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Shellcrafts
We went back to La Paz for a night in a hotel before transferring our gear to a truck for a seven hour trip to Pulmo another
likely place for our search as a live Cypraea isabellamexicana had been taken there intertidally in March. The water and
weather were warmer there, more what we would expect of April that far south, and we were loaned a fisherman's cottage to
camp in. There was much coral, both live and dead, but after turning thousands of rocks and coral we still had not one live
C. isabellamexicana. The coral rubble rewarded us with C. albuginosa; the gorgonians harbored some lovely Neosimnia; Conus
diadema were exposed on underwater reefs; and we found Conus deli and C. tiaratus buried in sand under rocks. Some C.
tiaratus were more exposed. We also found live Aspella and Epitonium of the genus Scalina which we suspect are new species
and a couple of Phyllocoma scalariformis. But not the elusive Cypraea isabellamexicana.
One of two Cypraea aurantium being kept alive in Herb Ward's aquarium. This specimen was collected by Tommy Cruz in 50-60
feet of water off Orote Peninsula, Island of Guam, Mariana Islands, May 27, 1965. Arrows indicate eyes at base of tentacles.
The above photograph of a living Cypraea aurantium Gmelin, 1791 is believed to be another "first" for the Philippine Shell
News. We are deeply indebted to Herb Ward for sending us these rare photographs and the story.
Six live-collected golden cowries have so far been taken from water surrounding Guam. Of the five most recent specimens
collected at Orote Peninsula, four were taken by a local Guamanian fisherman named Tommy Cruz and one by Tony Elbro. The
sixth shell was found by an Air Force man at a different locality.
Herb Ward writes: "Tommy got the last two golden cowries while out in my boat on May 26. They were perfect live specimens. We
were diving in the dark, about midnight, in 50-60 feet of water when Tommy spotted them under large rocks which formed caves.
One was on the underside of a rock and the other was some yards away on the floor of a cave. I happened to swim around the
wrong side of the rocks. Some luck! The shells are now in my collection.
"They have been kept in an aquarium and one of the two has been especially active. We took the other out and cleaned it as it
was not responding well to aquarium life. A navy man named Snowdon made the photographs." [I personally know Bill Snowdon,
who is credited here, AND Bill Martin. Both were involved in taking this photograph. -- Bob Dayle, a.k.a. 'makuabob']
Dr. E. Alison Kay wrote a description of the preserved animal of Cypraea aurantium in the Journal Of The Malacological
Society Of Australia, Number 7, December, 1963, p. 50. After seeing Snowdon's [& Martin's] photographs, Dr. Kay said she was
glad to see that her interpretation of the mantle structures, based on the preserved animal, were O.K.
Early in September, Mr. Phillip Clover and his family stopped over briefly in Honolulu on their way for reassignment on the
U.S. mainland. Fortunately Mr. Clover had in his possession the photographs you see reproduced above. Here is the story
concerning these two shells with a brief description of the unidentified species.
Some native fishermen caught several "groupers" while fishing with hand lines in 60 feet of water somewhere in the Sulu Sea.
While cleaning these fish, two live-looking cowries were discovered among the stomach contents. Eventually those two shells
came into the possession of a Mr. Porter who was able to identify one of them (Figs. 1-3) as C. leucodon, a "lost species"
considered to be one of the world's rarest and most valuable shells. For almost one hundred years no new specimens of
leucodon have been added to collections. It is reported that Mr. Porter has already turned down one offer of $1,500.00 for
the leucodon.
The other shell (Figs. 4-6), which still remains unidentified, somewhat resembles Cypraea pantherina in dorsal coloration but
otherwise appears to be a new species. Here is a brief description of this specimen: Length 46 mm. Number of labial teeth,
30; number of columellar teeth, 29, (terminal ridge and posterior crenulations excluded). Base bent upwards on the sides,
aperture narrow, teeth fine, shell heavy. Dorsum flesh colored with brown dots and larger chestnut spots near sides. Base
yellow, teeth white, anterior and posterior extremities orange. Base convex. Margin of shell heavily calloused and bumpy.
It is hoped that some "eager-beaver" conchologist will not hurriedly publish a description of this species in order to
immortalize himself as the shells' author. More specimens are needed for study before such action is taken.
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