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Ovula ovum
For the reef crawler who likes tide pools and the splash zone of reefs, the best area is from the Barber's Point Light House
to the Campbell Estate Barge Harbor. In general the shore in this area is composed of coral slabs and law (2 to 4 ft.)
cliff-like drop-offs on which the usually rather moderate breakers wash over at high tide and which are left dry except for
sometimes rather heavy splashing during low tide. Small to moderate tide pools are the rule but occasionally rather large
pools may be found. At times this area has no breakers and the shore line then offers moderately good shelling in shallow
water suitable for a diver equipped with mask, flippers, and snorkel. A look box can also be used in the more shallow areas
in very quiet waters. In these tidal areas by far the most common shell is Nerita picea which can be taken by the hundreds.
Also I have collected Nerita neglecta and more rarely Nerita plicata. Also very common are all Philippines species of the
Littorinidae. Occasionally I find shells of the Patellidae family clinging to coral or rocks. Also in the tidal pools,
clinging to the underside of small coral chunks, were Purpura intermedia and harpa. And finally, for the splash zone, my
first Hydatina amplustre was collected in the rocky area midway between Barber's Point lighthouse and the barge harbor.
Nevertheless, the small thin deep water types and the large heavy specimen may belong to the same species as similar
differences occur also in the allied Erosaria labrolineata Gaskoin 1849. Moreover, the Japanese maturata Kira, 1959 (Colour.
Illustr. Shells Japan, 2. ea., p. 47, pl. 19, fig. 11) which had been called cernica Sowerby by Hirase 1934 (Collect. Japan.
Shells, pl. 64, fig. 7), also may belong to the same race; I possess two specimens: 22(65)20:18 from "Southern Japan"
(unknown dealer) and 26(62)20:16 from Chiba Prefecture (P. W. Clover), and I have examined two more shells in coll. Ray
Summers: 21(64)21:16 and 25(60)22:16, both coming from Japan or Okinawa Is. These Japanese shells hardly can be distinguished
from the Philippines representatives called marielae Cate, 1960 (Veliger 3, p. 3, pl. 1, fig. 1-2) from Maui and Oahu, which
also spreads to Pearl and Hermes Reef (31(58)22:18 in coll. Ted Dranga) and to Midway Is. (27(59) 20:20 in coll. Burgess) as
well as to Baker Is. (Veliger 3, p. 5, pl. 1, fig. 4). This North Pacific race ogasawarensis Schilder 1944 is closely allied
to the South Pacific tomlini Schilder 1930, which ranges from New Caledonia to Kermadec Is. and N.S. Wales, as percomis
Iredale, 1931, prodiga Iredale 1939, and kermadecensis Powell 1958 hardly are separable as geographical races; the two Indian
races, viridicolor Cate 1962 from North West Australia and the typical cernica Sowerby, 1870 from Lemuria (possibly ranging
to Natal: in a fish's stomach according to Boswell, 1963, The Cowry 1, p. 79) are more distinctly separable.
The discontinuous areas inhabited by these races of cernica stretch around on the borders of the continuous area inhabited by
Erosaria labrolineata Gaskoin 1849, which differs from cernica chiefly by the narrower fossula and the conspicuous terminal
blotches; this fact which has been shown in the appended map, surprisingly recalls the curious encirclement of the Malayan to
North Australian Erronea pyriformis Gray, 1824 by the three races of E. pulchella Swainson, 1823: the Chinese pulchella, the
Melanesian novaebritanniae Schilder & Schilder 1937, and the Arabian pericalles Melvill & Standen 1904.
Johnston Island is a tiny Pacific atoll, 780 nautical miles southwest from Honolulu. It has never been "collected" by anyone
seriously interested in shells since the submarine Whipoorwill (or Tanager) visited it for a few hours in 1921. So when I had
an opportunity to relieve the resident physician for a few days, in January of 1964, I jumped at the chance.
...
At 11:00 A.M. January 11, I accompanied the resident physician to Sand Island (or Eastern Island) where swimming was not
banned, to give some inoculations. Snorkel, mask, and fins were taken along, just in case!! Fortunately, things worked out
fine. During a short swim I missed the boat back to Johnston and was forced to stay all afternoon! The time was put to good
use. Accompanied by three of the United States Coast Guard boys and an ornithologist from the Smithsonian, I spent about four
hours in the warm water. We found no live shells, but we did find semifossil Cypraea tessellata and Cypraea granulata, for
the first time to my knowledge outside the Philippines chain.
Eastern Island, incidentally, is the home of 280,000 sea birds, including sooty terns, frigate birds, and shearwaters. There
is a complicated tower there, braced with thin wires which kill 20 a night. Apparently these open-water species have never
developed any radar. The ornithologist figures this as not so high a mortality as to endanger the species, since half the
birds lay eggs, and the hatch is high. The balloons on the male frigate birds' chins were about the same color as my back was
when I got out of the water -- deep red!
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ovula ovum
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