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Hearshell
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.
Fiji:
Mr. W. O. Cernohorsky has quoted walkeri bregeriana from New Caledonia and Fiji, in his recently published Catalogue of
Living Cypraeidae (Frankfurt-Main 1963). In fact, since 1962 at least eight bregeriana have been collected in Fiji, all off
the West Coast (Nadi and Momi) facing towards the chief habitat of bregeriana, New Caledonia; especially Mr. A. Jennings has
dredged, at the islands Wading, Akuilau, and Namotu (20 miles off Nadi) several dead and living specimens, one oliviform
shell included of which I could examine the radula (Mr. Cernohorsky presented me a shell from Momi, coll. Schilder No. 17154,
which is 17 mm. long). All specimens show the typical orange base, often darker brown in the center of the inner lip, and the
peculiar white specks on base and margins, but they are much smaller (16 to 21 mm., mean 18 mm.) than typical bregeriana from
New Caledonia (20 to 33 mm., mean 25 mm.). These shells look like a population displaced far from its original habitat in New
Caledonia, where bregeriana is less rare, to an area with less favorable environments, as it is in the two dwarf Erosaria
ocellata Linnaeus from Tjilanat Eureun, South West Java widely separated from their Indian relations (see 1938, Prodrome, p.
138).
South East New Guinea:
If bregeriana could spread from New Caledonia to Fiji, it probably also could spread to North West: therefore I now do not
doubt its occurrence in Joanett Is., Louisiade Archipelago, from which locality Smith (1888, Journ. de Conchyl. 36:313) has
described three bregeriana of 21 to 22 mm.
The indications of habitat: Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Victoria, New Zealand, and Tahiti evidently are erroneous.
The appended map clearly shows the advancement of our knowledge concerning the distribution of Erronea walkeri since World
War II. It should encourage malacologists to further research.
Having a special interest in mollusks of the West African coastline, I have inquired as to why shells from that area are
often so difficult to obtain. The above pictures graphically show the reason.
The natives of the area seem to have a real passion for the use of sea shells as personal decorations, many collectors'
treasures being used as ornaments.
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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