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Ovula ovum
*Cypraea helvola Linnaeus Tubuai: 1 worn, dead specimen on beach near Mataura. Rimatara: 1 dead but fairly fresh specimen
from beach.
Cypraea caputserpentis L. Found on all four islands visited: Raevavae, Tubuai, Rurutu, Rimatara; fairly common on reefs.
*Cypraea poraria L. Rimatara: 1 dead specimen on beach.
*Cypraea erosa L. Rurutu: 1 dead specimen near Moerai.
Cypraea obvelata Lam. Common on reefs on Tubuai and Rurutu. The Tubuai specimens, collected among rubble on the lagoon side
of Motu Moturoa on the eastern side of the barrier reef, were all of the typical form. The two lots gathered on Rurutu on the
fringing reef near the village of Moerai represent an ecotype with a reduced callus or torus around the dorsal area,
resembling therein annulus but lacking the typical blunt carination of the sides found in Polynesian specimens of the latter
species.
Cypraea moneta L. Found on Raevavae, Tubuai and Rurutu; undoubtedly present on all islands.
Cypraea isabella L. Raevavae: 1 dead on beach. Rimatara: 3 dead shells.
*Cypraea scurra Gmelin Rurutu: dead shell. Tubuai-- 1 fragment. Rimatara: 2 dead specimens.
Cypraea maculifera Schilder Raevavae; 1 dead shell, 1 on reef flat at Motu Veiamanu, on barrier reef south of Raevavae.
Rurutu: 3 specimens from reefs, vicinity of Moerai. Rimatara: 1 dead shell from beach. Maria: 1 specimen from reef.
*Cypraea depressa Gray Tubuai: 1 dead shell from beach near Mataura.
Cypraea (Lyncina) vitellus L. Tubuai: 1 specimen collected at night in lagoon off south end of Motu Moturoa.
*Cypraea (Lyncina) leviathan Schilder & Schilder Raevavae: 1 dead specimen from beach, 78.25 mm in length.
Cypraea (Lyncina) ventriculus Lam. Raevavae: 1 dead shell from beach.
*Cypraea (Lyncina) schilderorum (Iredale) Dead shells were not rare Raevavae, Tubuai and Rimatara.
A third collecting area, much frequented this year, are the inner reefs in the lagoon, on the edge near deep passages, right
in front of the station. One just walks out through a mangrove swamp onto a vast area of sand and reefs. In the mud patch
quite close to the mangrove, we picked up a good number of errones caerulescens and ovum chrysostoma, as well as a couple of
teres and cylindrica. But the edge of the inner reefs is really the place to look for the uncommon and rare ones. In only 1
or 2 feet of water at low tides, the kids found clandestina, eburnea, nucleus; hirundo and ursellus, quite distinct from one
another and from kieneri; stolida and chinensis, and even scurra; and also some punctata and microdon, both of which are
smaller than the same species found in the little bay, just a couple of hundred yard way. By breaking submerged coral heads
they discovered also two types of pea cowries, which I think are cicercula or perhaps globulus and bistrinotata. By diving
down along the edge of the reefs, some kids even managed to find a couple of ziczac and lutea humphreysii which up till now
haven't been known to occur in the Solomon Islands. None of the above mentioned cowries seem to live in "colonies" and
although we managed to get a couple or a few of each species, they are by no means common, but rather rare.
Cypraea aurantium also occurs here but is seldom seen. I also have one each of childreni and irrorata in my collection, both
collected in this same area of North Malaita.
Of all the cowries mentioned by Prof. Dr. F.A. Schilder in the Solomon Islands region (Mel. 41s.) or rather the Melanesian
region, only 3 species are still missing from my collection, viz. mariae, margarita and quadrimaculata. On the other hand,
however, depressa, lutea hymphreysii and ziczac which are not known to occur in Mel. 41s. do in fact occur here, as well as
onyx melanesiae, of which I just received two very nice specimens (one very dark, one light) from a friend on South Malaita
(East coast).
The 'Wild Coast' is the name by which the strip of coast between Port St. Johns and the Kei River is generally known, that is
to say, the coast line of the Transkei.
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ovula ovum
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