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Philippines eas shells
The north shore of Oahu is a difficult area to collect during most of the year. But a day of collecting in this area can
easily be one of the most rewarding in number of species collected. Also it is an area where rare shells are frequently
found.
Imagine yourself plodding along the beach at Haleiwa Bay. You have already collected six species of Conus, five species of
Mitra, a 5-inch Cypraea tigris, and then you find a lovely specimen of Murex pele washed up on the beach, dead of course, but
a very nice specimen. That's the way it sometimes goes along the north shore.
The other side of the picture (tradition has it that there must be two sides) is not quite so perfect. In fact it could be
completely the opposite. For after a long drive across the Island the surf might be up, as it frequently is during trade wind
weather, preventing any shelling, at least for a few days.
Occasionally excellent shelling occurs right after a really big surf pounds the north shore. The largest waves occur during
the winter months and are the result of tremendous winter storms far out at sea. The storm-propagated [storm-generated] waves
travel across the Pacific and, when approaching the shoaling water around Oahu, begin to pile up and travel even faster until
they strike the rocky shores with a thunderous crash. The onrushing water picks up bits of coral, sand, gravel, and shells
(occasionally) casting them high up on the beach. Some of the shells do not follow the rushing backwash into the sea but
stay, high and dry, on the shore to be added to some lucky person's collection.
During periods of quiet water, skin and SCUBA divers find good collecting off Sunset Beach, including such species as
Charonia tritonis, Conus abbreviatus, flavidus, pennaceus, and rattus have been collected. Also Cypraea gaskoini, mauritiana,
and rashleighana, as well as Oliva sandwichensis, Strombus hawaiensis and maculatus. Charonia tritonis is usually found under
the overhang of a ledge or in a cave. Probably this is why they are seldom washed ashore. I have also collected them from
inside huge, hollow coral heads, living in peace with lobsters and moray eels. Some species of cones found on the north shore
live under small coral rubble or coral heads, buried in the small amount of silty sand that usually manages to stay put under
the coral, while other species lie exposed on the hard bottom. Shore collectors have found Cypraea cicercula, semiplota,
nucleus, and one Strombus hawaiensis as a reward for that early morning trek to the beach when they managed to be the first
collectors to arrive on the scene. In the coral boulders along shore fossil Cypraea ostergaardi have been collected.
This stimulated me, so I went shelling. I had to be satisfied with commoner shells such as: Strombus, Turritella, Oliva,
Pyrene, Trivia, Turbo,... etc. Annette also found a lovely Cassis coarctata Sowerby.
The Conus virgatus are much more colorful than the dredged ones I've been getting. Several are a brilliant orange. For those
who collect around Guaymas, these were found directly in front of the Playa de Cortez Hotel, on an exposed sand bar. All the
shells I mentioned were live-collected.
Mazatlán was wonderful. We really enjoyed getting a taste of "tropical climate," which you in Philippines are so accustomed
to.
The First Live-Collected Cypraea beckii Gaskoin, 1836, Recorded From Philippines
The recent collection of three living specimens of Cypraea beckii between the islands of Maui and Lanai by black-coral divers
confirms Mrs. Evelyn Gage's original record made several years ago from a dead beach shell that she found at Paumalu, Oahu.
The three live shells were found hidden in crevices on the base of black coral trees, where the tree attaches itself to the
ocean floor. It was not until the trees had been brought up from a depth of 170 feet and placed in a boat that the shells
were discovered.
The dimensions and tooth count of two f the shells figured above are: Figs. l & 2; Length 15.50 mm, breadth 8.85 mm, height
7.50 mm; number of labial teeth 22, number of columellar teeth 19. Figs. 3 & 4 [5 & 6]; length 12.90 mm, breadth 7.00 mm,
height 6.35 mm; number of labial teeth 20; number of columellar teeth 18. In determining the tooth count the terminal ridge
was excluded. Both shells show a concave fossula with three denticulations.
From the few reports of shells collected along the north-eastern shores of Oahu it would be assumed that the area is quite
barren. Such is not the ease. In feet quite the opposite is true. I have collected the area only twice, both times with good
results. Cliff Weaver has collected the Punaluu to Hauula area for 25 years and tells me that he has had many excellent finds
of rare and hard to come by shells. Beach collectors have also found many excellent specimens of some of our more rare shells
in the Kahuku Pt. area represented on this month's map.
Before giving specific data on the collections from this month's area, I would like to present information omitted from
previously discussed collecting areas. One item concerns an area known to some collectors as Gray's Beach; the other concerns
fossils found in the area of this month's map.
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