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Clam raw
In the excellent paper on the variability of the West Australian cowry Zoila friendii (Journ. Malac. Soc. Austr. 9:3-24,
1966), B. R. Wilson and R. Summers have recorded an unique specimen from the northern limit of distribution: it has been
collected in 25 fathoms off False Entrance in Shark Bay. The shell's relative breadth (expressed in per cent of length) is
59: it agrees with the mean of 9 deep water friendii collected off Geraldton to Rottnest Is., and it is intermediate between
the "usual breadth" (i.e. the range of the central two thirds of shells) of friendii from the southernmost west coast of
Australia (52 to 56) and that of vercoi from its western south coast (61 to 68).
Meanwhile I have examined two other specimens collected in Shark Bay: The first shell, which has been figured above, is no.
798 in coll. A. Schelechoff (Brisbane, Qld.); its formula (length in mm, relative breadth, number of labial and columellar
teeth) is 71/66.25:18 (posterior columellar teeth obsolete). The second shell coming from "very deep water" in Shark Bay is
in coll. A. Kalnins (Maylands, W.A.); its formula is 67/68.28:24, the shell is not fully grown as the chestnut dorsal
markings are confused and cloudy, the margins are less dilated, the lateral spots very small, and the columellar teeth well
developed along the whole aperture.
Therefore, both specimens from Shark Bay are much broader than the friendii from False Entrance so that they look like
vercoi; besides the outer lip is crossed by brown striae which merge in the teeth so that the lip recalls thersites (in
Kalnins' shell the striae become confluent longitudinally in the central third of the lip, comparable to Erosaria guttata),
but the inner lip is uniformly blackish brown from the margin as far as to the aperture as it is in true friendii. After
discovery of some more specimens this northernmost deep water cline possibly will deserve a racial name.
Five specimens of [Cypraea] Notadusta superstes (Schilder, 1930) {Zool. Anz., 87:115} have recently been obtained by Mr. H.
C. Gay and Miss J. Pincott from dredgings at Tonga. The specimens were dredged at the new wharf site, 1-1/2 miles east of
Nukulalofa, in 0' - 30'; some of the specimens, although dead, are in a good condition.
As for the small and tiny cowries, the main collecting area is on the reefs near the outer edge of the lagoon near the open
sea. At low tides a long stretch of reef falls dry (dry water, the locals call it) and it is possible to walk there without
getting wet feet. Plenty of stones are scattered around, under which many kinds of cowries have been found, as well as a
variety of other shells. The first cowries discovered here were labrolineata, kieneri and rhinoceros, but gradually
staphylaea, felina, helvola and asellus came to light. Further exploration revealed the tiny minoridens and an odd fimbriata,
both very difficult to find as they are so small and well camouflaged and the very attractive cribraria, which the kids
christened "madai." Some rather small "madai" turned up which appeared to be somewhat different from the other cribraria, and
experts have identified them now as being catholicorum. They are quite rare, as one may find just one among some 15-20
cribraria, which by no means are common either. Some nucleus, a couple of teres and an old punctata (very small) were also
found in this general area on the edge of the lagoon. And this year in August, a kid of about 10 year[s old] started to smash
soft coral heads, and discovered poraria with a very dark base.
A second collecting area which has been completely overlooked until recently is a small bay, almost wholly surrounded by
hills, and partly cut off from the sea by a little natural island. Even when the wind sweeps through the lagoon and the sea
gets rough, the little bay remains quiet and peaceful. The greatest depth at low tides is only a few feet, one fathom at the
most. I used to get the ecological variety of coxeni (long and slender, without swollen margins) from South Malaita, but when
the weather got somewhat rough in August, people started to investigate the little bay, and came up with a fair number of the
Malaita variety of coxeni. And in company of coxeni, they found also rather large punctata and some microdon granum, in a
proportion of just one each for 10 - 15 coxeni. Incidentally, the three last species seem to prefer very quiet water, and it
would appear that they mainly feed on weeds which are plentiful in the little bay. Some coxeni have a greenish coloring,
especially when the animal is still in it.
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