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Mother of pearl
Mother of pearl 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.
Mother of pearl This is also a good way to get juvenile shells for your growth series. You need not kill the juveniles because the cephalopod did it already and really, my juvenile shells are perfect, all taken from the pile and I want to say when you spot the Octopus' hole, 'Collect the good shells, but please leave my friend in his home.'
Gerry Bluebdorn has been at it again. Recently found, along the Waianae Coast, two Cypraea vitellus, each 76mm, and a Conus circumactus.
How rare is Cypraea cernica in Philippines? After 10 years, one case of the bends, and 2,184 logged dives, Bobby Gutierrez found his second C. cernica. This beauty was found in 50' depth at Mokuleia.
Ron and Phyllis Macomber really hit the "rarepot" off Fort DeRussy. In 50' they found 3 Cypraea tessellata, 1 C. rashleighana and a Conus spiceri, all live taken.
Ed deVaul, working sand pockets off Nanakuli, fanned many sand dwellers in 90' depth and collected hard-to-find Terebra, Turris, Cerithium and Mitra.
Tom Richert's record Conus textile (124.2mm) is in danger as Tom Fair's C. textile has added a fraction of a millimeter. After 4 months, Tom's C. textile is still alive and doing well. The Fairs have done quite well during June in their dredging at Pokai Bay, including Mitra peasei, M. foveolata, Turris gemmula monilifera and numerous species of Terebra.
Cypraea erythraeensis is one of the rarer sea shells in the Red Sea as well as one of the most beautiful. The habitat of this sea shell is the inner reef just inside the last of the breakers, where the water starts to calm down. They are found under rock slabs which are lying in small clumps of short plant growth. This growth seems to he a type of seaweed growing on and around the rocks in the areas where C. erythraeensis are found. The bottom also has a mixture of sand and small pieces of coral. All specimens were taken in one to three feet of water. I have never collected this sea shell in deep water. This shell can be collected during daylight hours. I have found only one per rock slab. The mantle was always up, making them very difficult to see.
I have also collected two C. erythraeensis on the hard reef, under the base of a type of finger coral. These are the only ones found by me or collected by other shellers on the hard reef. I am not sure if this is a true habitat.
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