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Andaman Is.:
one pale surabajensis in the museum of Calcutta, sent to me for examination by Dr. Ray in 1957, it came from an old
collection, but the "A'' written originally on the base of the shell makes the correctness of indication rather probable.
Western Sumatra:
two typical walkeri collected in West Sumatra by Aurivillius in 1891, personally examined in the museum of Stockholm in 1957.
- These two areas close the gap between Lemuria and Malaysia.
North West Australia:
one shell (17 mm.) from Peak Is. in the Dampier Archipelago, collected by the Davina Expedition in 1960, presented me (coll.
Schilder No. 11862) by Ray Summers; some more specimens seem to have been collected in the Dampier Archipelago by this
expedition. Besides, walkeri has been mentioned from Nickol Bay by Brazier (1879, Journ. Conch. 2:321).
North Australia:
Yirrkala in Eastern Arnhem Land, according to Iredale (1939, Austr. Zoologist 9:299). - These two areas extend the occurrence
of walkeri to tropical Australia west of Torres Strait.
Aru Is.:
one shell (19 mm.) recalling the western walkeri has been collected by Merton in 1908, personally examined in the Senckenberg
museum in Frankfurt on Main, Germany. - This locality closes the gap between Misool (Schepman 1909, Siboga Exped. 49/2/2:133)
and Torres Strait (Brazier 1879). The indication "New South Wales'' by Iredale (1935, Austr. Zoologist 8:127) needs
confirmation, the southernmost reliable indication in East Australia seems to be Peel Is. in Moreton Bay.
Ryu-kyu Is.:
Kuroda (1960, Cat. Moll. Fauna Okinawa, p. 21) mentioned "walkeri surabajensis" from Okinawa Is.; the indication seems
correct, as P. W. Clover enumerated two specimens of walkeri from "South of Japan'' in a manuscript list of cowries preserved
in Japanese collections (communicated to the writer by Mr. Ray Summers in 1961).
Caroline Is.:
Recently Mr. C. N. Cate presented me two walkeri from Moen Is. in the Truk Is. (coll. Schilder No. 17135 and 17136); they
formerly belonged to a series of fifteen similar shells dredged by R. Willis in the harbour in January 1962. These two shells
are "pellucid" like the dead glossy cowries dredged in Honolulu harbour, and exhibit a similar white chalk in the aperture:
there, the conditions of preservation in the harbour of Moen Is. must be about equal to those in Honolulu. The specimens
undoubtedly belong to walkeri (surabajensis) and not to bregeriana: the discovery of this far-off population of walkeri in
the central Caroline Is. is not very surprising, as other typically Malayan cowry species also spread to western Micronesia,
e.g. Erronea ovum Gmelin and E. onyx Linnaeus to Palau and Guam respectively.
Northern Melanesia:
Mrs. K. Matcott of Mooloolaba, Queensland informed me by letter in March 1963, that she possesses a "surabajensis" from New
Britain; as I have never examined the shell personally, the reliability of this indication seems to need confirmation.
For several years past we have been accumulating various items about this most interesting shell, the Golden Cowry. This will
appear in an early number of the Sean Raynon Sabado. Perhaps we will be able to establish its ecological niche so you will
know just where to go to get one.
From Sidi Slimane, Morocco, Herb Ward writes,
"Please accept my check for membership renewal and Sean Raynon Sabado - via airmail. Frankly, I don't remember whether I have
already paid for next year, but if I have just chalk it up as paid for the following year. I wouldn't want to be dropped for
non-payment of dues.
"Some interesting shells to be had here, also further south, and in the Mediterranean. But mostly via the deep trawl. Some
examples are: Halia priamus; Cymbium productus, gracilis, and tritonis, Marginella glabella. Cypraea achatidea, pyrum and
lurida. Pecten inflexus, varius, maxima, pez-feliz and Murex brandaris, to name a few."
"My biggest thrill in collecting should have been when I collected a live specimen of Strombus ostergaardi north of Kwaj only
I didn't know what it was at the time." Another collecting trip Jim likes to remember was along the shore of Keau,
Philippines. "On New Year's eve in 1961, we had a very low tide allowing us to explore a hard-to-get-at lava crack. Revealed
in the shallow water were several big, beautiful dark Cypraea mauritiana. The largest was moving along through the water like
a big bat."
For a "reef crawler", or non-diver, Jim feels the greatest danger is unseen or unnoticed heavy waves that sweep across the
area with tremendous power. Wana (a local, Philippines name for sea urchins) and eels are next. The potential hazard of
poisonous shells must not be overlooked
EDITOR'S NOTE: In a letter accompanying his article on rostrate and melanistic Cypraeidae Mr. Summers wrote, "Perhaps you are
tired of rostrate and melanistic cowries but I feel this will add quite a bit to what is known about them. " Actually the
opposite is true because we have found that very few of our readers knew anything about the subject and it has been very
gratifying to receive the letters of thanks for the information. Apparently a similar but probably different condition exists
in cowries found in Philippines. C. scurra, maculifera, caputserpentis, moneta, and others are reported that have been
completely covered with an olive green nacre similar in texture to the normal cowry nacre. Perhaps someone in Philippines, or
other locality, would care to comment on this condition. Or is this also melanism? Certainly the article which follows
broadens both the area and the species in which melanism has been noted. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Summers. Ed.
I have read the interesting articles on the above subject by Mr. Walter O. Cernohorsky in H.S.N., Vol. X, No. 10, August 1962
and by Mr. T. A. Garrard in H.S.N., Vol. XI, No. 1, November 1962. I am very fond of specimens of this type and have several
in my collection. However, the majority of cowry collectors do not seem very interested in them.
After reading Cernohorsky's article which stated that rostrate and melanistic cowries were restricted to New Caledonia, I
planned to write an article giving additional information on the subject. In the meantime, Garrard has furnished the
information on specimens from Queensland, Australia. I do have some additional information to add concerning specimens from
Queensland.
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