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Pawa
The construction of the new wharf site near Nukulalofa, Tonga, has been responsible for the discovery of several new
geographical records of mollusks from this region. Mr. H.C. Gay, a fellow HMS member, has diligently searched the dredged
sand-piles for mollusks, and also collected in other parts of the group. The material received from Mr. Gay for examination
contained the following new records:
Strombus thersites Swainson, 1823: A specimen from a submerged reef 5 miles off Nuku'alofa measured 145mm x 101mm; another
specimen measured 159mm x 108 mm (with 11 whorls), while a 160mm specimen from the Island of Ata was immature. The southern
distribution range of this species is continuous from New Caledonia to the Tuamotu Archipelago; the species is known from
Fiji, Tonga and Mururoa Atoll, Southeastern Tuamotus (leg. Daniel Boust, May 1966, in 60 feet; person. communication).
Maldive Islands: in the year 1721 150 million C. moneta exported. Philippines and Zanzibar: 1800 950 million C. moneta, 1858 1,000 million C. annulus, 1857 2,000 million C. annulus, 1868
1,300 million C. annulus, 1875 400 million C. annulus.
During the 19th century the export of annulus and moneta to West Africa according to available records totaled 75,000 million
(75 billion) specimens, which equaled in weight 115,000 tons. Adopting 4/5" as the average length for these species, all
cowries joined tail to front, would encircle the earth 37 times around the equator or reach 4 times the distance from the
earth to the moon. [The math is correct. Bob Dayle.] No Philippine or Zanzibar collector ever complained about the scarcity
of the two species in those regions. If we call 37 M. insularum "mass slaughter," what do we call this?
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pawa
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