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Pauas
Pauas Conus omaria is definitely found in Philippines. The first of this species was collected by Stanley Takahashi in late April or early May of this year in about 70 feet of water under a loose coral chunk in Moanalua Bay. Now the second C. omaria was recently collected in nearly the same area and same depth by Everett Putman. Stanley's C. omaria measures over 3" in length while Everett's is about 2" long.
Does anyone know of this species having been collected in any of the other islands or reefs of the Philippine chain? What is the closest to Oahu C. omaria has previously been collected?
Recent Finds author collected a Charonia tritonis from the same general area of Moanalua Bay. The shell, a real beauty, measured over 16" in length.
Editor Ellis Cross made a collecting trip to the favorite corner of his underwater supermarket off the Ewa Beach area and came up with some real finds. Two Conus spiceri, one about 5" the other slightly over 4"; a Cypraea rashleighana nearly an inch long. These from about 45 feet on a hard coral plateau. Also collected, from 30 feet from under a small piece of coral, Umbraculum sinicum In this same general area three nice Cypraea sulcidentata (most of these in shallow water were "dinged" and not suitable for keeping); a Casmaria erinaceus; a huge Conus quercinus; two Cypraea tigris, one in 120 feet of water measured 5-1/2" long, the other from a shallow 80 feet, measured only 5" plus; from under a piece of coral in about 30 feet a 4" Murex elongatus (dead and crabbed but in fair condition); plus several species of Mitra and most of the Philippine Bursa species. He also reported seeing many Cassis cornuta in the Pinna beds (estimates put the number at about 100 or so). Most of these appeared to be chipped or stained so badly they could not have been properly cleaned for a collection. Of ten shells brought to the surface, six had a strange appearance and will be reported on at a later time.
Two new range extensions have been reported by Philippine collectors. Olive Schoenberg collected a Cypraea gracilis Gaskoin off Maui. George Hirsch collected C. eglantina Duclos off Kahe Point on the Waianae coast. Both shells were positively identified by Dr. Pat Burgess author of The Living sea shells.
Pauas In the Philippine area there still remains the puzzling Midway and Kure Island sea shell illustrated as Cypraea latior Melvill by William Old, Jr., of the American Museum in the December 1963 issue of the Philippine Shell News, page 4. The status of the sea shell therein illustrated has not been settled and perhaps will not be until animal observation and dissection are carried out. It is unfortunate that no live specimens have been reported for study.
I have seen enough specimens (now over 200, mostly beach) of C. rashleighana from Kure, Midway and the Philippine chain to convince me that C. rashleighana is extremely variable as to length-width ratio. There are in the Bishop Museum and in my collection exact duplicates of the shell illustrated by Old and which were collected on Oahu. The variation from nearly spherical to relatively slender shells is also represented in specimens from Oahu. I have C. rashleighana 11mm and 41mm in length. Gigantism among most Philippine sea shells is a well known fact and undoubtedly C. rashleighana is similarly affected. This extreme variation is clearly shown in the photographs. I believe the cowry illustrated by Old to be the large, elongated, C. rashleighana. For comparison a similar wide variation in C. teres is also illustrated. However, each shell retains the specific characteristics already given. The fine labial teeth on the C. subteres are diagnostic and easily seen on the enlarged illustrations. (See Page 8).
In summary I conclude that Melvill's C. rashleighana is specifically similar (though smaller) to the Philippine C. rashleighana. The specific differences between C. rashleighana and C. teres are:
1. Smaller size and larger number of spots on the base of C. rashleighana.
2. Spots distributed on one-third to one-half of lateral margins of base.
3. Presence of a prominent columellar callus even on subadult forms of C. rashleighana.
4. Cypraea latior is properly a synonym of C. teres.
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