tonna dolium (Linne, 1758) Eudolium pyriforme (Sowerby, 1914) is the rarest Tun in Hawaiian collections. Specimens have been trawled from very deep water ( 1,200 feet) and at least one dead specimen was taken by George Donner at 700 feet from a crab trap. Shells of this genus are called False Tuns and seem almost intermediate between Tonna and some species of the genus Phalium of Family Csssidae. E. pyriforme is thin and light-weight, shaped like a small, very slender T. perdix, and has a beautiful lavender-pink band inside the outer lip. Photo: Kemp Tonna dolium (Linne, 17581, is rarely seen in Hawaiian collections, although it is rather common in the Western Pacific. It can be identified by the squarish reddish-brown spots on the spir~l ridges, the twisted columnella and the outer lip which is fluted but not denticulate. The ouly Hawaiian specimens I have seen or heard' of were taken from fish or crab traps at depths of 400 feet and greater. All were crabbed. I have not heard of any being taken by Scuba divers. HMS member George Donner has the finest collection of this shell I have seen - all taken in his crab traps. Tonna melanostoma (Jay, 1839) ranges from Polynesian to the Western Pacific but is a rare "collector's item" in all locations. Quickly identifiable by the chocolate-brown callus on the parietal wall, it is a beautiful shell if in good condition. One large specimen has been taken alive by a Scuba diver off Oahu. Others, in crabbed condition, are taken in crab traps with T. dolium at 400 feet and deeper. With both these shells, it would appear that rarity is a function of inaccessibility rather than numbers. (See March, 1974 Shell Identification Supplement for photo). Malea pomum (Linne, 1758), the Apple Tun, is the only representative of its genus in the Pacific, where it is rather common in many locations. Fresh dead specimens are not rare in Hawaii and are taken by Scuba divers and in crab traps. I have not heard of a specimen being taken alive. The swollen, globular shape, the Photo: Kemp Tonna perdix (Linne, 1758), the Partridge Tun, is one of the most widely distributed IndoPacific tun shells. Its partridge-like markings are well-known and need no description. In Hawaii, it is usually found in shallow water, specimens occasionally being taken on sandy areas between tides. The photo shows specimen with normal markings and one which is a uni- narrow toothed aperture and the distinctive markings serve to identify this Tun. Malea pomum (Linne. 1758) Photo: Kemp Eudolium pyriforme (Sowerby, 1914) Photo: Cross For convenience, a checklist of the Hawaiian members of the Tonnidae .follows: Tonna perdix (Linne, 1758) Tonna dolium (Linne, 1758) Tonna melanostoma (Jay, 1839) Malea pomum (Linne, 1758) Eudolium pyriforme (Sowerby, 19141 The previous article on Hawaiian Bursidae requires no up-dating at this time. However, subsequent to the 1969 Cassidae article an additional species of Phalium has been collected in Hawaii. Hawaiian Shell News will carry an article on this addition to our Cassidae representatives. Where's Everybody Going? Ernie Brooks II, president of the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, and Tom Jacobus, of Innerspace Adventures in Hawaii, will conduct a seminar in underwater photography at Truk Lagoon and Ponape in Micronesia from July 23 to August 3, 1974. The seminar will be open to photographers with all levels of experience and background. Over-the-shoulder instruction will be given during the day at the dive sites. In the evenings Brooks will lecture on available-light photography, flash techniques, and fundamentals of underwater and land photography. He will also critique the black-and-white photographs, which the participants will process themselves. Further information from Tom Jacobus, 1907-C Fox Blvd., Honolulu 96553. ~ r Bursa leo Shikama, 1964 Philippines ~ ~ ~ '" ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ ~ '" ~. '" ~ ~- I I I I I I t- to ~ ., 1; ~ ~ ~ ~ (b ~ ~ ~., 'C ~ Qo Photo: Kemp Bursa bufonia (Gmelin, 1791) I Philippine I I ~ ~ ~ -6 I ~ ~ ~ s. ~ ~ ~ Photo: ~. ~ ~ - J Swainsonia newcombii (Pease,1869) Kemp Erawaii >:: ;: ~ Q. ~ RO ~ Q'" ~~ ;:;: ~ ., ;: ~ ;0;00 ~ c ~ ~ '-- Photo: Kemp ~ ~ " >0 ~ - To IIse these illllstratiof1s, cut carefully along the dashed lines. Perhaps a bit of extra trimmillg may be ne(,essary.TIJen carefully mount the illustration on a standard 3 x 5 jll('h fil., ('ar.t. a.tditulllal .tat a arnJl\t shells of this species in your oolle(,tum, sizes, etc., may be elltl'red "II th.. ba('k of the file card. (Seepal.(e6 for more about these shells. I