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White abalone
There is something in the May issue on which I would like to comment. It is about "mass slaughter of shells"… The fact that
some 500 Cypraea coxeni were offered in various lots, is mentioned as "further proof of indiscriminate shell collecting,"
implying that there is danger that soon no "Cox" cowries will be left. Well, is it really proof of "mass slaughter"? Wouldn't
it, perhaps, be proof that, after all, Cypraea coxeni just isn't as rare or uncommon as has been thought? The C. coxeni
referred to are from Rabaul; so I presume that they are C. coxeni hesperina. I must admit that I do not know how rare or how
common they are. But I do know a fair bit about C. coxeni coxeni, which are endemic to the Solomon Islands. Until recently
they were only known from New Georgia Island (Roviana and Marovovo lagoons) the broad type with swollen margins. But two
years ago they were also discovered on south east Malaita, and last year we found them also here at Ata'a (north-east
Malaita). They are an elusive shell, as they seem to occur in places where hardly any other type of shell is found. It
appears that they prefer to be completely on their own, in very quiet water. We only found a few odd C. punctata and C.
microdon granum in their company. (See my report "Shelling on Malaita" in Feb. issue, '66 of H.S.N.). But where C. coxeni
occurs, there it is quite common in almost unlimited supply. Incidentally, the Malaita C. coxeni is rather slender, without
swollen margins. I think that there are many small bays, etc., in the Solomon Islands, where the "Cox" cowries are still
undiscovered. And most of those areas are quite isolated and right off the beaten track for tourists and eager shell
collectors.
There is also another aspect to the matter of "mass slaughter of shells". The local people here have practically nothing and
are as eager to get some money as anybody else. And as they have discovered that there IS money in shells, they go out to
collect what they can get. Unfortunately for them, by collecting too many shells of a certain species, they cause the price
to drop drastically. But once the price is at the lowest possible level, they loose interest, and the species is saved
automatically.
In my opinion there is no need to sound the alarm when a few hundred of Cypraea coxeni are offered for sale. Even several
thousands would not threaten this species with extinction.
In conclusion, I would like to add that I believe that collecting in nature should ALWAYS be done in moderation.
The original description of this lovely new Strombus appeared in Indo-Pacific Mollusca in April, 1965, Vol. 1, No. 6, pp.
397, 398. Apparently it is found only off the coast of Somalia, East Africa, and is rare even in its type-locality. We are
illustrating it here in the hopes that readers may discover that they have a specimen of S. oldi in their collection. Should
this be the case, please notify Dr. William Emerson, Dept. Of Living Invertebrates, American Museum of Natural History, New
York 24, New York who is anxious to obtain more collecting and locality data on this obscure species. The following "Remarks"
are reproduced from his original description.
"Although the fauna of the Somalian coast is not well known, it seems remarkable that this very distinctive species has not
been previously discovered. it was first brought to light by my associate, Mr. William E. Old, Jr., who was curating small
collection of marine mollusks that as labeled '50 miles north to 60 miles south of Obbia, Italian Somaliland {Republic of
Somalia}, East Africa, November 21, 1956.' Recently, other specimens have been found near Mogadishu {Mogadiscio}. One of
these was kindly forwarded by Mrs. Orville R. Davis for examination.
"Of the known species of Strombus, the shell of S. oldi most closely resembles Strombus (Tricornis) sinuatus Humphrey, 1786,
but it lacks the 3 or 4 tongue-like blades on the upper end of the outer lip and a thickened outer lip. In spire angle and
nodulation and in the spiral ornamentation of the shell, S. oldi closely resembles Lambis (Millepes) digitata (Perry), 1811,
From-the Indian Ocean, but lacks the strong labial and parietal wall ornamentation of that Lambis. This new species is
characterized by the wing-like projection on the upper end of the outer lip, by the relatively high, noduled spire, by the
strong, rounded cords on the back of the outer lip, by the dark-brown blotches within the smoothish aperture, and by the rich
chestnut coloring of the outer shell.
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