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Phjilippine shells
Phjilippine shells A specimen of Notadusta martini superstes (Schilder, 1930) collected Pago Point, Efate, appears to be the first record of this species from the New Hebrides since the original description over 30 years ago. Although beachworn, the specimen has retained most of its original color; it measures 16.3mm in length, 8.8mm in width, and has 28 labial and 30 columellar teeth; these dimensions closely approximate those of the holotype.
Palmadusta contaminata (Sowerby, 1832) (L: 8.7mm; W: 4.5mm; LT: 17; CT: 14 and Naria irrorata (Gray, 1828) (L: 12.6mm; W: 6.8mm; LT: 19; CT: 15), collected by Mr. C.H. Allan at Pago Point, are both new records for the New Hebrides.
Since Cypraea mus prefers mud and muck, the visibility of the water in which they are found is about six inches maximum at depths of 5 to 6 feet. Wade out in your stocking feet, shuffling along to nudge lurking sting rays out of your way. When you feel something hard and smooth with your feet, simply hold your breath and climb down your own leg and reach for it. If you are lucky, it is a C. mus if not, it is most probably a lively crab! What also makes this type of shelling "interesting" is the spiny pen shells that grow in the same area. "Ohh, my poor feet."
In oliviform stages of sea shell shells, the outer lip is thin, sharply edged without being inflected, even if the columellar teeth begin to develop. If by some accident such a thin outer lip breaks off during the animal's life, the outer lip will grow mostly in a normal way later on, with hardly visible traces indicating the healed former damage. If, however, the outer lip breaks off in a later stage of development, the healed fracture may cause curious deformations of the shell.
The photograph shows three shells of Erronea caurica (Linnaeus) collected alive at Barrow Island, West Australia, in the last months of 1967 by A. Kalnins who presented them to the writer (coll. Schilder 22821-23). The left shell is still young according to the inner lip showing the dorsal markings uncovered: its outer lip has been irregularly broken off, the narrow edge, however, is not sharp, but rounded by a thin layer of enamel which was deposited by the animal after the accident, before it was captured and killed by the collector.
The two other specimens escaped this fate for a longer while so that they became adult shells with regard to the inner lip covered by thick enamel: the outer lip, however, remained deformed. In the central shell the labial teeth are developed in the anterior quarter only, whereas the remaining three-quarters of the lip are toothless and deflected dorsally though being inflected normally towards the aperture. In the right shell the outer lip is thickened, but not inflected, and the interior wall of the shell shows a rather distinctly denticulate carina placed longitudinally about five millimeters below the edge. Evidently the animal began to construct first an outer lip on the place situated now interiorly, then it ceased to form it and extended the outer lip for half a centimeter: but now it had no vigour or time to begin the denticulation once more. In both last described shells the base is much darker than in normal adult caurica from Barrow Island, and the right margin is suffused by a chestnut zone covering the marginal spots.
Phjilippine shells Philippine Shell Past President Wes Thorsson collected his first Charonia tritonis recently. No other information available.
Joe Robinson found a perfect three inch long Murex elongatus in Maunalua Bay. This shell was caught in Joe's fish net at a depth of 50 feet.
Ed. Note: The Conus gloriamaris report mentioned by Lyman above appears to be authentic, the finds actually having taken place several months ago. We have been trying to piece the facts together, get authentication of the species, etc., before running a complete story. There is a chance that at least some of the shells collected are not actually C. gloriamaris. Your editor received a photo of a shell purported to be C. gloriamaris that was collected in almost the same locality reported for the seventy plus shells. From the appearance of the shell in the picture it may not be C. gloriamaris. This is one aspect of the story we are checking out fully. In the mean time, save your best trading material and those dollars. Perhaps even we can now afford one of these beautiful shells.
Sea shells are among the most beautiful of nature's creations and they also play a significant part in the ecology of the sea. For instance, it is estimated that 90 percent of the mass of bottom dwelling animals of some areas of the oceans is composed of mollusks. It is also a well known fact that most of the fine beaches of the world are composed in varying degrees of fragments of shells derived from mollusks living in adjacent areas. The calcium carbonate fixed by them also contributes significantly to the mass of coral reefs.
The distribution of molluscan fauna is not restricted to natural reef areas alone. Ecologically, the artificial reef at Pokai Bay, Oahu, offers many new niches for various mollusks. To date nearly 100 species of mollusks have been recorded on the artificial reef. Some are actually more abundant on the new substrates than in other natural areas of Oahu. Mollusks in this latter group include the vermetid, Dendropoma platypus; the endemic oyster, Ostrea hanleyana; and the limpet Hipponix pilosus. Representatives from most of the major families of mollusks, i.e., Mitridae, Conidae, Cypraeidae, and Cerithiidae, though not overly abundant, are found on the surrounding substrate or associated with the new surfaces.
The artificial reef at Pokai is composed of reject concrete pipes ranging in diameter from 6" to 5'. The pipes were placed about one mile offshore in water with a depth between 50 and 95 ft, the reef occupies an area of approximately 1,100,000 ft. (25 acres) The surrounding bottom is of basaltic rock with a coral cap containing many small holes and fissures but providing no major bottom relief.
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