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Conus omaria
Over 60 specimens of P. humphreysi from 14 Viti Levu and Vanua Levu localities were examined, and the color pattern was found
to be highly variable; specimens from Akuilau Island (Nadi Bay) and Nananui-Ra Isld. (Nth.-Viti Levu), were exceptionally
dark, with the brown spots so dense that the milky-white base color was almost obscured. Specimens from the Nadroga and Suva
reefs were generally lighter in color, and the number of either brown or white dorsal zones varied from 0 - 4. Specimens
varied in size from 11mm - 20mm, and were either slender or squat and broad, hardly margined at all or with a pronounced
marginal callus. There should be no difficulty to select specimens from these series of shells which would match the
type-figures of C. humphreysi Gray, P. lutea yaloka Steadman & Cotton, or any other figure illustrating humphreysi in the
major monographs on the Cypraeidae.
Fijian specimens of P. l. humphreysi when compared with specimens of the species from the Great Barrier Reef, Qld.,
Australia, and those from Samoa, do not exhibit any morphological differences which would be worth chronicling. The specimens
of P. l. humphreysi from harbor dredgings of Apia Harbor (Upolu) and Asau Harbor (Savaii), Samoa, together with specimens of
Pustularia cicercula (Linnaeus) and Bistolida pallidula (Gaskoin), are new verified records from this region, and were
obtained by Mr. A. Jackson from Apia.
If we refer to the original descriptions of some Cypraeidae species, e.g. errones, caurica, helvola, poraria and staphylaea,
all established by Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 1758), we shall realize how detailed Gray's description of humphreysi is in
comparison. Linnaeus' description of these five species consists of from 5 - 11 words and no references to figures are cited.
The elucidation of many Linnaean species has to be usually looked for in the works of revising subsequent authors.
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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