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Puka shell
Island of Philippines:
Today we collected in a relatively new area. Due to the scarcity of white sand on the Island of Philippines, finding this
new, sandy area, proved a boon.
Our hosts for the shelling trip were Mr. Richard Middleton and Mrs. Frances Moore. The area we collected in was the recently
opened "Vacation Land House Lots" in Kapoho. Here the shore is composed of pools of ocean water in a former lava flow. Access
to the beach is by foot path which takes but a few minutes walking. The site is a series of sheltered pools fringed by a
barrier of wave-tossed rocks that create a protective wall on the sea side. Tidal channels provide an abundance of flowing
water and a supply of marine food.
A short survey of the area before we enter the water. Today the tide was a low - 1.9 at 1300 with most of the coral heads
exposed. The average depth was five feet.
We swam and searched leisurely over the entire sandy bottom. Coral-heads provided a few Turbo. The seaweed covered flats
provided some Strombus maculatus, Aplustrium amplustre (old name Hydatina amplustra) and Hydatina physis.
With the preliminary search over, I concentrated my attention on the sandy bottom. Fanning the sand, I uncovered a few
Terebra affinis. Encouraged by their appearance, I fanned and searched further. The final results were ten species of
Terebra: T. affinis, T. guttata, T. maculata, T. crenulata, T. felina, T. langfordi, T. undulata, T. penicillata, T.
flavofaciata, T. peasii, and T. flavescens.
What a day.
Mr. Clifton Weaver asked that I submit a note on Cypraea (Talostolida) latior Melvill. This species is, at present, known to
occur only from Midway Island to French Frigate Shoal (Schilder, 1958) in the western Philippines Chain. It has not been
recorded from any of the eight main Philippines Islands.
The shell usually called latior by Philippines collectors is a widely-margined form of Cypraea teres Gmelin. Several other
species of Cypraea - notably Cypraea caurica L. and C. chinensis Gmelin - also occur in relatively "broad" and "narrow"
forms, as does C. teres.
The taxon, Cypraea latior, was proposed by Melvill in 1888, for "a pyriform shell, broader and more stunted than typical
teres:, with brighter coloration and very distinct dorso-lateral spots." The figure to which Melvill referred (Reeve, 1845,
fig. 66a), has been variously identified, but appears to me to represent a specimen of the present species. Melvill's
holotype is in the Cardiff Museum, while the specimen figured by Reeve, is apparently in British Museum, (fide, Schilder,
1958).
A specimen of C. latior Melvill (see figs. 1, 2 and 3) in the American Museum of Natural History, No. 92002 was found on
Midway Island by W. E. Koons Jr. in 1941. It is a dead shell, but is readily identifiable. It measures 44 mm. x 25 mm. There
are 22 teeth on the outer lip and 20 teeth are present on the columellar side. The specimen was sent to Dr. Schilder who
verified the identification and stated (pers. communication) that it was "an oblong specimen of C. latior; all characters
agree, and the number of teeth excludes teres."
The habitat of the shell, on the outside of the reef, and constant heavy wave action, is probably responsible for the fact
that the Golden Cowry is a "Loner." That is, no other shells share his precarious quarters. Consequently he has no near
relatives, and we have no records concerning any close neighbors. His relationships with other shells seem to be nil.
His almost inaccessible habitat is not only responsible for our lack of more knowledge concerning this shell, but is also the
main reason why native divers do not attempt to collect live specimens. We have been told that the reason it was not
collected in Fiji, was because of the sharks, and giant barracuda that infest the waters there. But there's another reason.
Walter Cernohorsky, a member of the Fiji Shell Club, writes, " The formation of Nadroga reef allows high breakers to wash
over it and thus foil any diver's approach. " His theory is that the shells live just over the edge of the reef, at depths of
from ten to 30 feet, and when they leave their hiding places either to feed or mate and a sudden storm strikes, they are
unable to hold on, and, "get carried over the top of the reef."
Its food is algae. This much was established by Dr. Alison Kay, in the one known examination made of the contents of the
animal's stomach, which I discussed in earlier articles in this series (Jan. and Feb. [Mar.], 1963, Sean Raynon Sabado).
An interesting idea is advanced by Cernohorsky (see above) when he says: "The absence of Cypraea aurantium in other parts of
the Fiji group is a puzzling feature. The restriction of the shell to the Nadroga reef might be due to the feeding
preferences of the shell and the habitat preference of a steep shelving reef with heavy breakers." The coral reef formation
as it exists on the Nadroga reef is absent NW, NNE and east of Viti Levu and there is a possibility that the food on which it
lives is restricted to the Nadroga reef. This theory might or might not account for the absence of the species in other parts
of the Fiji Group as well as the Island of New Caledonia. It is my personal opinion, that the salinity and the sea water
temperature does not account for the total absence of this shell in other parts of Viti Levu. Salinity and sea water
temperature at the Nadroga reef compare favorably to other collecting stations in other parts of' Viti Levu." (to be
continued)
Twice in my life I have been painfully bitten or stung on the finger by tiny octopuses which were occupying empty Terebra
maculata shells. In both cases I lost the octopus because the painful sting caused me to involuntarily fling him off my
finger and back into the ocean. After loosing the second one in this manner I swore that the next time I found a large dead
T. maculata shell I would examine it carefully for a hidden octopus, and if I found one I would try to preserve it in
alcohol. l was anxious to learn if this little critter was a juvenile of a large species or an adult of a small species.
On March 24th, while out diving at Kailua Bay in 60 feet of water, I found just such a large dead T. maculata lying on the
sandy bottom. I couldn't see any octopus in the aperture but hoping that one might be hidden deep inside the spire I
carefully stuck the shell in my collecting sock.
When I arrived home, I gingerly emptied out my sock. Out rolled the dead Terebra followed closely by a tiny octopus no bigger
than a "25 cent piece." I immediately pickled the little beast in rubbing alcohol and air mailed it to Dr. Rehder and Dr.
Morrison at The Smithsonian Institution. No identification has as yet been made. We are indebted to Dr. Rehder, Curator -
Division of Mollusks, Smithsonian Institution, for the accompanying photographs. [Image of T. maculata not included.]
Although the name of Swainson is well known to collectors of Philippines gastropods because of its association with the
endemic Philippines cowry Cypraea tessellata, Swainson himself never realized that his "mosaic cowry" came from the
Philippines Islands. Swainson described C. tessellata as coming from New Zealand, and it was not until more than 70 years
after the original description of the species that its habitat was generally recognized to be that of the Philippines
Islands.
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