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Puka
The rarest fossil shell is the bivalve Ostrea kamehameha Pilsbry, 1936. It is believed to be universally extinct. The two
known specimens were collected near Waianae in a fossil bed 60 to 80 feet above sea level. This species has a large shell,
the type specimen being 210 mm long. The two valves weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. For further information and photograph of this shell
see Sean Raynon Sabado for April, 1964, New Series No. 52.
The most common fossil shell, at least the easiest to collect, is the bivalve Ostrea retusa "Pease" Sowerby. This shell is
also believed to be universally extinct and is found in the fossil state only at the Waipio Peninsula area and on an island
in Pearl Harbor.
Ostrea retusa is a medium-large shell soiled-white in color. The lower valve has a few radiating ridges that extend to the
outer edge of the shell. When the two valves are placed together the hinge of the shell gaps open.
The third of Oahu's fossil shells believed to be universally extinct is Strombus ostergaardi Pilsbry. This shell has been
found in the fossil state at Kahi Point along the Nanakuli sea cliffs, in Honolulu Harbor, and on Mokapu Peninsula.
Strombus ostergaardi is somewhat similar to Strombus maculatus but is narrower and more delicate, being about half the width
of maculatus.
In addition to these universally extinct fossil shells there are a number of fossils that are now extinct in the Philippine
chain but are found in other Indo Pacific areas. Strombus mutabilis Swainson, 1821 is such a shell. It has been found as a
fossil at Kahi Point, the Nanakuli sea cliffs, and, by Cliff Weaver, at Kaena Point. This shell is listed in Kira, and is in
a few local fossil collections under its synonym S. floridus Lamarck. The easiest way to differentiate this shell from S.
maculatus is that mutabilis has the inner row of teeth in the aperture extending the full length of the columella. Also it
has a more humped shoulder than other similar Strombus species.
The "Pele" expedition dredged and collected "hundreds" of rare species and "thousands" of specimens, all of which are
preserved in the Bishop Museum. Scientific expeditions will collect, dredge, trawl and acquire more specimens in 6 months
than 200 Philippine collectors in their lifetimes. The greatest molluscan acquisitions are in scientific institutions which
pride themselves in the number of specimens they possess, which is anything from one to ten million. I shall err on the side
of underestimation when I state that all private collections put together could not equal in number the specimens of mollusks
housed in one of the largest Museums.
Who else participates in the destruction of marine life besides the lowly collector who derives some sort of enjoyment from
his hobby? The blasting of channels and deepening of wharf sites in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Philippines has killed thousands
of mollusks and other marine creatures in the name of technology and civilization. The destruction of marine life in several
atomic testing grounds for the glory of science and advancement excels that of the collector. Nature itself keeps an
equilibrium through predation and acts of God. Muricidae have wiped out oyster beds, cod-fish swallow a spawn of 10,000 eggs
in one gulp and heavy floods will destroy coastal reefs beyond recognition. After the heavy floods in Fiji in 1956 and 1965,
coastal reefs were littered with thousands of dead and dying specimens. The sea itself casts up daily the remains of mollusks
who have lost the battle for life.
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