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Hawaiian
Hawaiian Usually we collect only 10-20 different species in any one area, except Playa De Costilla in Rota Bay five miles across from Cádiz seems to be an exception. This bay is blessed?? with all the town's garbage & while I would hate to swim here, the shells seem to love it. About 500 yards off shore is a very large reef that is only exposed during the lowest 0.5 tides, a normal low tide being 2.0-3.0 feet.
On one recent collecting trip at Playa De Costilla, I found 51 different species as no real low tides had uncovered this reef in three months. It seems like half the town's population realized this also & were out on the reef looking for species of bivalves they can eat. Close to shore in mud banks they dig Pholas dactylus Linn, the collector soon looks like the mud bank as it's messy work. Out towards the reef in gravel/mud/weed banks are dug Cardium edules Linn, Mactra sugosz Chem, Lutraria elliptica Lam, and Tapes decussatus Linn. These bivalves are collected by the bucketfull and sold in the local markets.
On the reef itself I find most of the rocks turned over for me as the Spaniards are looking for squid & sea urchins. As the 0.5 tides run in a 3-day cycle it's hopeless to turn them [rocks] back as they will just be turned each day & maybe 50 percent end up in their original positions. As no one else is looking for small specimen shells, it's a real field day for me. Some of the more interesting species found are: Calliostoma zizphinum Linn, Columbella rustica Linn, Conus mediterraneus Linn, Cypraea pyrum Gmel, Chiton olivaceus Spen, Fusus rostratus Oliv, Fissurella graeca Linn, Mitra ebenus Lam, Murex blainvillei Pay, Murex trunculus Linn, Nassarius reticulata Linn, Natica vittata Gmel, Ocenebra edwardsi Payr, and Ocenebra erinacea Payr.
Another form of shell collecting here in Spain is meeting the fishing boats as they return from trawling off the fishing grounds, "La Caballa" S.W. of Cádiz city in 20-40 fathoms. As the fisherman pull their nets up on the pier, I often pick out Cymbium olla Linn, Murex brandaris Linn, Halia priamus Gmel, and Cassis saburon Brug. Some years ago they used to collect Cypraea achatidea Shy. in their nets also, but the style of nets & trawling methods has changed & the C. achatidea is no longer collected, sad to say, as it's very popular with collectors.
Hawaiian One of the startling characteristics of the animal of this shell is the almost-transparent, light-brown mantle completely lacking in papillae (See top photo...). The ventral surface of the foot of the animal is a light, chocolate-brown.
The habitat of C. tessellata is, usually, in 40 to 65 feet of water in or under small to medium size coral heads. If found in live coral, almost always a brownish spotted alga will be found present that greatly resembles the markings of this shell.
Shells illustrated below show wide variation in color patterns, sizes and shapes in these shells. The dimensions are as follows:
Ed. Note: Part I of Cypraea nivosa Country - the "never, never land" of shells, appeared in the June issue of the Sean Raynon Sabado. John Orr had just completed his first day of collecting on a small islet near Ranong, Thailand, and was trying to decide where to spend the night. John's account follows.
On the advice of our young Thai boatman we headed for a small fishing village on an adjacent island, where we would spend the night. Virtually every inhabitant turned out to line the shore upon our approach. "Farang, farang" went up the cry (Thai for foreigner) and we were welcomed initially with rather diffident cordiality until the sight of one or two colorful sarongs prompted my companion to introduce himself in Malay, which he fortunately spoke quite fluently; from then on it was all smiles and handshakes. My friend explained in Malay that the purpose of our mission was to collect shells. This provoked giggles amongst the youngsters and somewhat puzzled frowns from the elders. (One could almost read their thoughts "these farangs certainly have strange ideas...coming all this way just to look for odds and ends from the sea!")
A village elder insisted that we be his guests and within minutes colorful raffia mats and pillows were laid out on the top-floor room of his house.
We talked shells, joined in the jokes, showed illustrations of shells, drew diagrams, pointed out possible habitats, and told how to preserve them. Interest quickened and soon the "coconut wireless" went into action. [photo - uncredited]
For comparison, C. nivosa left and
C. vitellus both shells approximately the
same size in [end of caption as printed]
By morning two boatloads of fishermen were anchored off the village one of Mokens from St. Matthew Island a faint smudge on the distant horizon - and the other a Burmese from a village north of Victoria Point.
Bags of rather pungent shells were produced and laid out with due ceremony upon the floor of our room. Among them were two small, almost jet black C. onyx (a form with rather short, sharp dark teeth); two Conus ammiralis; several C. textile a plump Cypraea cribraria… and… two, small, exquisitely marked C. nivosa.
With habitats and localities pinpointed reasonably accurately, we rewarded them handsomely for their efforts, whereupon they boarded their graceful prahus, and headed back towards their villages after first making sure that no patrol boats were in the vicinity.
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