|
|
Decorative shell
Although I always have been interested in natural science, I only took up shell collecting seriously about three years ago. I
have seen quite a number of Golden Cowries around here, but when I noticed in R. Tucker Abbott's little book Sea Shells Of
The World that the Cypraea guttata was classified as very rare, I didn't give myself a chance of ever seeing one.
Nevertheless, only a couple of months after I got this useful little book, I came across one, to my great surprise, of
course.
My work here in the Solomons includes occasional visit to native villages and on May 24th, 1963 I made a call at one of the
many artificial little islands in the lagoon at Ataa. A man showed me a shell he had found in a fish...I couldn't believe my
eyes, but it was obvious that he had a Cypraea guttata. The color and pattern of spots were perfect; only there was a tiny
spot at the posterior end, slightly on the side towards the inner lip, where the fish had left a tooth mark, probably trying
to crush the shell before swallowing it. The outer polished surface was damaged, but not pierced right through. As a matter
of fact, it is hardly noticeable. The story I got from the man was as follows.
Some day in the previous month (April 1963) this man, Misikarei, and some other chaps went fishing in one-man canoes outside
the reefs, in deep water. They cast their lines opposite a native village Manu. From what I could make out, Misikarei used a
nylon fishing line of about .95 diameter, with a breaking point of 50 or 60 lbs. and he had a fish-hook of about 2 inches. He
assured me that he had well over 100 fathoms fish-line out, right down, and at appr. 8 p.m. he caught one fish, and that was
all he got, the whole night. In the morning when the fishermen went ashore at Manu to sell their catch, the shell was found.
The animal was still in it, but was dead and easy to remove, an indication that the shell hasn't been for long in the stomach
of the fish. As for the fish itself, I don't know what type it was. It is locally called TABAU and was about 18 inches long
and some 6-7 inches high. Manu, incidentally, is a village just a little north of Cape Arsacides on the north-east coast of
Malaita in the Solomon Islands.
The name arenosa Gray, 1824, should be restored for what most workers have recently been calling schilderorum Iredale, 1939.
Contrary to Schilder's opinion (Philippine Shell News, Nov. 1965, p. 7), the name Cypraea arenosa Dillwyn, 1823, is not
available according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature under Article 11(d) which says "A name first
published as a synonym is not thereby made available. " Dillwyn (Index to Lister's Hist. Conchyl., 1823, p. 33) said that
plate 685, fig. 32 was probably a young Cypraea pantherina, and that Solander's manuscript name of arenosa was a synonym.
Dillwyn's exact and only words were: "685, 32. Quoted by Dr. Solander in his MS. for his Cypraea arenosa; and it is probably
a young shell of Cypraea pantherina."
Some others of Dillwyn's 1823 names are unavailable and would not constitute homonyms, such as Cypraea cincta (p. 33); but
Cypraea umbilicata "Solander" Dillwyn (p. 32) is available as a name, although Lister's poor figure could be one of several
species, including arenosa Gray. In this case, umbilicata could be declared a species inquirenda (a doubtfully identified
species needing further investigation).
After giving some additional thought to Blasicrura latior (Melvill, 1888) and its taxonomic position, I have taken a second
look at what other workers have had to say about it and have weighed their thinking against my own feeling in the problem. To
be brief, I have come up with the following reasons for wishing to regard this species with restraint until more specific
evidence becomes available.
Schilder and Schilder (1938), without considering this form as a separate cowrie race, referred to it as an "ecological
variety only" of Cribraria teres teres (Gmelin, 1791); Burgess (January, 1962) said of this shell, "identical with
rashleighana except for size and elongated pyriform shape"; Old (December 1963) said, in referring to Blasicrura teres and
Blasicrura latior, "Neither of these shells are likely to be confused with Cypraea rashleighana Melvill"; Schilder (1965)
listed the shell as Blasicrura rashleighana latior (Melvill, 1888) apparently reconsidering his earlier (1938) appraisal. All
three opinions are worthy, but divided.
decorative shell,shell fashion accessories,puka shell,puka necklaces,lambis troncata,earring,conus virgo,conus magus,wallets shell,decorative shell
Decorative shell harda - harda strombus sinautus chama lazarus embonium shell shells necklaces haliotis asinana philippine shellcraft black lip raw material wallers brown lip troca male murex ramusus philippine shells tortella tiger.
decorative shell
Shell
Bracelets
|
