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Toribellum
The next two days were spent reveling in the lowness of the tides, and the areas uncovered went further and further out to
sea. Our bag increased as the previous days went by. Every now and then a shout would go up from one of us as something new
came up. On the last day, Jack and Alan took off in a small sampan on which we had tied a crazy looking transom to attach the
"Seagull" engine to. Off they went to conquer new territory.
Stephen and I stayed in "Strombus Bay" and as the tide went out further and further so did we. In one great field of staghorn
coral I found some beautiful Turbo petholatus, and so many astraea with lovely rose colored apertures and operculums [sic]
that they looked like raspberries. We collected them in great numbers. Also, in this area we found many Cypraea arabica, of
which one adult only measured 1-1/4 inches in length. In our enthusiasm, we had not noticed the increased shallowness of the
water. It was impossible to walk so we had to crawl over coral, literally breaking our way through to clear water. Our knees
and elbows bore evidence of its sharpness. On the way back, I uncovered to my joy a fine large Conus omaria, and a lovely
Conus terebra. It was a tired and happy Johnnie Johnson who finally staggered up the beach with aching limbs.
As evening came on, Jack and Stephen, although tired, had to go in for one last look while I started to prepare a supper,
which we were doomed not to have. At about six o'clock a mighty storm came up similar to one we had on our last trip. Nature
seemed reluctant to let us get away with her treasures lightly, so for the next five hours we huddled under our somewhat
inadequate cover while the rain came down with unabated ferocity. As the evening without supper passed into night, the
strenuous shelling efforts aided us to sleep. Next morning we broke camp and boarded the boat for the trip back to the
mainland.
I have a Cypraea arabica niger Roberts (the racial name is in accordance with the Schilder's classification) which was
collected on the rusty hulk of a ship at New Georgia, Solomon Islands, a Cypraea mauritiana calxequina Melvill and Standen
collected on a sunken Japanese ship in Rabaul Harbor, New Britain by Harry Reiek, and a Cypraea maculifera Schilder collected
by John Souder near a rusty sunken ship at Berlin Island in the Marshall Islands. All of these are melanistic because of the
rust in the nacre which evidently was absorbed by the mantle and deposited in the nacre. The color of the maculifera was the
least affected and that of the mauritiana the most affected as the dorsum is a deep reddish brown. This did not effect the
base of any except the arabica, and on it there was some traces of the rusty color that extended a little on the base on each
side. This lack of effect on the base could possibly be another flaw in Cernohorsky's theory.
Conchologists have been puzzled for many years as to why cowries in certain areas are subject to melanism and rostration.
Some of the old time conchologists thought some were new species, and unfortunately some were described. For example, Cypraea
arabica niger was described as a new race.
Melanism and rostration rarely occur in Japan; rostration is rare in Okinawa and Torres Strait, and melanism never occurs in
Okinawa and Torres Strait to my knowledge. It is puzzling that the most complete melanism and rostration combined occur in
New Caledonia and Queensland both of which are near the Tropic of Capricorn. It is by far the most frequent in that latitude
too. It is a mystery why some species that live in the two areas most affected are never rostrate or melanistic.
I will diverge from the subject to some extent in the next paragraph, but it does concern the unusual in cowries.
Unknown factors in the environment seem to influence the size, color, and shape of cowries causing ecological variations and
aberrations. I have seen a Cypraea miliaris diversa Kenyon (=metavona Iredale) which was collected by Alex Schelechoff in
Moreton Bay, Queensland, which is so suffused with a uniform layer of white enamel that only by close examination can one
discern the dorsal spots. Alex deserves credit for noticing this detail as very few collectors would have noticed this. At a
glance it appears to be Cypraea eburnea Barnes.
The illustration [above] shows two Cypraea scurra Gmelin collected off Barbers Point. The specimen at the left has a complete
covering of an olive green color. As far as can he determined, the nacreous covering of the shell is identical to that of the
normal scurra on the right. Other collectors must have also collected similar shells. Is this melanism or a diseased
condition?
The first article in this series dealt with the collection of a live Golden Cowry, practically on order, by Francisco E.
Lahora of the Southern Philippines. This shell was requested by Dr. Alison Kay, General Science Dept., University of
Philippines, who wished to examine the soft parts microscopically. In the course of corresponding with Mr. Lahora, many other
interesting facts developed. We emphasize the word facts because in his letters Mr. Lahora insisted that he would give only
details which he could substantiate.
Unless the Philippines are included in Micronesia, and we believe they are not, the discovery of the Golden Cowry in the
Philippines is probably a range extension for this species. When Mr. Lahora sent the measurements of his first eight shells
to be registered in the Golden Cowry Register maintained at the Children's Museum, he mentioned, under the date February 5,
1962, that they were collected "in a period of more than a year between 1959 - 1960." Subsequently we learned that three
additional specimens had been taken, the one sent to Dr. Kay being No. 11. Except for No. 11 these shells were always found
in pairs. He spent an extra hour trying without success to find the mate of that one. All were taken at night, in
comparatively shallow water (not over 5 fathoms), "under ledges in the coral reef a little bit off the tidal zone." The
locality was the coastal town of Manay on the Pacific shore of Davao Province, southernmost Philippine Island of Mindanao.
This island lies about seven degrees north of the equator.
Mr. Lahora has kept a very close check on the Golden Cowries found in his province, and here is his report on that subject:
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