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Shellcrafts
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.
The following names should be treated as synonyms: amabilis Jousseaume 1881 = walkeri; merista Iredale 1939 = continens;
barbara Kenyon 1902 and rossiteri Dautzenberg 1903 = bregeriana. The juvenile Ipserronea problematica Iredale 1935 surely
does not belong to walkeri (as Allan 1956, Cowry Shells p. 49 suggested), but to Erronea pyriformis Gray 1824 (see Iredale
1939, Austr. Zoologist 9:317).
In these years after World War II, many interesting cowries have been collected, and much new information became known to us,
also concerning walkeri, so that we were obliged to revise our views, both with regard to taxonomy and distribution.
Taxonomy: The East Australian continens cannot be separated from the Malayan surabajensis; but there seems also to be no
constant character of the Lemurian walkeri, though the latter seems to be generally smaller, paler, and less zonate than the
Malayan "race'' (which should be called continens by law of priority). Whereas the Philippine shells from Siassi Is. are
usually very large (30 to 35 mm.) and dark (dorsal zone vividly brown, well marked, aperture purple throughout), a population
from Ubey on Bohol Is. (destroyed in the museum of Hamburg, one shell No. 3120 in my collection excepted) recalls the
Lemurian shells in size (17 to 25 mm.) and color (creme, zones obsolete, interstices of columellar teeth only pale purplish).
Therefore all specimens from Lemuria to the Philippines and Queensland should be called walkeri. However, the New Caledonian
race bregeriana has proved to be of almost specific rank, and is characterized by tiny opaque white specks embedded into the
glossy orange base and margins, like no other cowry species, Chelycypraea testudinaria Linnaeus excepted: these white specks
are never absent in well preserved bregeriana (though overlooked by its author!), and generally are recognizable in beach
shells too; but they have never been observed in any walkeri coming from farther west than New Caledonia (Joanett Is.
excepted, see below).
Distribution: The areas from which walkeri has been known to the writer till 1941 have been marked by black circles (walkeri)
and triangles (bregeriana) in the map: The three races of walkeri mentioned above seem to be separated by zones uninhabited
by the species. However, after World War II many new localities became known to us which fill up these gaps, or extend the
limits in northern, eastern, and southern direction. Therefore the following areas should be added, which have been marked,
on the map, by empty circles and triangles respectively:
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