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Exporter Recently a colleague and I, from the University of Florida, spent a week on Bimini doing research on immunity of lemon and nurse sharks. When time permitted we jumped in a boat and did some fishing and shelling just a short distance from where we worked at the Lerner Marine Laboratory. My shelling time was very limited and thus I am by no means an expert on the shells of this Island. However, I can't resist telling of the fantastic shelling I found there at a spot picked completely at random. The depth of water ranged from 2 to 15 feet. In three-quarters of an hour I had about ten nice size Strombus gigas (Queen conch), ten S. costatus (Milk conch), two S. raninus (Hawk-winged conch) and two as yet unidentified shells. Naturally all but the most perfect specimens were put back.
As we were getting ready to return to shore a "Conch Fisherman" pulled alongside with his "boat load" of S. gigas (See below). These were destined to become conch chowder or conch fritters, both dishes of which are delicious. If you are ever on Bimini and would like to try some conch be sure to stop at Jimmy Pitts' place called "The Island Woman". He will serve you conch as it should be served.
The few species of shells I collected on the one short outing are certainly not the only types found on Bimini and you can be sure that as soon as possible I'll be back to chase down the other conch, helmets, Terebra, etc.
I would like to take this opportunity to send my sincere Alohas to my former Philippines shell-collecting buddies: Helen and Don Hemmes and to Lyman Higa, a really great guy (Amen brudda, ED.)
Having entered upon the hobby of malacology rather late in life I may be reporting an incident which is of common knowledge to all you old-timers. Nevertheless, it was of unusual interest to me, so I will relate the tale here.
A recent shelling expedition to Onekahaka Beach in Hilo turned up, among other things, 4 very nice specimens of Conus textile Linnaeus, plus a couple of the very common (live) Strombus maculatus Nuttall.
After collecting, I usually place all shells into a rather large container of sea water so that I may observe them when they decide to come out of their shells. By the time I had arrived home most were actively poking about. One Strombus maculatus came upon the siphon of the Conus textile and immediately went into violent convolutions, writhing and twisting, and using his operculum as a foot to propel himself. At first I thought he had been stung and was in his death throes, but when he reached the other side of the container he acted in a normal way, and was very obviously still alive. Very shortly thereafter, the identical thing happened with another cone and another Strombus. This time, I was aware that the Strombus was using the operculum as a means to get the heck out of there as fast as possible. It was somewhat reminiscent of seeing photographs and movies of the frantic efforts the scallops make when they are exposed to a star fish.
To me, this was a discovery that the operculum doesn't merely serve to close off the aperture of this particular shell (and I'm wondering if many others might not fall into this category) but also serves as a means of vigorous propulsion to get out of harm's way.
Thank you for your excellent bulletins. I look forward to reading them each month and have obtained some excellent information, plus some particularly interesting books recommended from your lists.
Exporter Visiting Philippine Shell members Twila Bratcher and her sister Billee Dilworth also found and collected some nice shells off Ala Moana. Twila found a nice Murex pele and Billee came up with a Vexillum clatharata (see front cover).
And, to prove once again that shells are where you find them, Ross Young found, in all places buried in his friend's back yard a live specimen of Cypraea mauritiana. Ross had been playing with his friend, Mark Johnson, in the latter's backyard. Mark asked, "You want to see something neat?" Naturally Ross did. They went over to a corner of the yard and Mark dug down into the moist, soft dirt and uncovered a C. mauritiana which he had collected in front of the Outrigger Canoe Club in four feet of water on Sunday. Noticing the animal moving, Ross finally convinced Mark the shell should be in Ross's aquarium with other C. mauritiana. A few minutes after being placed in the tank of salt water, the shell moved up across the front of the tank.
Along the shore and in shallow water slabs of coral can be deceptive as potential haunts for shells. Some, brightly colored with soft, spongy appendages of brilliant hues, appear to be favorite hideouts for molluscs. Yet when examined they are devoid of molluscan life. Conversely, apparently barren, unsightly pieces of dead coral will sometimes harbour some unexpected conchological treasure.
I want to mention just such a slab of drab, grey coral, shaped like a battered top hat - all 2 feet by 3 feet of it isolated from other debris on an exposed reef off an island near Phuket in South West Thailand. There it sat, among brain corals peppered with colorful polyps, and bright green seaweeds interspersed with sandy patches and rivulets of fresh water from springs along the shore line.
What made me turn to this particularly unimposing piece of coral I don't know. I had turned over a dozen others twice its size and much more colorful without finding anything really worthwhile except for one small Cypraea nucleus. In any event I upended this drab eyesore. It was as dry and denuded of marine growth underneath as it was on top... Except, there on rock were the scarlet mantles of no less than three Cypraea punctata atomaria, the lemon-yellow foot of a C. stolida protruding from beneath a small crevice, the mottled dorsum of a handsome C. lynx, and two C. hirundo neglecta lodged in small holes.
A lesson was learned. I no longer neglect as I often used to the dead and the drab corals in favor of the live and the colorful. Both receive equal attention.
The sea shell Mauritia histrio Gmelin is restricted to the shores and islands of the Indian Ocean; the type came from Madagascar. Iredale (1935) separated a "West Australian" race westralis for being broader and more callous; according to Allan (1956) the type came from Broome.
The following list [table, right] of large series from exact localities or areas shows the median length in millimeters and the median relative breadth in per cent of length; the "usual variation" is about 3 to 4 mm. or percent, respectively.
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