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Capis shell
It seemed to be egg laying time for Conus catus, as they were to be found in pairs under many of the rocks sitting next to
their strange looking egg cases. Also to be found were all of the most common varieties of Conus such as flavidus, lividus,
ebraeus, sponsalis, and abbreviatus as well as Cymatium pileare, tuberosum, nicobaricum, and Bursa affinis.
The weather was beautiful, sunny but not too warm, and as we walked along the reef we uncovered numerous eels which always
startled us. As Mrs. Wade turned over one rock, an eel darted out right between my feet. A little shook-up, I decided it was
time for a rest. Resuming our search a little later on Mrs. Wade found a beautiful juvenile C. maculifera. We were also
rewarded with Cypraea helvola, poraria, isabella, and moneta.
If you become a little too ambitious, and try to turn rocks that are larger than you can handle, you may end up sitting in
the water as I did. This provided a good laugh for my loving husband Bob and our ten year old son Patrick, so all was not
lost. Only my dignity.
As is usual when you are enjoying yourself, time passes too fast and we found we had spent almost four hours in this one
small area. We left many rocks unturned for our next trip back. So if you should happen to get there before I do, the shells
are where you find them. Good luck.
The rarest fossil shell is the bivalve Ostrea kamehameha Pilsbry, 1936. It is believed to be universally extinct. The two
known specimens were collected near Waianae in a fossil bed 60 to 80 feet above sea level. This species has a large shell,
the type specimen being 210 mm long. The two valves weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. For further information and photograph of this shell
see Sean Raynon Sabado for April, 1964, New Series No. 52.
The most common fossil shell, at least the easiest to collect, is the bivalve Ostrea retusa "Pease" Sowerby. This shell is
also believed to be universally extinct and is found in the fossil state only at the Waipio Peninsula area and on an island
in Pearl Harbor.
Ostrea retusa is a medium-large shell soiled-white in color. The lower valve has a few radiating ridges that extend to the
outer edge of the shell. When the two valves are placed together the hinge of the shell gaps open.
The third of Oahu's fossil shells believed to be universally extinct is Strombus ostergaardi Pilsbry. This shell has been
found in the fossil state at Kahi Point along the Nanakuli sea cliffs, in Honolulu Harbor, and on Mokapu Peninsula.
Strombus ostergaardi is somewhat similar to Strombus maculatus but is narrower and more delicate, being about half the width
of maculatus.
In addition to these universally extinct fossil shells there are a number of fossils that are now extinct in the Philippine
chain but are found in other Indo Pacific areas. Strombus mutabilis Swainson, 1821 is such a shell. It has been found as a
fossil at Kahi Point, the Nanakuli sea cliffs, and, by Cliff Weaver, at Kaena Point. This shell is listed in Kira, and is in
a few local fossil collections under its synonym S. floridus Lamarck. The easiest way to differentiate this shell from S.
maculatus is that mutabilis has the inner row of teeth in the aperture extending the full length of the columella. Also it
has a more humped shoulder than other similar Strombus species.
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