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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.
It was on the fourth of these stations that the first Philippine Strombus were found October 23. My partner for the dive was
Betsy Harrison, well known to many of the local members of the Society and a very competent diver. We were working an area of
hard coral bottom, covered with coarse white sand. The depth gauge read 80 feet. The sand was about 2 to 4 inches deep and
contained some rubble. Betsy was industriously fanning near the anchor and I had been up off the bottom scouting around for
possible Philippine Strombus "signs". About two-thirds the way through the dive I heard a scream and turned to see Betsy
swimming toward me as if she had seen Moby Dick himself! Her long hair was streaming out behind her. She showed me an
unbelievable sight; in her hand she held a live Strombus hawaiensis! The shell was not fully adult, but was beautiful. A bit
shocked, I moved off about 30 feet or so and dropped to the bottom to do some fanning. Within two minutes I uncovered a
second specimen, a magnificent shell a bit larger than the first.
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