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Brownlip
The abundance or rarity of molluscan species is not governed so much by indiscriminate collecting as by climatic conditions,
salinity, food supply, ratio of reproduction to survival and other ecological requirements. We can hardly be blamed for the
disappearance of the Therapsid reptiles gigantosaurus, brontosaurus or triceratops, or early mammals like the planetheterium
or taeniolabis. I am gratified to know that collectors cannot be held responsible for the disappearance from the evolutionary
cycle of the Mid-Tertiary sinistral species Conus adversarius Conrad. Species in our time appear to be either in ascension or
declination, and those species which are dwindling in numbers despite a struggle for survival, will ultimately die out even
without our assistance.
The author's recent purchase of a Boston Whaler lent new impetus to the hunt! Now dives could be made specifically for the
Strombus, limited only by time available and sea conditions. A group of areas off of Haleiwa was selected, mainly because of
the repeated findings of fragments and beach shells on adjacent shorelines. on the first dive a beautiful, fresh fragment
(see fig. 2) was discovered on a ledge at 85 feet. Enthusiasm was dampened somewhat by the complete absence of the remainder
of the shell, for this implied that a possible wash in from other areas had occurred. Another possibility was that a hungry
ray could have munched this piece to extract the last morsel of tender meat while swimming an unknown distance. Two
additional stations completed in the immediate area failed to produce any further evidence.
A new North Shore location was selected and produced almost instant and very encouraging results! With the first few breaths
the large fragment (see fig. 1) was found lying upside-down on a sandy shelf. As can be seen, this is a very nearly complete
shell, with only the spire missing. This part was observed lying about in at least a dozen small pieces. The photo does not
reveal how unbelievably thin and fragile this shell is. It is a juvenile specimen that had just secreted the wing-like
extension of the aperture. This big piece surely had not been carried, either by current or a browsing ray, any significant
distance. We were in the Philippine Stromb's back yard! The bottom was different here; unlike the other locations the sand
was deep and silty. From scarcely 15 feet beneath the surface a series of terraces about 20 feet wide stepped rapidly into
great depths. The shell fragment was found on the second terrace level, a depth of about thirty feet. Repeated dives in the
area failed to produce any further results. Perhaps night diving in this prime area would be productive.
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