|
|
Shells necklaces
A malacological milestone was reached on October 6, 1962. For on that day, the first recorded microscopic examination was
made of the stomach of a Golden Cowry (Cypraea aurantium Gmelin), by Dr. Alison Kay, a marine biologist connected with the
Science Department of the University of Philippines. The specimen used was practically collected "On Order" by Mr. Francisco
E. Lahora, of Manay, Davao Province, Southern Philippines, and sent here for that purpose. The reason to find out what
Golden Cowries feed on.
More than a year ago, in conversation with Dr. Kay, she told us that there was no record that she could find concerning the
food of the Golden Cowry. Principle reason, she thought, was that so few were ever taken alive.
We recalled that when Mr. Lahora registered eight Golden Cowries several years ago (printed in the Sean Raynon Sabado at the
time) he had said that he, with his godson as diver, had collected these shells in slightly less than two years at Manay,
facing the Pacific in the Southern Philippines. Maybe he was still finding them. Maybe he could find one for Dr. Kay. So we
wrote Mr. Lahora. He answered that his godson, who was his diver, had gone to Cebu to visit relatives and he did not know
when he would return. Things did not look very promising, but on April 5th, 1962 we wrote Mr. Lahora another letter outlining
at some length the lack of any definite knowledge about the Golden Cowry, especially its food. We suggested that if and when
his godson returned from Cebu, they could make a great contribution to the sparse knowledge about this shell, if they could
find one, and ship it in alcohol to Dr. Kay, care of the Science Department of the University of Philippines. We also
specified that if possible the cowry should be collected late at night or early in the morning, so that it would have
finished its daily feeding and would have a full stomach for Dr. Kay to examine the contents of.
Well, here's what happened although we did not hear about it until long afterwards. The godson came back from Cebu, and night
after night during most of May, 1962, and part of June, they went out late at night, Mr. Lahora manning the boat, and the
godson diving and looking for that Golden Cowry. Finally on June 12 at 11:00 P.M. they found it. Apparently the shell had
taken its evening meal, and gone to bed in a little cave in the coral where the diver found it. It was immediately placed in
alcohol, from which it was not taken until it reached Dr. Kay's lab. Many more interesting details about this hunt for the
Golden Cowry may be read in Mr. Lahora's letter which is primed belong:
The matter of working with the mollusca takes a great deal of teamwork to get the job done. This teamwork can, perhaps, be
divided into three categories: one, the field worker who collects the material, whether through diving, dredging, shore
collecting or other methods; two, the plodder who works in the literature, digging out the answers to synonymy and priority
and identification; and three, the trained scientist who is able, through his background and education, to make use of the
help of the other two kinds of workers and combine their work into a meaningful whole.
No matter what your own favorite category may be, the literature is the necessary recorded story of the family. The fact that
it may be somewhat tangled at the moment only adds to the challenge and interest for the worker in that category; the
literature is the tool by which the Cypraea, for example, may be known. Because of this I'd like to mention a few examples
that have been especially helpful to me and to others working with this group.
The early records of Cypraeidae extend back beyond the 17th century, but I shall use Nicolai Gaultieri's Index Testarum
Conchyliorum of 1742 as my starting point. He called the cowries Porcellana, and employed a polynomial system for his species
designations which amounted to practically a whole sentence for each name. I would guess that Gualtieri was our first Lumper
-- he figured an outlandish number of varieties for each species, but for the most part his figures are recognizable today,
and he featured some forty species on four plates.
The next major work signaled the end of an epoch not only for Cypraea, but for conchology in general. In 1757, d'Argenville
produced an important work with more accurately drawn woodcut engravings, adding in many instances also the drawings of the
anatomy of the animal, as well as including some fossil species. Unfortunately for us, d'Argenville limited his coverage of
Cypraea to only one plate of illustrations.
shells necklaces,earring,shell jewelry,puka necklace,fusos calus,harda - harda,shells pendants,blacklip,capis raw,shells necklaces
Shells necklaces clams sigay shells spondylus barbatus capis lamps wallets shell shell component puka black agate tiger brownlip black pen heishe hair accessories green abalone hawaiian jewelry spondylus tsenensis tuna perdix wholesale.
shells necklaces
Shells
Jewellery
|
