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Ethnic shell
Recently Mr. Trevor J. Sutcliffe, Mount Yokine (Western Australia) has sent me for examination, a Zoila venusta (Sowerby; of
67 mm which he and Mr. Milton East have collected by skin-diving in Geographe Bay, west Australia. The pale orange dorsal
blotches and the unspotted pink margins prove it to be a typical venusta. Besides, Mr. Ray Summers of Petaluma (California)
sent me a color photograph of a similar venusta of 73 mm, which had been collected at Busselton in Geographe Bay, and Mr. C.
N. Cate, Los Angeles (California) possesses another venusta of 69 mm, found in 60 feet off Binningup. Consequently the true
venusta lives in the same area as the dark spotted episema Iredale does, which spreads from Cape Naturaliste to Abrolhos Is.
(coll. Cate), and developed near Perth the dwarf race sorrentensis Schilder. Therefore Zoila episema should be classified as
[a] "morphe" of subspecific rank (see Schilder, 1966, Veliger 8:185) as it is sympatric with the closely allied Z. venusta
and hardly differs in structure, but distinctly in color without any intermediateds known up to now.
The cowrie Lyncina sulcidentata (Gray) is restricted to the Philippine Islands from Philippines to Kure. Nevertheless its
length varies considerably, viz. from 25 to 68 mm, and its relative breadth (expressed in per cent of length) varies from 62
to 83%. Such extremes, however, are rare; the "usual variation" is 32-48 mm and 68-75% respectively: this range comprises two
thirds of specimens approaching the mean and is approximately equal to the double standard deviation (see The Veliger 8:209,
1966).
In the diagram (page 6) 112 adult shells from various localities have been plotted by length against relative breadth: each
dot indicates one shell, the straight lines indicate the limits of "usual variation" in each character calculated by
excluding the extreme [one-]sixth on each end, and the circle passing through the four points of intersection theoretically
comprises about two thirds of shells approaching the center in both characters (40 mm, 71.5%).
The diagram shows two peculiarities: first the median (small circle in 38/72) is eccentric, as most specimens accumulate in
the left half of the diagram, so that the curve of variation in length becomes skew (as it is in many animals); second, there
is a distinct negative correlation between length and relative breadth, as the small shells are relatively broad, the large
shells more slender (as it is in most cowrie shells): for the upper left and the lower right areas outside the limits of
usual variation contain twelve specimens, but the lower left and the upper right corners contain none.
The Shell's inhabitant makes a delicious chowder not only nourishing but endowed by legend with other desirable properties of
a most intimate nature.
So now, by law, you may take your conch but you must eat it too. Otherwise you'll be eating it in the Key West Calaboose.
Because of their love of Strombus gigas, and the use of the shell as a horn which carried over great distances for
communication, the name conch was applied to native Key Westers.
So today, the shrill blast of the conch shell has finally reached the legistative ear, and the conchs (Human and Marine) are
happy with Papy.
On Sunday, March 13, 1966, forty-five members of the Philippine Malacological Society and their guests spent the day high and
dry above the Pacific Ocean along the Nanakuli sea cliffs at Kahi Point, south shore Oahu. In spite of being "high and dry,"
shelling was excellent.
...
Capt. and Mrs. Mal Loring, with daughters Jackie and Cathy had a successful day too. Mrs. Loring excavated an excellent
specimen of Strombus variabilis and a fragile, as yet unidentified, shell. Dr. Osborne's previous experience in fossil areas,
really helped produce a fine collection of specimens. "Doc" found and collected a Cypraea scurra (with reticulations still
evident), 4 C. cicercula 10 to 16 mm in length and in good condition, 2 C. semiplota, an excellent specimen of Strombus
ostergaardi 15 mm long and an almost perfect juvenile Strombus identified tentatively as S. gibberulus gibbosus. Conus
rattus, Mitra, Bulla, Polinices and 6 other unidentified shells completed her "haul" for the day.
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ethnic shell
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