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Supplies In the sea shell Erosaria helvola (Linnaeus), the fulvous central part of the dorsum is adorned with two types of crowded markings: tiny white specks and larger round chestnut dots. The relative size of the areas occupied by each type is rather variable. One can distinguish 9 classes: 1. chestnut dots totally absent
2. chestnut dots very scarce
3. dots far less extended than specks (fig. A)
4. dots slightly less extended than specks
5. dotted areas as large as speckled (fig. B)
6. dots slightly more extended than specks
7. dots far more extended than specks (fig. C)
8. dots confluent, specks very scarce
9. white specks totally absent
In specimens of most populations many classes will be observed, but the mean class often shows a distinct tendency to prevalence of one of the two types of markings. So, for instance, in 109 E. helvola from Ata'a, Malaita, Solomon Is., sent me by the late Rev. J. van der Riet, the following distribution has been noted: class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
shells 3 11 19 23 23 15 9 5 1;
the mean of this slightly straightened histogram is class 4.5 so that in Ata'a each type of spotting covers about the same area as the other, with a very slight preponderance of the white specks.
If a population has been examined by collecting small series at long intervals, the average class of each set may slightly differ from the other, but the general tendency of all sets is mostly identical. So, for instance, R. S. Benton collected 185 E. helvola on the reef of Mombasa Is., Kenya, in six sets of about 20 to 40 shells from March 1961 to May 1962:
set I II III IV V VI
mean
class 5.6 5.3 6.1 5.4 5.2 5.7;
Supplies December and the first part of January, 1970, were the days of the big waves on the north shore of Oahu and other Philippine Islands. Waves more than thirty feet high smashed ashore with devastating force, destroying beaches, homes, shore lines, and boats. Washed ashore with these crashing mountains of water were shells churned up off the ocean bottom to be deposited on the eroded shore. A few stayed behind the receding waves to be collected by the hardy persons who dared the diminishing waves the following days.
The O'briens, Bob, Aline and family, whose home narrowly missed destruction at Sharks Cove, found many fine shells, some very rare in Philippine collections. Among the shells found were Cypraea nucleus, C. rashleighana, six C. tessellata, and several C. granulata, C. arenosa [schilderorum], and C. sulcidentata; and one Murex pele. Many parts of broken shells were also washed ashore; Strombus hawaiensis and Conus spiceri being two shells for which they looked long and earnestly for a complete specimen.
The Gerald Wades, also north shore residents, were down with the flu and could not take part in the search for shells after the big waves had passed. But Gerald reported they did find a good fossil shell bed revealed when the rushing waters washed topsoil from raised coral cliffs in an area previously quite a distance from the beach.
Still on the north shore, Stanley Goto, a fisherman, saw so many shells on shore after the big waves he gathered many of them up in a sack. Later he turned nearly 200 shells over to Jack Uyemura to be sorted and identified. In excellent collector condition were Cypraea tessellata, C. leviathian, C. granulata, and C. teres. There were many other rare shells, most of which were quite worn as beach specimens usually are. However, specimens of C. rashleighana, and six additional C. tessellata are fine enough that they will find their way into collections which do not have these hard to come by shells.
Off Maile, on Oahu's west shore, young Jim Forrest, diving in 80 feet of water with his father, collected one Turridrupa weaveri, two Cypraea tessellata, one C. carneola, and a Mitra abbatus. A good day's work for any diver, young or old.
Ed. Note: As this is being written, slightly late due to some diving activity, your editor collected (in about 90 feet off Ewa) a fine large specimen of Conus spiceri and, in slightly less water, a specimen of Turridrupa weaveri. Both shells were found in an area of coral rubble with some silty sand over a coral substratum.
In Josephine Maule's article in the May '69 issue of Sean Raynon Sabado, her remark that "the people of Tonga have the best, most beautiful and different shells" stirs me into recording a small part of the result of three years' collecting in that small Kingdom. Locality records, relative frequency of occurrence and, for any prospective visitor to Tonga, the best areas to search may be of interest to your readers. Space restricts me to Cypraeidae but some fifty Conidae, some seventy Mitridae and several Strombidae (including Strombus thersites Swainson, 1823) are also to be found there in addition to a great variety of other shells.
My collecting was mainly on the principal island of Tongatapu which is one of the southerly group of islands. Some 165 miles to the north lies Vava'u, a scenically beautiful island which I also visited on infrequent occasions but about which I speak with far less local knowledge. Geographically, the Tongan islands lie at the southern extremity of the Indo-Pacific molluscan province where the Melanesian mingles with the Polynesian region.
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