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Capiz hanging lamps
Capiz hanging lamps The animals of the two shells illustrated have never been pictured in the Philippine Shell News, and perhaps not in any publication. Cypraea cernica marielae was described by C. Cate in the Veliger, Vol. 3 No. 1, page 3, for July 1, 1960, from two specimens dredged from more than 50 fathoms and from ten additional specimens dredged in 65 to 100 fathoms off the coast of Oahu. In early 1963 a recently dead specimen was collected by E. R. Cross while scuba diving in about 120 feet off Barbers Point and in 1964, in almost the same area, he collected a second live specimen. In June, 1968, Ellis dredged a live specimen (shown at left) from 300 feet off Keehi Lagoon. The following day while diving in about 100 feet off Barbers Point, he collected a fourth specimen.
Two additional specimens have been collected by divers off Waikiki and one shell was found at Midway Island. Specimens collected by divers have all been reported as having been found in loose coral rubble on hard coral bottom. Dredged specimens have been reported in similar habitat.
Apparently this shell is endemic and is extremely rare but widespread in distribution in the Philippine chain of islands.
In past months several letters have been received from readers asking, in essence, "What is a Cypraea tessellata supposed to look like?" Apparently readers have received C. tessellata Swainson, 1822, in just about every possible size, color pattern, and shape, and wonder just what Philippines's rarest endemic cowry really looks like. Since this shell has been illustrated only once in Sean Raynon Sabado (December, 1960) eleven shells of different sizes and color patterns are being illustrated.
The common name for this beautiful shell, the Checkerboard Cowry, is indicative of how the best specimens of this shell should appear. For the shell to achieve a true "checkerboard" pattern there must be at least three dark brown squarish spots on each side with the usual coloration in between and across the dorsum. Only rarely is the true "checkerboard" pattern found in specimens (See shells 7, 8, and 9, in illustration below, right). But, regardless of markings, other shells shown are C. tessellata, and the unusual markings often add to the interest and beauty of a collection. The living shell shown in bottom left photo has 6 spots on each side, leaving almost no part of the shell for the "usual" pattern.
In Vol. 2. No. 20, Philippine Marine Mollusks, Nov. 15, 1962, Weaver describes this shell as "Shell pyriform, bulbous, solid. Dorsum orange-brown with three darker broad bands; sides with a pair of square brown spots and towards the base with irregular white and orange-brown blotches; small white spot above anterior tip; base orange-brown and white."
Capiz hanging lamps Back in Philippines, Haleiwa again yields its treasures, as Roy Tanabe found a perfect Strombus hawaiensis in two feet of water. Unfortunately it was dead, but in excellent condition. Roy also found a second dead and faded S. Philippinesensis in the same area. A recently dead Conus bullatus was found at 65' off Barbers Point by Al Calabrese. Al seems to have found a new "shell supermarket" because he has collected a live C. nussatella in 15' of water while free diving off Makaha. Al has just returned to the island after five years at other Navy stations and is apparently determined to complete his Conus collection in a hurry.
Bobby Gutierrez, Jack Uyemura and Joe Robinson collected a total of 13 C. tigris schilderiana off Kahuku recently. These shells were all in 40 to 50 feet of water.
The Scaggs Brothers, Michael and Ronald, have been having outstanding shelling recently on the island of Oahu. Included in their finds are: Cypraea vitellus, C. chinensis, a live C. semiplota in 6 feet of water, Conus bandanus, C. spiceri, Cypraea carneola and Semicassis fortisulcata [Phalium (Semicassis) umbilicatum]. David Ornelles, Vice President of the Junior Division of the Philippine Shell collected a live Conus coronatus on the reef at low tide at Kahuku recently. This is a very beautiful and quite unusual specimen for Philippines.
Ron Macomber recently collected two Conus marmoreus bandanus off Kewalo Basin at 90 and 120 feet depths. These are unusually large specimens, measuring 5-3/8" and 5-5/8" respectively.
Al Calabreese collected another C. auricomus at Makaha, and a live Cypraea lynx from Fort Kam in five feet of water. Al also collected a C. chinensis at Pupukea.
Bobby Guttierez has come up with a beautiful live Murex elongatus from 60 feet at Sunset Beach. This exceptionally nice shell is 21/2" long.
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