1869 THE LIBRARY THE * -’ -.. - - SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUE FOUNDED 1961 © INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History VOLUME 1 1970 Issues 1-11 -7^9 ^ '3 0 - '/ THE FESTI VUS 'V*?' ( ^ k( M 5an Diego Museum of Natural History Third Thursday of each month 7:30 p« m. President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara. Good Treasurer: Peggy Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brew9r GREET INGS- to all members of the San Diego Shell Club. Our avowed intention is to make this a monthly publication - to mail it to your homes before the regular meeting so you will know the projected program and to remind you of the meeting date, (Telephone notice will not be given unless personally requested). With an editorial staff having specific duties, publication will be organized and simplified. Our staff is composed of: Reporter Clifton Martin, Clifford Martin, Normin Currin and John Souder - Coordinating chairman: Nola Michel - Publishing: Dave Mulliner - Distribution: Virginia Hanselman - Editor: Blanche Brewer. We can earnestly invite your participation as contributors. With it we can have an informative and enjoyable magazine and - let's face it - without it, no magazine at all, ** *** ** THUMBNAIL SKETCHES OF OUR OFFICERS FOR 1970 PRESIDENT: CAROLE HERTZ Carole has an intense interest in the sea, she finds diving one of the most pleasant ways to shell collect, Carole's shell collection began four years ago with a dead astrea she had found on Point Loma and curiously began to look up sea shells in library books. In 1965 Carole and Jules Hertz joined the San Diego Shell Club, She was secretary in 1968 and treasurer in 1969, Carole's major interests are shells, art, and music. The Hertz Collection of sea shells are world wide. They collect Local, Gulf, and Florida shells and trade world-wide. Carole helps out at the Museum of Natural History cataloging shells. VICE PRESIDENT: NOLA MICHEL Nola was taking scuba diving lessons in Kwajalein in 1961, Her diving instructor turned over a rock and the beautiful world of sea shells opened up before her eyes, Nola has continued her scuba diving and with her husband John has collected shells in Hawaii, Kwajalein, local, and Gulf, When John is in foreign ports he buys shells he cannot collect himself. Nola's major interests are shells, music, diving and oceanography, Nola joined the Shell Club in 1965. She was Treasurer in 1966 and President in 1969. RECORDING SECRETARY i BARBARA MYERS Barbara and John Myers joined the San Diego Shell Club in 1956 to share and learn more about their interest in shells. In 1967 Barbara held the office of Secretary, Barbara's interest in shells began with the beauty and varied sculpture attracting her gradually increasing scientific awareness. The Myers collect local shells and have just started to trade world-wide. They share an interest in marine aquaria, photography and shells. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: BARBARA GOOD Barbara was walking a Los Angeles beach with a neighbor in 1959 and as something to do began to kick up shells from the drift. Her interest in shell collecting and learning about the sea molluscs has increased through the years, Barbara's major interest is shells. She is fascinated by and spends many hours studying the minute shells from the grunge. The Good Collection is mostly Florida, Local, Gulf, and some world-wide obtained by trading. Her favorite families are Murex, Cykraea, and Volutes, Barbara helps out with the cataloging of shells in the Museum of Natural History, TREASURER: MARGARET MULL INER Peggy joined the Shell Club in 1965 to share her husbands new hobby. The auction that year was at Norm Currin's, Peg's interest began as she looked at and handled the beautiful shells from far distant shores. She bought a few shells and was invited by several people to come see their collections. Pegs collection is mostly Local and Gulf with some world-wide shells obtained by trading. *•* *** ** ACTIVITIES REPORT We are making a new start but we do not want to overlook - for the record - items of interest in the fall meetings. In September we were the guests of Jules and Carole Hertz. in their completely private backyard, the scene was set for a Hawaiian iuau, Arriving members and guests wore appropriate attire, Delicious food and the flowing bcwl refreshed us and the talented sisters, Billie Dihworth and Twila 3rachter, enter- tained us with graceful island dances, John Myers and David Mulliner showed slides of living lovelies in their aquariums. fun was had by all 1 ! Dr. Don Shasky was the speaker at our October meeting - his subject, Cance llarudae , This family is not well known or pro- lifically exhibited in collections, Wo satisfactory classification exists and many of the earliest described species are known only by the types. Genus Cancellaria was described by Lamarck in 1799. Known subgenus include Cancellaria ( Cancellaria ) - C_r ( Aphera ) - C, (Blvetia) - C«. ( Bivet is 1 la J - C, ( Bivetcps ia~T - C. ypjcli_a; - CY ( H e r 1 1 e i n i a ) ~ C " ( Ma s~sy in ) - C, (NaronnJ - genus Agatr lx - genus Perplicania - genus Triqonostoma and genus Admete P Dr. Shasky showed slides of all specimens mentioned and had the shells themselves for close examination. The full text is available in our library - some 12 pages0 A young associate in the museum George Kennedy, presented the family Pho ladidae in November. They are not particularly beautiful or even pretty but they have satisfied the hungry appetites of countless generations of clam diggers. Mr. Kennedy’s interest is largely in the comparisons with fosil forms. ** *** ** NOTES ON THE EVOLUTION QF THE MURICIDAE By Dr. George Radwin In the past several months, since the arrival of Tony D'Attilie to the San Diego Natural History Museum, we have been attempting to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between many genera in the Muricidae. Ule have relied heavily on the radular dentition without neglecting the clues offered by the shell morphology. Our progress, to date, is the basis of these notes. As we are not paleontologists, we have relied mainly on the data we could obtain from literature for apparent geological ranges of the genera with which we have worked. The importance of this feature is that with this information we could, perhaps, understand how two or three more apparently closely related genera have evolved, chronologically, one from another. The genera considered were: Hexaolex (type species - Murex chicoreus ) , Phy llonotus (type species - Murex marqaritensis ) , Chicoreus (type species - Mu rex ramosus L. ) ,“~Muricanthus (type species - Mur ex r ad i x ) , Sirat us (type species - JYlurex senegalen- sis), Homalocantha (.type species - Mu rex scorpio ) „ Ail of these groups but one ( Hexaplex ) are now represented in the New World and all but two of these ( Chicoreus and S i r a t u s ) are represented at present in the eastern Pacific, Hexaplex is known from as early as the Eocene, As an early member of the line of genera under consideration, this genus is supposed to have given rise, directly or indirectly, to all of the others. The shell o'f Hexaplex , as seen in its type species, is very much like the shells of several of the other genera. The only key character is the presence of six varices on the body whorl, a variable character at best, Phy llonotus is known from as early as the Qligocene, Its shell resembles the shell of Hexaplex from which it almost certainly was derived directly. Key shell characters are its orange or pink rimmed aperture, its globose body whorl and its short, blunt spines, Chicoreus is known from the lower Miocene, Its shell resembles that of Hexaplex , except that Chicoreus has three varices, where- as Hexaplex has six, Chicoreus is also a likely direct deriva- tive of Hexaplex, [Yiuricanthus , known from the upper Pliocene, is the most recent derivative of this proup. Its shell, once again, is very similar to those of Hexaplex and Chicoreus, It was probably derived from Hexaplex , directly or indirectly, via Chicoreus . Siratus is known first from the lower Miocene, In its general appearance it most closely resembles Phyllonotus, Homalocantha has an unknown geological history, as no fossil representatives have been discovered. Previously thought to be limited to the Indo-Pacif ic , this genus is now known to have representatives in the eastern Pacific, Several species ( Murex oxyacantha and Mu rex multicrispatus) may be shown to belong to Homalocantha on the basis of several shell and radular characters. Having arrived at tentative conclusions concerning the relation- ships among these genera, we attempted to confirm these conclusions using the radular dentition. The results of the examination of the radulae are as follows: The lateral radular teeth throughout this family are of little systematic significance. The median tooth has five cusps; a very large central, two prominent laterals and two smaller cusps called intermediates because of their position; each between the central and a lateral. The striking feature of the median tooth of Hexaplex is a prominent longitudinal ridge on the central cusp. Other genera with similar median radular teeth and also with this prominent ridge are Chicoreus and Muricanthus, This, to us, confirms their linear evolutionary relationship. The median radular tooth of Phy llonotus has a broad base with broad lateral cusps which have concave outer margins. I\Jo ridge is present on the central cusp. On this basis, as well as on shell morphology we feel that Phy llonotus may well have been directly derived from Hexaplex but could not, in our opinion, be part of the He xap lex- Chicoreus- flu ricanthus line, Siratus has a radula and shell which slightly resemble those of Phyllonotus. Present indications are that Siratus was derived from Phyllonotus. Little that is conclusive may be gained concerning Homalocant ha because of the lack of a fossil record. It is guessed, however, that it is a family of considerable age as it is essentially circumtropical in distribution (eastern Pacific - M. (H. ) oXyacahtha ; western Australia - M. (_H . ) secundus; Indo-Pacific - IY], (h.) anatomicus etc,; western Africa - M. [TT. ) melanamathos ) . Its radula is very peculiar and weak-appear ing. The intermediate cusps are almost obliterated, and are, instead, nearly completely confluent with the lateral cusp3. To sum up i The geological history and the morphology of the shell and radula of modern forms indicate the presence of two distinct lines diverging from the genus Hexaplex. In one line, the genera Chicoreus , Homalocant ha and Mur icanthus evolved in approximately that chronological order. In the other line, the genera Phyllonotus and Siratus evolved in that general order. (Or, Radwin’s paper was not received in time for the October issue of the Shell News, Ed, ) ** *#* ** COLLECTOR’S ITEM On a fine summer day - August 20 - a handful of shell collectors had a momentous meeting. Dr, T, Shikama of the Geological Institute of Yokohama National University arrived in San Diego (by bus) from Los Angeles. He was met by Ben and Ruth Purdy and then taken to their home for lunch. He had expressed a desire to see their fine collection and of course he did - but Ben and Ruth said "Now what would you really like to do?" "I have three wishes" he said, "I wish to put my feet in this side of the Pacific - I wish to meet Anthony D'Attilio and I wish to go to Mexico," The first $wo were possible. With Kay Webb, a long-time correspondent of Dr, Shikama, they took him to the Silver Strand. There he removed his shoes to happily wade in the warm water of the (to him) Eastern Pacific, The consul advised them that while they might get him into Mexico, they might not get him out0 So they went down to the border * stopping on this side, and walked to the very line where he took many pictures. When Tony D*Attilio was able to leave the museum, he and Rose were able to visit with the tiny enthusiastic .visitor from Japan at the Purdys, Dr. Shikama had only a few hours but he stretched them to the last possible moment . before they took him to his plane which would carry him further on his trip around the worldo He has been heard from - New York and Switzerland,, One wishes him happy landings. *■* ** 1969 CHR ISTluAS PARTY The Shell Club held its annual Christmas party at the Miramar Naval Air Station CPO Club on Friday evening, Dec, 12th. The U-shaped banquet tables were festively decorated by Helen Thompson, with each place setting having its own centerpiece of clustered shells. Upon arriving, each guest placed a gaily wrapped shell gift under the Christmas tree. An open bar was available for those who wished a bit of special Christmas cheer. After a delicious steak or lobster dinner, annual officer installation ceremonies were held with Dave Mulliner officiating as congenial Master of Ceremonies, Each lady officer was presented a beautiful orchid corsage and the lone gentleman a carnation boutonniere. No la Michel relinquished her duties as president to Carol Hertz. As vice president, Nola replaced Dr. George Radwin, Outgoing secretary Barbara Myers was retained as recording secretary, with Barbara Good as corresponding secretary. Peggy Mulliner replaced Carol Hartz as treasurer. An honorary membership was presented to Frank Good in appreciation for the great help he gave the Club during its incorporation. John Souder was appointed Mentor Parliamentarian and as such may attend all board meetings. It was further announced that John, who had been critically ill for several weeks following a severe heart attack, was considerably improved, news which all members were most happy and grateful to receive. Tony DeAttilio was given a large box of stationery for his very artistic designing of the Club’s letterhead --- a beautifully and intricately designed drawing of a Murex festivus. Blanche Brewer, for her untiring work as our editor, was awarded an orchid corsage. After the ceremonies each guest selected a gift package and many members found ther had choice new specimens to add to their collections, A social evening followed, with dancing to the CPO Club's orchestra. It was for all a great evening and a fitting climax for a wonderful year with our club. May 1970 be as rewarding in its programs and accomplichments. ** *** Normj.n Currin BOOK MEWS During the past month the San Diego Shell Club library was able to acquire a series of new books, several of which have just been published. In future issues these and other new books will be reviewed. The reviews will usually be those of the amateur shell collectors and will stress the value of the literature to the collector rather than the highly professional, technical man. Below is a list of the newly acquired books* 1. "A Collectors Guide to West Coast Chitons", by G.lenn E. Burghardt and Laura E. Burghardt, Special Publication No, 4, San Francisco Aquarium Society, Inc,, Nov. 1969, 2. "Marine Shells of Southern California", by James H. McLean, Science Series 24, Zoology No. 11, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, October, 1969. 3. "The Log from the Sea of Cortez", by John Steinbeck, Viking Press, Sixth Printing, August, 1968, 4. "Mollusks", by Paul Bartsch, Dover Publications, Inc., 1968, 5. "Molluses", by J. E. Morton, Hutchinson University Library, London, 1958. 6. "Caribbean Sea Shells", by Germaine L. Warmke and R. Tucker Abbott, Livingston Publishing Company, Narberth, Pennsylvania, 1961. 7. "Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop", by Euell Gibbons, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1964, 8. "Systematica and Zoology of the Worldwide Bathypelagic Squid Bathyteuthis ( Cephalepoda i Oegopsida)", by Clyd9 F. E. Roper, Smithsonian Institution Bulletin 291, Washington, D. C. , 1969. 9. "An Illustrated Key to the Families of the Order Teuthoidea (Cephalopoda)", by C. F. E. Roper, R. E. Young, and G. L. Voss, Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, Number 13, 1969, 10, "A Monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic* The Family Joubiniteuthidae " , by R. E. Young and C. F. E. Roper, Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, Number 15, 1969 11. "A Monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic! The Family Cycloteut hidae " , by R. E. Young and C. F, E, Roper, Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, Number 5, 1969. 12. "The Immense Journey", by Loren Eiseley, Vintage Book, Random House. -by - Jules Hertz ** **•* ** GOOD TIDES! ! !!! LOCAL (San o cn CD •H Q PST (24 hr. clock ) Jan. 18 Sun 13:54 -0,7 19 Mo n 14:30 -0.9 20 Tue 15:00 -1.0 21 Wed 15:24 -1.0 22 Thurs 15:54 -0.9 23 Fri 16:18 -0.7 Feb. 2 Mon 13:12 -0.9 3 Tue 13:54 -1.6 4 Wed 14:30 -2.0 - 5 Thr 15:12 -2.1 6 Fri 15:48 -1.9 7 Sat 16:24 -1.5 8 Sun 17:00 -OcQ Guaymas (5 onora , Mexico) MST Jan, 15 Thurs 13:48 -0.6 16 Fri 14:12 -0.9 17 Sat 14:36 -1.2 18 Sun 15:00 -1.3 19 Mon 15:18 -1.4 20 Tue 15:42 -1.4 21 Wed 16:06 -1.4 22 Thurs 16:24 -1.3 23 Fri 16:48 -1.2 24 Sat 17:06 -0.9 25 Sun 17:24 -0.6 31 Sat 12:54 -0,8 Feb , 1 Sun 13:30 -1.3 2 Mon 14:12 -1.7 3 Tubs 14:54 -2.0 4 Wed 15:30 -2.1 5 Thurs 16:06 -1.9 6 Fri 16:42 -1.6 7 Sat 17:06 -1o0 13 Fri 13:18 -0.6 (Guaymas continued) Feb. 14 Sot 13:54 -0*8 15 Sun 14:24 -1..0 16 Mon 14 j48 -1-1 17 T ue 15:06 -1.1 18 Wed 15:24 -1.1 19 Thur 15:42 -1.0 20 Fri 1 5 a 54 -0.9 Head of the Gulf of California: No chart is yet available for this year. An aproximation can re made by adding 4£ hrs to the San Diego chart and the lowest tic so there fall a day ahead of our lows here. If I'm wrong you con blame me Nola ** *** ** h+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4+ + + + + +++ + + + + -!• + + + + + ♦ + + + ■»■ + + + + ■*- + + + ■*- + + + + + + NEXT MEETING + + 15th of Jan, Speaker ,,,,, Dr , George Radwin Sub jact, , , COLUMBELL IDAE+ 7:30 PM Natural History Museum Auditorium, Balboa Park + Note i This notice will be the only notice of meetings in the + future, unless you request a phone call. Write it on your + calendar TODAYl - • + + (■ + ♦ + + + * + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +++ + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ** *** ** GET WELL SOON, JOHN! ! This past month one of our charter members, John Souder was stricken by a severe heart attack. He was sorely missed at our Christmas party though we rejoiced at hearing the news from Norm Currin that John's condition had greatly improved. We hope that by the time you read this, John will be at home and that we'll all be seeing him fully recovered in the near future. -Carole I i ** *** ** REGULAR MEETING November 2oth, 1969 Our guest speaker for this meeting was Mr, Kennedy of the San Diego Natural History Museum and his topic was Pholadidae. The proposed change in out Constitution providing for a Recording Secretary and a Corresponding Secretary instead of one secretary doing both jobs, passed by more than 44 votes well over the 2/3 majority required. The full voting membership being sixty members. Our President, Mo 1 a Michel, appointed John Souder as Mentor- Parliamentarian for the coming year of 1970, Our annual Christmas Party is scheduled for December 12, 1969, at the CPO Club Miramar NAS. Reservations must be in by December 1st. Ivan and Helen Thompson volunteered to take care of the Decorations. Regarding the News of the Western Association of Shell Clubs, our President advised that she had been notified by the Pacific Shell Club that they would no longer be participating. General discussion followed concerning our position. Cliff Ames made a Motion to have a Newsletter published by our Club for our members and no longer be involved with the Western Association of Shell Clubs. This Motion was seconded and passed by all members present, Blanche Brewer was appointed Editor* John Souder, Dave Mulliner, Nola Michel, Carole Hertz and Norm Currin will make up the News Committee. Our annual elections were held with the proposed slate of Officers as recommended by the Board in October, 1969, being elected unanimously and as follows: President Carole Hertz Vice-President Nola Michel Recording Secretary Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary - Barbara Good Treasurer Peg Mulliner Voting was by secret ballot, Carolyn Polonsky won the door prize. -Barbara W. Myers, Secretary. . George A. Hanselman 5818 Tulane Street in Diego, Calif. 92122 PLEASE S TO THE MARCH OF Mr. & Mrs. Julius Hertz 3883 Mt . Blackburn Ave . San Diego, Calif . 92111 n^»-P. /, ■>-£>• ^ tja* THE SAM DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 + 4* + Next regular meeting - February 19 - 7:30 P. ffl. + + + + Dr. James Stewart from Scripps Inst, of Oceanography + + speaks on" Dangerous Marine Animals" _ + + + THE COLUlOBE LL IDAE At our January meeting Dr. George Radwin presented the, family Co lumbe 1 1 idae - their taxonomy, biology, ecology and evolution. His notes follow, using Taylor and Sohl's "Outline of * Gastropod Classification": Class : Gastropoda, Sub-class : Prosobranchia, Order : Neogastropoda, Sub-order : Stenoglossa, Super family : Buccinacea, Family: (To Tu.rn.be 1 1 idae „ Each of these' categories may be characterized as follows: Prosobranchia - Mollusks in which the effects of torsion are retained - i. e. euthyneureus (or figure 8 - twisted) nervous system, the anus and mantle cavity - with associated organs - in an anterior position. Neoqas tropoda - Higher (i„ e. more specialized) prosobranche s . All marine, most are carnivores, feeding predaceously or by scavenging. Stenoglossa - Includes all gastropods except for the Taxo- glossa ( Conidae , Terebridae and Turridae). All have narrow radular ribbon with (usually) 3 longitudinal rows of teeth. Buccinacea - Includes families, Buccinidae, Nassarcfdae Ease iolarfl dipt » » Welogenj^ag and Co lumbe 1 1 idae , All have nu(nbFf,-/b an.jtom.ica: a • d biological teafurss in common including; (1) A tendency toward the breeding of larval forms within the egg-capsule, (2) The development of a much enlarged bipectinate osphrabium (the organ thought to be responsible for che mo reception or "sense of smell")* (3) An extremely extensible anterior (i. e. incurrent) siphon. The last two adaptions probably developed in connection with a carnivorous feeding habit, (4) A relatively short radula with teeth modified for flesh-tearing. The form of the radular teeth throughout the Buccinacea may be shown to be variations on a single pattern. Combe 1 lidae - all relatively small animals with many anatomical features in common, including a foot with a very narrow pedunde (stalk), an extremely concentrated nervous system (capable of producing very rapid reactions and movements) and a specialized radular detention, Marcus and Marcus (1962) have suggested a tweezer - like function for each pair of lateral radular teeth. The median tooth appears to bo vestigial. - Combellid genera Worldwide - species of these genera occupy a great many niches, from the splash zone to the continental slope (deepest record - about 1000 FMS), Columbellids are, however, primarily shallow water (0 - 40 f ms ) , full-salinity, epifaunal forms. In the tropics, many species favor hard substrates (coral, coral-rock, coralline algae). In temperate regions, most favor algae as a substrate. At least four species in three different genera have been known to feed predaceously on bivalves, one on Caprellid Amphipods. Others presumably are also predators. The genera of the Combellidae exhibit very diverse shell forms. Shells of species in these genera resemble those of species in thes Glividae ( Nit ide 1 la , Cone 11a , Pyrene ) - Mitradae Ole t u 1 e 1 1 a , Zaf ra ) , Buccinidae ( Amphissa , Rhomb ine 11a , Astyris), Terebridae (Aesop us , Olazat lania ) , Turr idae ( Nassarina , Stair- Onep ion ) and Comidae "( Para me t ar ia , MinipyreneT. " This diversity in both shell form and niche differentiation has developed in a comparitively short (geologically speaking) length of time. Earliest recognizable combellids are found in Eocene deposits. Olost genera extend no further back than the [Yliocene and a few are known from no earlier than the Pie ist ocene , The choice of supraspecif ic taxonomic characters in my study are; general shell shape, shell sculpture, special features . (lirations, denti cuiat i on , calluses, etc.) and the form of the lateral raduiar teeth. In Neogastropods the form of the lateral raduiar teeth is known to be quite a conser vat ive or consistent character. The raduiar teeth of the Combe llidae are generally thought to be of little or no taxonomic vefilue due to their supposed similarity from species to species. My investigations have shown that although this is sometimes true, species may occasionally be identified by their raduiar teeth, More important than this is the value of this character in assigning species to appropriate genera. In addition, species and genera may be definitely placed in or out of the family with the use of the raduiar dentition. This takes on added significance when one realizes hew little value the shell has in this connection. In conclusion I will illustrate soma of the uses of the radula with concrete examples. (Here Dr. Radwin showed slides of paired shells), ( Aseopus hie t c a 1 f e .i and A. stearnsi), ( Amphissa Laliaeet i and A. Columbiana), (Cosmioconcha- mitens and C. modesta.fi Cst ieronep ion Monilif era and 5. Minor), ( Nit idella vs. Rhomb ine 11a ) , (~Zaf rona vs. Anachis ~ (Dr. Radwin showed the following slides of type species of Combellid genera from around the world. ) Alla car inata Columbella mercatoria £ u p 1 1 c a t u r t urina Graphicomassa lipr'ijja Lavesopus spicula Nit idella nitida Rhombinella lae vigata Zafrona iso me 11a Aesopus sanctus Amphissa Columbiana Anachis sea lar ina Costoanachis qaskoini Parvanachis obesa 6i f urcium bican? 1 if era Cilara chrysal In ideus Columbellicps i s minor Cong 11a ovulaTa Cosmioconcha mo desta [nazal lan i a~f u 1 q u r a fa Mic'rocithara harplformis Mitre lie scripts Parametaria dupontae Pyrene punctata St romb ina lanc.eolata Strombina Sin cola Gib beru la Seminella peasei (Dr. Radwin also showed a mar ve lous • chart of the "family tree" of the Combellidae which he had compiled and photographed. It seems almost incredible that so much information could be reworded on a single slide.) ** •*** *-*• COLLECTING IN CAYUCGS While on our vacation during the Christmas holidays, our family spent three lovely ''ays in the lYlorro Bay area. At the suggestion of Ruth and r-* t . mo visited The Shell Shop there and met its owners, Laurence and Louise Thomas and their son, David, These fine people wer9 most gracious to us and seemed not to mind answering our many questions about motels, restaurants and - most important of all - shelling spots. Their shop is beautiful and has a fine collection of specimen shells for sale, labeled and priced. We stared the per iostracum off some of the "raries" with our longing looks. The. Thomases suggested that we would enjoy collecting in Cayucos, And indeed we didi Cayucos, seven miles north of Morro Bay has a sandy beach, the north end of which consists of an extensive rocky area projecting into the ocean. It is not unlike our La Jolla area just south of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club - good rocks for turning, busy tidepools and enough surf to insure the collector a thorough dousing at least once during a tide0 We collected here for two days and found many shells common to San Diego as well as a number of species new to our collection. Following is a list of what we new to out collection, Haliotis cracherodi H, rufescens (dead) Diodora aspera Fissurella volcano Acmaea mitra A , p e 1 1 a A, digitalis A, scabra *A, ochracea A. asmi A, limatula A, insessa Cal lio stoma gemmu lat urn C, ligatum Tegula funebralis T, brunnea ♦Tricolia compta Lacuna unifasciata (dead) Conus californicus (dead) Olivella biplicata ♦Pseudo me latoma torosa Mopalia muscosa Tonicella lineata Lepidochitona keepiana ♦Stenoplax heathiana *Lepidozona cooperi Clans subquadrata observed. Those starred were ♦Lacuna porrecta ♦Assiminea californiea Bittium eschrichtii Hippohix antiquatus tpitonium tinctum Crepidula adunca C, perforans Erato vitellina (dead) Ceratostoma nuttalli 4 ♦Gcenebra interfossa *0. cir cumtext a ♦0, lurida *0, subangulata ♦Acanthina punctulata A, spirata Thais emarginata Amphissa versicolor Mitre 11a carinata Pi), tuberosa Nassarius mendicus cooperi (dead) ♦Cysticus jewettii Nuttallina fluxa ♦Cyanoplax dentiens Mytilus californiensis Hinnites multirugosus (dead) Anomia peruviana (dead) Protothaca staminea (dead) . On our third day in Morro Bay we collected in Morro Bay State Park and enjoyed the squooze of a real mud flat. Between sinking to our knees and losing our shoes we found the following; Nassarius fossatus (dead) N, mendicus cooperi *Acanthina punctulata A, spirata Conus californicus - very large and worn Polinices lewisii Qiivella biplicata (dead) Mopalia mu s cos a Mytilus edulis Wytilus calif crnianus ♦Modiolus rectus Leptopecten lat iauratus Protothaca staminea Protothaca tenarrima (deed) Clinocardium nutta.lli (Vlacoma nasuta M, secta Lyonsia californica (dead) --Carole IYi, Hertz ** **•* ** WHY I BECAME A SHELL COLLECTOR After fishing for many years (in Northern California for salmon, in the central area for striped bass and for other fish in Mexico) one day, while trolling around a little island in Guaymas harbor, I told Ivan, my husband to stop - I wanted off on this island. I rolled up the line, put the rod down - and from that day to this, I have never even wet a line to fish. I got off and in the moss on the rocks, as the tide wds 'going out, I found the cutest tiny shells - cone-shaped - which I now know as Conus nux. When my husband made one more 'tour around the island fishing, he too rolled up his line, parked the boat and came with me, shelling. So in time I have made a shell collector out of him and we have gone to no limits for shells - bought them, found them and traded them. Now we surely have a nice collection. When we get all the cabinets made to hold them we hope some of you readers of this paper will come and see them. It is a hobby we will always enjoy and never give up, TRIP TO FIJI ISLANDS After being coaxed for four years, W9 finally made a trip to the Fiji Islands to try our luck at getting golden cowries. What a wondrous trip it was! We happened to get on a Pan Am plane going back to Samoa with the Samoans who had been here at the World's Fair (Oct. 23, '66). We surely had an interesting trip. When we arrived at International Air Port at L« A. we got to see a good-bye part v for the people who had entertained the Samoans in L. A. ' we got on board - finally Honolulu - ' and after an hour's wait, on to Samoa. It was 5:00 A. 01, when we arrived there. It was raining and as the plane landed, all the lights were on and bands playing, I told Ivan I did not think we would get this big a reception., Of course it was for the Samoans coming home from U. S. A, The police were everywhere. After finally getting a taxi, we went to downtown Pago Pago - only to find that not a cafe or bed could be had. The only hotel was 8 rooms and was taken by the workers on the new hotel that was under construction - and the cafe only accomodated the workers - and if we wanted anything to eat we had to go back to the airport. Which we did. Got rooms with as family and, after two days and nights in Pago Pago, we were on the last plane to Nadi (a prop-driven plane), We went to a party both nights we were in Pago Pago. UJe did not get to shell there - it was pouring down rain all the time we were there. Then on to Nadi. After spending the night at the Macomb a there, we went on to Deuba, where we stayed with friends. We had a small boat at our disposal - could only go to the reefs when it was calm - but we got lots of shells. O'lailed seven boxes home. The golden cowries we had to buy. They are higher there than here in the states, Cypraea were plentiful, cones also - some Strombus - but most of the shells the natives eat the meat, so were scarce. The native Fijians were a fine race of people - tall and straight, with smiles and real good dispositions. Very friendly, ■4 > I could publish a book on this trip but as I am out of time - and not even a good typist - I must close. We stayed two months and surely were glad to get home. No paved roads, no TV but it was a very beautiful island anyway, --Helen Thompson * * * * * * * BOOK NEWS A recent addition to the shell club library is Dr. James H. McLean's newly published book, "Marine Shells of Southern California". This book was published by the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History as Science Series 24, Zoology No. 11. It is soft covered and sells for $2.10 per copy. The book covers 318 species found from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and includes species that occur at low tide and in subtidal areas under kelp beds. The species are figured in 54 groupings, and th - black and whits photographs are the best to be found * tern California shells. The glossary of terms is split into three sections, each section covering the terms applicable to one of the three main classes covered by the book, i0 e, gastropoda, polyplacophora , and pelecypoda„ The definitions are extremely lucid. In addition to the excellent photographs, the collector will also appreciate the fine descriptions. The format of the book includes general information on structure, distribution, and natural history applying to an entire group, and this is presented under the family heading. Generally, information for each species includes a description, dimensions, general habitat, relative abundance, and geographic distribution. The amateur collector will certainly appreciate the inclusion of ecological data which is often lacking in other shell books. The collector may be upset by a number of new names for some of the common species, but this is the price cns pays for new knowledge and new understanding. In general, there appears to be a tendency to lump, rather than split, species. The technical adequacy of the names will be left to the professionals and to time to determine. It is hoped that other authors will benefit from the fine presentation of this book and that the combination of excellent photographs and fine descriptions will become a standard format for all shell books, --Jules Hertz ' ** *** *•* Faye Ulolfson, a charter member of our club, ha3 gone to' Auckland, New Zealand, as a biology teacher on the staff of King's College, Her address - simply, King's College', " Auckland 6, New Zealand. Joyce Cemmell, our sout h-o f-t ha-border member, has had major surgery but is returning home Sunday, Feb, 1, We wish her a speedy recovery. All membership dues are payable by our March 1 9t_h meeting. No mailings will be made after that date if the dues are not in. Corresponding membership is $2.50, single membership, $3.00 and family memberships $4.00. If you know someone who might become a member - if they received a copy of the Festivus - would you please notify Virginia Hans8lman? ** *-** ** iy/Dat e San PST Dieao Tide Gusymss MST Tide San PST Dieqo T ide Guaymas MST Tide jbruary > March i : jn 1 5 1424 -1.0’ Sun 1 1218 -0C 3 )n 16 1336 -0.5 ’ 1448 -1.1* Mon 2 1318 -1.2 J9 17 1406 -0.7 * 1506 -1.1* Tue 3 1248 -1.0* 1400 -1,5 3d 18 1430 -0.8* 1524 -1.1* Wed 4 1 330 -1 .41 1436 -1.5 iu 19 1500 -0 . 8 T 1542 -1.0* Thu 5 1406 -1.6* 1512 -1.4 ■i 20 1518 -0,7 * 1554 -0.9’ Fri 6 1 442 -1.5’ 1542 -1,1 it 21 1542 -0.5 ’ 1612 -0,7’ Sat 7 1512 -1.2' 1606 -0,6 Sun 8 1542 -0.7' ** **■#• ** m I MUTES or JANUARY 6, 1970 BOARD MEETING Annual dues are now being accepted. 32.50 for corresponding members, S3. 00 for a single member, 34.00 for a family member- ship, Dues must be paid by the first of March for members to be included in the printed roster. The following are Presidential appointments: Editor - Blanche Brewer, Telephone Committee - Ruth B« Purdy, Chairman, Hospitality Committee - Blanche Brewer, Chairman, Dr. George Radwin, Library - Jules Hertz, Chairman, Newspaper - Nola Michel, Chairman., Old Business Board recommended that instead of our usual 350.00 donation to the Veliger that we send 325.00, This donation was cut in half because of our independent news venture - which will be printed every month instead of four times a year and therefore will be an additional expense to our Club. Estimated cost - approximately twelve times a year at about 320.00 each (3240,00) plus mailing expense - about $40., Oft, Our 200th Exhibit in ths Museum must be taken down this month - Determine a date and time etc. Constitutional Change copies will be distributed at the February meeting. New Business Programs for 1970 January - Dr. George Radwin, Columbe llidae " February - Mr. James Stewart, Scripps Inst, of Oceanography, "Dangerous Marine Animals'* May - Shell Club Auction September - Party - Oriental or Mexican Fiesta December - Christmas Party **•* ** REGULAR MEETING January 15th, 1970 Dr. George E. Radwin, Curator of Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Natural Histcrv Mussum, was our guest speaker and his ;_n io O . . topic was Columbeilidae . Treasurer's report as of December 31, 1969 indicated #189.00 in our Treasury. Old Business s The Executive Board recommended a contribution of #25.00 to the Vel.iger. The motion made by *ftola Michel and seconded by Dr. George Radwin was carried unanimously. It was decided to take down the 200th Exhibit in the Museum, Everyone with material in the exhibit was asked to be at the Museum at 9i00 a. m, on Saturday, Jan0 24the Part of the Exhibit will be moved downstairs. The display cases on loan from Scripps Institute of Oceanography are to be stored in the Museum for Scripps according to an arrangement made by Dr, Radwin with Don Wilkie, Res the proposed shell project discussed at the October mee meeting, we were informed that the Museum was planning future extensive changes in that area. Therefore this project is discontinued. Twila Bratcher gave a short report on Terebra Africans - variegata. Missing - Vol. 11 (July, 1968) and Vol. 8 (July, 1965) of the Weliger, in our library. New Business s -f -\ Betty Baker advised that the Shell Club of Australia sent a box of shells for our Auction. Secretary to send a letter of appreciation. It was suggested that we reciprocate. Bring your shells to Betty Baker or one of the officers. Bill Woods will be in charge of Publicity, John Souder is off the sick list and was present at the meeting. Welcome back, John, Rose Burch, a welcome guest from the Club, won the ahell drawing , Helen Thompson and Jane Stotter volunteered to bring cookies for the February meeting. --Barbara W, Myers, Secretary SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 ® INCORPORATED 1968 PRESIDENT: CAROLE HERTZ VICE PRESIDENT: NOLA MICHEL RECORDING SECRETARY: BARBARA MYERS CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: BARBARA GOOD TREASURER: MARGARET MULL INER EDITOR: BLANCHE BREWER )L. I FEBRUARY 1970 NO. 3 + Program for March 19 = Twila Bratcher and Billee Dilworth on + Micronesia. + + Deadline for dues - March 19. Your name should be in by then, + to be included in roster and on the Festivus mailing list. + + b *♦* *f ‘ DANGEROUS MARINE ANIMALS imes Stewart of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography was the speaker : the February 1 9 th_ meeting of the San Diego Shell Club - his sub- let, Dangerous Marina Animals. icques Costeau's invention and development of the aqua lung has been marvelous, even fantastic, extension of underwater exploration. Its 58 is now very common and SCUBA diving has become the. ultimate accom- .ishment of a steadily increasing number of swimmers - especially lose swimmers who collect shells. ith this increased mobility and depth range, new, potentially danger- js encounters are multiplied. Using a film, Mr. Stewart introduced Dme of these animals, to be avoided and respected for their armament, thousand feet of shelf, with an average depth of thirty-five feet, (tends from the shoreline of La Jolla Cove. The shelf ends at a sea [iff where the water becomes 250 (or more) feet deep. On this shelf jndreds of Indian stone bowls, from cup-size to large salad-bowl d i - jnsions, were discovered. On the terraces of the cliff at a 60-foot avel, oak tree root remains were found, aged 6000 yrs. At 130 feet ney were 8000 and at 170 ft., 13,500 years old, t this area stingrays, "as thickly placed as paving stones", have sen observed. They are a prime threat in the local area. By using * , Page 2 "plumber's friend" to hold a small stingray flat on the sand, it was jssible to show how they used their tails to direct the thrust of the )isoned dagger that is their defense. Most people think the barb is _aced on the end of the tail but it is about one-fourth the length of ie tail below its end. When the barb emerges in the thrust, the loose try to get one pr our collection. i the next few years we wrote scores of letters to collectors and salers throughout Australia trying to get one. We even made the ou~ rreme sacrifice of offering the only Cyoraea aurant Turn we had at the ime as part payment. In almost seven years our nearest approach to he goal was the offer of a dead collected specimen as an feven trade or the Cyoraea aurantium, which we refused. Since, in the interim, wo of our collector friends had added nice specimens to their colJ.ec- ions, hinq. I was beginning to feel a twinge of inferiority about the whole his is the way matters stood when we went to Asilomar to attend the ocond annual meeting of che Western Society of (Ylalacologists last June, e started the trip two days early so we could do a little shelling and isit a dealer or two along the way. Among other stops we made was one t the remarkable establishment of Lawrence Thomas in f«1orro Say, fter nearly sevsn years of trying to get a Cot tonia nopid.l icata , of ny size, we were completely surprised when we saw the largest speci- len we had ever seen in the large glass case on the back wall of Mr, homas’ shop. It was such a large, outstanding specimen that we could iardly believe it would be for sale, thinking it must surely be on dis- lay from Mr, Thomas’ personal collection. However it was for sale and ur long search was at an end. The shell measures fifteen and seven- ixteenths inches, was live collected and has a fully developed lip. t is larger than the one mentioned in Van Ncstrand's Standard Catalo- gs of Shells, second 'tion, by Roberr J, L. Wagner and R, Tucker ,-Jui c.h'.uh t#: •» ir.'ji - i k on " •? at the h 1 ■; of nuh?. ioat .v%r" - - , Page 5 ■lost of the rare shells in our collection, as in other collections, uere gotten without special effort to do so but merely by taking advan- ;age of an opportunity when it arose. I am convinced that this is the :est way to add rare shells to a collection. It not only saves time bnd effort but is much easier on the nerves, la ! Does anyone know where we can get a really good Strombus goliath? --Clifton L . Martin *■* *** ** A FLORIDA SHELLING TRIP IN 1967 It always seemed like we had to be in the sea sometime close to the z-reak of dawn, to get the real low tides and find many seashells. So ue arose at 5:00 in the morning, fixed breakfast and also a lunch, for jue always stayed until the high water forced us to go home. We drove and pulled the boat on the boat trailer, for 33 miles, then launched it at Sugar Loaf Shores and then went out about ten miles into the Gulf of Mexico. It was very shallow and one has to follow markers to get out there. Once Ivan was going as fast as that 35 horse motor would take us and got in the shallow water and stopped on top of a sand bar. ;So he told me to get out and help push the boat off the reef e Well, I did and we both pushed and pushed and finally got it off but I could see us there all through the low tide. We got going again, at a much slower pace, and got out to the outer side of the reef. The flats were sticking up all around us, so we anchored the boat and got out with shorts and wading shoes on. We never went barefoot - too many sharp things - coral, among the many dangers. We only went a short ways and came to a nice Strombus costatus, a real pink colored one.’ 1 let out a yell and the race was on, as we took another couple along and tried to to see who of us could find the prettiest one. We foun'd ted ones, lavender ones, white ones (albinos) and also I found a yellow one. Never any two are alike. Then the tide turned and we searched the reef for murex and other shells. In the sand there were many shells Busy con ccntrarium (conrad), Busycon pyrum (Dillwyn), and Busy con perversum g 1 iceans , ( Mont gome ry"]^ these are in the sand mostly, eating the cockle shells of all kinds. They were all sizes and the apertures were some of them bright yellow and oranges. We, by that time, had brought the boat to the way to return home and anchored it to have lunch but you can bet the tide had turned, and was coming in at a rapid pace, before we stopped to eat. As we were sitting in the boat lunch- ing, I spied two somethings that looked something like a Couple of sponges, so I got right out to investigate and, coming closer to them, - it was two Pleuropjoca qiqantea, which seemed to be talking to one another. They were on their feet and moving back and forth in a stranqs motion, but at least four inches apart. So maybe they were getting ready to try to eat each other. I have seen smaller ones being devoured by larger ones. But these two were about the same size. So I got them both, one in each hand (they were about fourteen inches long) and started back to the boat, which was about a quarter of a mile away and it was some ordeal getting them back. I have them to this day minus the animal. But with L he operculums on cotton. Page 6 it day we found Fasciolaria hunteria, (Perry) Fasciolaria t 1 j 1 i p a , linne) and we must have seen the hunteria by the hundreds. They, too, !/our each other and most anything they can catch in the sea, There be many Conus spurius atlanticus (Clench) also in the sand on sandy 3 ce s « On the reef we found liasum muricatum (Corn) - very large ones some as large as five or six inches, Most of the large ones are rmy at the apex. Then the hungry Murex pomum (Gmelin) started to j s around looking for food. We got maybe as many as four of them, tween both of us. They are covered with moss and very hard to see lass one has moved, then the shape comes in your view. Then we re- rned to the boat and left to go the same route back. There is no her way but Hiway 1 down the Florida Keys. It goes from Key West to ins. We were tired and sunburned but well rewarded and I have the ells to prove the trip, --Helen Thompson ** *•** ** BOOK NEWS e Shell Club recently acquired the newly published, soft covered ok, "A Collector's Guide to West Coast Chitons," by Glenn and Laura rghardt. This book was published by the San Francisco Aquarium ciety, InCs in November 1969 and is available at $4»60-per copy. iis book compiles and describes the chiton species found on the West >ast of the United States and Canada. It was not intended to be a implete compilation, but in describing approximately 100 species it is ire complete than anything published since the turn of the, century, le cover, which contains a much enlarged color. photograph of Mopalia iwei, is spectacular. The written descriptions of the species are (tensive and will be of valuable aid to the scientific collector, iese descriptions are accompanied by 80 color photographs, which to jt it kindly are of very limited use. Aside from showing the general )lor of the species, these photographs are generally ■ blurred and show ?ry little detail. It appears that the specimens were wet when lotographed . nere are several other things about the book which may disturb the yerage amateur collector. Although range and type locality are given or each species, the habitat and ecology of the animals is not discuss j. These are of extreme interest to collectors, and perhaps in this agar d the photo descriptions and credits in the back of the book will 2 of most value. The authors do not describe the insides of the bitons, since this requires disarticulation of many fine specimens aich they, as lovers of beauty, are against. From the scientific tandpoint, this lack of internal description (color, size, shape etc.) streets from the overall value of the book. The cross-reference etween descriptions and photographs is unwieldy and could be greatly mproved by having the species' names on the photos. espite the drawbacks enumerated above, this book will be very valuable o the chiton collectn It is hoped that future editions will correct ome of the def is v®nc ius . ' Page 7 is San Diego Shell Club Auction will be held on Friday evening, 15tn at the home of Cliff and Waneta Ames, 6447 Celia Vista Drive, Lease bring shells for this auction to the regular meetings or to the ime of any of the Board members, Carole Hertz, Nola Michel, Peggy jlliner, Barbara flyers, Barbara Good, or John Souder. Lndiy donate only specimen shells with locality data*, They need not 3 rare shells bur should be in fine condition. ** •** Puerto Day San Diego Penasco Guaymas Date PST Tide fOS T Tide FIST Tide FEBRUARY : S 21 1920 -2.6* S 22 0740 -3.0’ 1950 -2,5' ■ IY1 23 0800 -3.7’ 2020 -2.1’ T 24 0820 -4.0* UJ 25 0840 -3.8 T 26 0910 -3.0 0542 -0.5' F 27 0636 -0.5’ S 28 0748 -0.5' S 29 0948 -0.5' FI 30 1136 -0.7* T 31 1124 -0.5' 1236 -0.8' MARCH i I'J 1 1212 -0.8*’ 1324 -0.8' T 2 1254 -1.0' 1800 -2.8' 1400 -0.6' F 3 1330 -0.9' 0630 -2.6' 1830 -4.0' S 4 1406 -0.6’ 0710 -4.0* 1910 -4.2’ s 5 0740 -4.8’ 2000 -3.8' Pi 6 0800 -5.6' 2030 -2.8’ 0412 -0.5’ T 7 0820 -5.0' 0448 -0 . 7 ! W 8 0845 -4.0' 0518 -0.7' T 9 0920 -2.4’ 0600 -0.6’ PI 20 0710 -3.2' T 21 0300 -0.5' 0735 -3.9’ 0342 -0.5’ U) 22 0336 -0.7’ 0800 -4.1 ’ 0418 -0.7' T 23 0418 -0.8* 0825 -3.9* 0454 -0.9' F 24 0506 -0.8' 0850 -3.4' 0542 -0.9’ S 25 0600 -0.6' 0636 -0.8' S 26 0748 -0.7* S 27 0912 -0.5’ RUCULAR MEETING February 19 th., 1970 Page 8 usurer's report - 9195,00. jary minutes as printed in The Festivus, approved. jline for 1970 dues - March 19th rarian’s report - new material received: 1. Catalog of minerals, fossils and shells to be auctioned MarghiStfo, 1970^at Southbys, London, England,' iledS cne.r ■ n c sn’i , eviiCj c. t i • . <■ . n.o - . ' . ■ . ; emoH eHi Is riiSf yeffl 2. Two issues of a new Italian magazine on shells, Sub- script ion for one year $6; 00 - printed in Italian! 'f’M :~d ee.solfl v gped , ‘ c-rio M c ‘ on s j? vH - 1 37.r. ’ , odm:.- ;t;ofj odd To yne To emori 3. Issues for. three years of the Tabulata, Several issues . isni 1 luM of the Nautilus. Issues of Western Association of Shells J "'’f rom 196T to date. All 'donated to the Club by Ka^'Webb, ',rK"‘rV gram for March - Twila Bratcher-and Billee Oil worth - Micronesia. President made an appeal for articles for the Festivus. n Souder advised that the following issues of National-. Geographic Id be of interest to all members- il, 1936; June, '42; July, 48; July,. 49; May, 67; March, 69. James Seay won thre shell drawing. kies for March - Barbara Myers and John Scuder. < - • ■ ■ ■ . --Barbara i/J. Myers, Secretary + + + + - 4? . . i i J • ■ * Attention: Corresponding members - last call for dues (92.50), + + Make checks payable + San Diego Shell Club, Inc. + + Mail to: + Margaret F. Mulliner, Treas 5283 Vickie Dr. San Diego, Calif. 92109 + + + - THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 San Diego Museum of Natural History, Third Thursday President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer ol, I April 1970 No. 4 + + + + + + + + + + + + H — H + + + + + + + + ++ ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Program for April 16th, 7:30 p. m, , Museum Auditorium + Anthony D'Atillio speaking on Periostracums of Gastropods + BRING SHELLS FOR AUCTION! DEADLINE THIS MEETING + Festivus - Mrs, Virginia Hanselman, 5818 Tulane Street _ + San Diego, California 92122 + •++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HOLIDAY IN MICRONESIA '□ be among the first travelers to use a new air service to the E. Car- ilines was the happy experience of the sisters, Billee Dilworth and 'wila Bratcher in winter holiday time. At our March meeting they showed js slides of scenes in the islands and of specimens taken on this trip, iccompanying the showing with a lively discussion. 3n a short stopover in Hawaii they went on a dredging trip with Ellis 3ross, working water 500 feet deep. Strombus hawaiiensis, Cypraea jranulata and Murex pele were some of the specimens secured, fheir destination was Ponope, E. Carolines but their first stop was at Truk where they spent two days. They found no hotel in Truk but made- do in a more or less primitive way in a quonset house used by the young resident doctor. It is possible to rent a car and tour this island. Pollution of the bay waters by Bangos (outdoor toilets) over the water makes shore area collecting impossible. The natives are food gatherers rather than growers. Pepper trees and cocoa, introduced to the island, grow very well and the annual rainfall of 214 inches makes them and the native flora lushly productive. Atoll island was next and as they came into the harbor the entire por- poise population (perhaps a hundred) came out to meet them, escorting them to shore. The chiefs made them welcome. with palm-leaf baskets filled with drinking coconuts. Here they took many underwater pictures - some, of each other working. They wore jeans and shirts to protect themselves from the coral. The coral is menaced by the Crown of Thorns starfish. All Western Pacific Ji'' - * 4 ‘ • - *: ' - • ' ' t v + + -•• <- ...... id* nm«? . r . I . : i ' : ' . r.. .aid ' V ■ . i; \ c L P° or. 9 elands are affected, some more than others. (Hiram Fong, Senator from iwaii has just asked for money to fight this menace in Hawaiian waters iere a dangerous increase has recently occurred. They are featured in ie March, 1970 issue of the National Geographic magazine.) These star- Lsh can cause very painful wounds. The natives say if you step on one jrn it over and step on the underside. iderwater, wero great piles of Tridacna shells, a source of delicious 3at, Among specimen shells taken were Conus msrmoreus, Cypraea lynx, , tiqris, C, caput serpent is and C. hirundo nealecta. ick to Ponope where friends, Anne and Dick Willis, in their yacht, Rambler", met the plane. The great rock which looms over the harbor 3 known by several names: Sokel Rock, Takaiau (tent) Rock and )nachau , are also, they took many pictures - of the people, the native plants, id most interestingly, evidences of an ancient occupation by a people lknown . Lgs, yams and coconuts are staple foods of the land area. The yams row to 50 pounds and are planted near a tree. First, however, they ill the tree, then bury the yam under rocks to keep them from being iten by the children and the pigs. The yam vine climbs the 20 or 25 3 o t tree, its blossoms like pink morning-glories. Billee observed that ie children seemed to shift for themselves. They just learn early how 3 gather food, one supposes. 3 annual feature of life on Ponope is the division of the yams and the Lgs, All areas don't have both. The meat and yams are placed in por- i.ons on banana leaves on the ground and a council determines the order ? choice. ie living is easy, food is abundant and the coconut palm furnishes many lings for their use. They use mangrove wood, working it into many 3eful articles. Among shells taken here was an 18-inch winged oyster. Lthin the encircling reef of Ponope are the remains of the ancient ocupation mentioned before. Basalt "logs" are placed, one on top of lother, in thick walls and on the coral foundation seemingly to add :rength and make a base for growth. The logs are large, single basalt rystals, like the Devil's Post Pile of California and too heavy to ave been transported by canoe (as known today) from their source, 30 Lies away. The Smithsonian Institute has made an investigation of the :ea which is known as Nan Madol. le slides were great - graphic and beautiful - one, of a silken, rosy 2a, ineffably so (to this viewor). ave Mull iner ' s slides of some microscopic beauties were fantastic! Town were: Parya turbo acut icostatus . Vitrinella oldroydi and :teoc ina harpa. jnna (Souder ) Christ ian 5 s slides were tremendously artistic composi- ions. She has made a wonderful start in the fascinating art of photo- [•aphy. Mrs, Christian is a student of photography. NEWS FROM FAYE WOLFS ON ive hours out of Los Angeles, 30,000' above earth. Suspended in un- aality watching "Finian's Rainbow" in a skin of metal that seems to be uuncing along a bumpy road. Stretching, my head turns to the window Page 3 and an expanse of sky. Stars, I follow their chain - the Big Dipper, But the bowl is squashed. Into a diamond,,, no dipper, this, !!! l\io dippers fGr this while to cornel But there are dawns. A most satisfying one for my first above the clouds. And, with the earliest light, Fiji, I checked into the Mocambo, near the airport. (Had asked my travel agent for an inexpen- sive place. This was the highest, I later learned. Also, they have cheaper rooms than I got. But it was nice,) Morning climate was delightful, warming and dampening as the day wore on, but not uncom- fortable. I went to Nadi, a small Tijuana-like town. With a difference in cost uming, ,, most of the women wear saris, and beautiful they are. The Fijian women also have a colorful costume of a long solid-color skirt topped with a tunic which is often a bright print. And the smiles! Everyone smiles at you, beaming and grinning. Somehow with this they maintain a warm and dignified aloofness, I did a bit of shopping, then rode the open bus back to the road that leads to the hotel, walked the £ mile, took a swim and a nap and, in the evening, attended a meke - a feast put on by a small village and followed by songs and dances. This was interesting, but not noteworthy. The dig- nity kept it from being shoddily commercial and the food was lavish and excellent, but,., I've got a sort of informal roving commission to check up on salt-marsh plants for a group at Scripps, so I had called the Herbarium in Suva and been put in touch with a man at the Agriculture Dept. He suggested that I go, if I wished to, into the field with one of their groups on Wed. So Tuesday at 9, against the advice of the hotel's tourist agent who urged me to take the air-conditioned bus, I boarded the regular bus for the long ride to Suva, That's the one that's aired - and you have to become conditioned, as there’s no alternative. These buses are open, the roads, well graded and topped with crushed rock, are nevertheless dusty and the speed is slow. Most of the passengers made the whole journey, but the constant stops and comings and goings provided much interest. The countryside is beautiful and, as we neared the half-way mark, I began to understand how they could have insisted that the in- credibly green western end of the island was the dry side] The grassy, bush-studded fields and slopes began to give way to heavily forested • dense jungle. Vine-covered trees and vine-covered vines! Bananas and coconut palms, tree ferns and, increasingly often, vast mangrove forests, I learned that the small bird that I saw literally every- where was a mynah, brought from India. That the small animal often scurrying across the road was a mongoose, originally brought to cut down on the rat populat ion . and now so successful that it is sometimes considered a pest. That the agaves that startled me in one small stretch were imported. (And I learned that I was coming down with a really horrendous cold.) As we approached Suva, it got grayer and grayer and soon it was raining. Not that I cared. I just went to my hotel and was in bed at 4s30, staying there till it was time to get ready for my field trip, still feeling lousy but determined. So, Wed. AM found me setting off with 4 Fijians to a spot 14 miles out of Suva where the road ended at the foot of a rustic bridge leading to a Fijian village - the real thing this time. We exchanged greetings and then headed out across a 30,000 acres salt marsh. In the heat of the sun, sloshing through puddles and ponds, following cow trails that were undiscernible under the dense vegetation, plowing through shoulder- high grasses, bouncing on a trampoline of matted plants. I was soon drenched and awash in my own sweat, feeling weak and longing for the shade of the mangroves. After about 3/4 mi. of this, the men suggested that I rest and wait for them. Which I gratefully did, lying down on the damp, leaf-covered ground in the sweet shadow of the trees. Soon one brought me a coconut, prepared it with his machete. I drank and revived. This part of the journey was thru the forest and, after a second coconut, I felt well. They were making a survey of the flora as FAO is going to drain the swamp to make way for rice fields and all this while, they had been collecting for me as well. When they fin- ished, we walked on, again thru open swamp, until we came to a small farm where, I was told, I was the "2nd white visitor". We ry ceremon- ious introductions were made and, within minutes, I was asked if I would like to take pictures of the family; then if I would like to have my picture taken with them. There was an old man, his wife and quite a number of boys, all or most of them grandchildren , The older boys spoke English, but most of the laughing conversation was in Fijian. Another coconut was brought out, then a watermelon. Husks and rinds were thrown (after the cat and chickens had a chance at them) into the mangrove channel at our feet, A rambunctious 7 year old dove into it every few minutes to show off, swimming or poling a small wooden boat. We grinned and talked and listened, more pictures were taken, I was invited to ride down the charrel into the river. Delicious in the dense shade. On our return, lunch was ready. A legless table was placed on the ground, the men were given a kind of stew, but for me there were prawn sandwiches, the crusts neatly trimmed, the tiny pink shrimp l (caught in the channel) surrounded by tomato and onion slices. Topped off with a tin cup of tea. Reluctantly, we took our leave. It had begun to rain, sporadically, but as we entered the car, I got a taste of a true tropical deluge and was glad to have missed its force. After arranging for the disposition of "my" specimens - I hadn't laid a finger on them, mind you, I re- turned to the hotel to indulge my illness for another miserable night. But what a day! Unforgettable. Having decided that my cold was air-conditioner-induced, I returned to the west end of the island by taxi, heading for Lautoka, a small town 20 miles from Nadi. The ride was slow, pleasant and uneventful. I had hoped to do some intertidal collecting, but the tide and time conspired against it. This time I was booked into an inexpensive hotel - no air- conditioning, no phone in room, no reading light. But the open windows overlooking a small lawn at the edge of a mud-flat on the edge of the sea informed me for the first time that I was, indeed, in the South Seas and (except for the swamp trip) part of the environment at last, I loved it. The room plus breakfast cost $4 and as a bonus at breakfast, I met a delightful New Zealand couple whose plans for the day were the same as mine: to take a one day cruise to a small island. And that is another story. In a lovely yacht, possibly 100', we sailed over a calm sea - opales- i cent as I'd thought only the Gulf could be, past postcard-picture is- lands (some stamp-size) for hours, reaching a larger version of a typical Hollywood-dreamed tropical shore. Only for real. Disembarked Page 5 at a lovely hotel where I immediately changed and hit the water. Lovely, An astonishing number of cucumbers, very elegant anemones and, on and under every stone and coral clump, money cowries! I looked and looked, (I also itched and itched, even under water, from the heat of the sun,) And afraid that I'd miss lunch, I tore myself away. And as soon as possible, plunged in again. It was so hot! I kept urging my- self to get out, be leisurely, take a shower, have a drink. And reached shore to find the party boarding for the return trip! I rushed for my clothes, persuaded the bartender to let me take a glass aboard and ran (what a picture I must have made) for the skiff, mask, snorkel, fins, camera flapping on one side, but the luscious fruit drink with its orange slices and maraschino cherries firmly and gratefully clutched in the opposite hand. And Sunday, Feb, 1, I left Fiji and arrived in Auckland, Thirty hours ago, and already there's too much to write for this installment! — Faye Wolfson AN INTERESTING ANNOUNCEMENT Back in the early 1900's our club member Edwin C, Roworth, while yet a young lad growing up in the area around Rochester, New York, began a small collection which, with the passing of time, he has patiently and without fanfare built up to such an extent that it could now be reckoned as being one of the most extensive and unusual of any of the private museums of the country, While most people are specialists, in that they normally confine their efforts toward acquiring only shells or minerals or some such group, Ed's interests were more universal and included shells (marine, land and freshwater), corals, fossils, rocks and minerals, sands and soils, land and sea life, Indian and other artifacts, curios, and intriguing objects of every kind from all parts of the world. At latest count the total number of specimens was well above 100,000 and there were so many of them that Ed was getting crowded out of his three bedroom home and garage at Cardif f-By-The-Sea, For example he had at least 320 species and races of Cypraea, 200 of Conus, 200 of Mitra, 280 Muricidae and 1200 species of land shells - to name only a few genera. An important fact also is that all specimens were listed and recorded cn specially designed forms filed in loose-leaf binders for ready ref- erence, Which task obviously entailed the doing of a considerable amount of detail and typing work by Ed over the years. In this connection the question arises sooner or later as to just what the ultimate disposition of one's collection is to be, Ed tells us that fie has recently solved this problem coincident with the arrival of his 81st birthday. Unknown to any of us he has been working days and even- ings throughout January and February to check and pack all those accum- ulated treasures. With the result that more than 100 cartons of many sizes with a total weight of 4400 pounds were picked up by a large Mayflower van on March 5th for subsequent delivery to the fortunate new possessors, the Arizona State University at Tempe, Arizona, Ed is very happy knowing that his lifetime collection is now safely in the hands of one of the most progressive and prestigious of all the top education- al institutions worldwide where it will be available for display, study page 6 and research purposes, Ed expects to continue his memberships in our club and other scientific organizations and we can be sure that he will not give up shell col- lecting altogether even though he has various other activities and hobbies which naturally will take up quite a bit of his timc0 And of course we all know the truth of the old saying among shell enthusiasts that "Once a collector - always a collector," BOOK NEWS In recent weeks, the San Diego Shell Club library has received several additions generously donated by its members, Kay Webb kindly donated a complete set of "News of the Western Shell Clubs” covering the years *961-1969, volumes of "The Tabulate" from 1967-1969, and volumes of "The Nautilus" from July 1962 - July 1965, John Souder has given 14 issues of "The Philippine Shell News" from the years 1958-1961, All cf the above make for hours of interesting reading and are welcome additions to our library. In addition, the library has received two issues of a new shell maga- zine, "La Conchiglia", This is a beautiful, illustrated magazine with .some interesting articles. When their English language version is released, it could be a fine addition to our library. --Jules Hertz FROM "SEA SECRETS" Question: |Y!y friend said that a squid and a cuttlefish are the same thing, I believe that a cuttlefish has a cuttlebone, while a squid has no bone structure at all. Who is right? S. K., Forest Lake, Minn. Answers Neither of you is right. Squid belong to the cephalopod order Teuthoidea and d_o possess an internal shell. This shell or gladius, nowever, is paper thin and made of chitin. Cuttlefish belong to the order Sepioidea, specifically to the family Sepiidae, found only in the old world. They possess a thick calcium carbonate shell which aids in buoyancy control. Unfortunately, these names have been confused so often that even many dictionaries are in error concerning the use of these terms, (Taken from "Sea Secrets" for March, 1969, published by the Internation al Oceanographic Foundation, 10 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key, Miami, Fla. 33149.) ANOTHER DAY GETTING SENTIS PECTENS We were off Little Duck Key, Florida on the gulf side when the water started to go out and in a while the coral was all exposed and we would get a shovelfull, deposit it on the front of our glaspar boat, and then look through the coral for sentis pecten, Chlamys sentis Reeve. You cannot tell them from the roots of the coral unless you see them open heir mouths and see the bright colored animals. They come purple, •'jhite and orange color and also some are a mixture of the colors. You .jet soma fire coral, and that burns. We had nothing in the line of oil, having left the suntan oil at home. But I found a jar of mayon- Page 7 naise and we tried that. It sure did take the burning out. We thought it was the glass worms and not the coral that made our hands sting. But anyway, one or the other. Or maybe both. We got some of these pectens and then went on to look for Triton femorale. It is Cymatium femorale Linne which also lives in the coral and on the edges of the deep water. If one is lucky he may find one. UJhat a thrill to find one, sitting partially buried or maybe in plain sight, with that angular top showing. We have found them sitting on top of coral and under the coral and even moving from one place to another. They are easy to see when they are or have been moving. But we searched for two years before finding any of them. We have them in all stages, making a new lip, no lip, and with a lip just like tissue paper , Just as hard to find is the Cymatium cestatum Born, Cymatium caribbaeum Clench & Turner and the Cymatium chlorostomum Lsmarck, Each can be found but is scarce, and takes many days of searching. We almost spent every time the tide was real low, searching for the cymatiums - day after day, Ivan was so good at first, I could not find one to save me. Then I got my first one all by myself. I got the shivers it was such a large and beautiful one. Then I had broken the ice and could hold my own with Ivan after that. --Helen Thompson EXCERPTS FROM MINUTES OF MARCH, 19 Treasurer's Report: Balance on hand Feb 28 - $161.00 Old Business: The minutes of the February meeting as printed in The Festivus were approved. The President reminded members to bring shells for the May auction to the next meeting or to any board member. New Business; John Souder told of the formation of a new organization, Hui-Q-Hawaii of San Diego, which is open to all San Diego residents interested in Hawaiian culture. A Luau will be held in July which will be open to the public. The shell drawing was won by Helmut Meier. Cookies for April will be provided by Virginia Hansclman and Barbara Myers, + SPECIAL NOTICE. To all corresponding members: + + We invite you to contribute to our magazine. Our deadline + + is the fifteenth of the month + + Address: + Mrs, Virginia Hanselman, 5818 Tulane St. San Diego, Cal. 92122 + ) ri I vJL^j a VC<>J^ ^ I 2-^ c? 4 L\ o i *o -L vo c <2 *2_rr <5l b r~e? c. «^2-, r HiStt- a KJ- C ^<2-k LT-^^s-r" <» t /■ /V/^vO L^7 ^ K> . ( 0 0 2.^ ar Ulh si tc ar we a] n- P Jl c: u. f‘ O'. al If I? oi J: 0 N SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 © INCORPORATED 1968 San Diego lYluseum of Natural History, Third Thursday President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vo 1 . I May 1970 No . + + + + + L SHELL AUCTION AT HOME OF CLIFF AND UJANETA AMES MAY, 15 6447 CELIA VISTA DRIVE PUBLICATION ADDRESS VIRGINIA HAN5ELMAN 5818 TULANE ST. 92122 + + At our April 16th meeting, Tony D'Attilio gave a talk on the Periostra- cum in Gastropods and other mollusks. It was a generalised., presenta- tion marking differences in types of periostraca. Some are very deli- cate and still the only protection the animal has, some are sculptured, some only translucent films - others are very tough, even horny,, Re- moval of the periostracum may disclose great beauty. or subtract the only beauty of the shell. He illustrated his talk with specimen slides and also had the shells to be examined. Collectors should have specimens with the periostracum even though a very cleaned shell is a preference - remembering that Clorox should never be used in cleaning if saving of the periostracum is desired. To preserve it one can use equal parts of glycerin and alcohol. r E 'j i i « 4 r \ . * i i THE GOLDEN AGE OF SHELLING Page 2 ite often in discussing the collections of earlier times we will hear e expression, "that was the golden age of shelling". The speaker 11 usually have in mind some period in the eighteenth or nineteenth nturies when so many of the renowned historical collections were sernb led , It must have been very exciting to have collected at a time den almost every new area brought forth species that were new to ;ience and even re-working the older and better known localities would .'ten uncover one or more species that had never been described. I fiv8 often wondered how many shells were named in the first half of the kneteenth century. Describing and naming this vast number of shells (.ought into prominence many of those authorities whose works have made iem true giants in the biological sciences. ie early years of this century were especially good for shelling on iis coast. In those years many shells were found intertidally that re not found today except by diving or dredging. Forreria be lcneri Hinds) was found on mud flats at low tide in protected areas such as ewport Bay and on Terminal Island. San Diego Bay was a veritable par- dise for a large number of the shells of this area.. Many of the hells which were found there are seldom found today. Such shells as nadara mult icostata (Sowerby), Lae vicardium e la turn (Sowerby), rachycardium quadraqenar ium ( Conrad ) , Acmaea dep icta (Hinds), Luna t ia ewisii (Co'uidTi Sinum scop ulo sum ( Conrad ) , Mit ra idae Melville, ^yramide 11a adams i Carpenter and many others were found there. Some of he outstanding West Coast collections were assembled before our bays ,nd lagoons were dredged to make small craft harbors. The'’ disruption if their natural habitat has caused some species to become very scarce, it least in the littoral zone. Many of these areas are not accessible :o collectors today, even if the shells were still there. This does not mean that the collections of today are inferior in any uay to those of the past. On the contrary, many of today's collections 3 r e vastly superior. Because of increased knowledge and improved meth- Dds the collection of today is better curated, and since a. large number 3 f shells are newly described every year most of our collections con- . tain shells that were not known to earlier collectors. Even a hasty examination of the superb Panamic- Pac if ic collection of Ben and Ruth Purdy will disclose dozens of species that were named after Carpenter wrote, Catalogue of the Collection of Mazatlan Shells in the British Museum, 1857. All of those shells were completely unknown to Frederick Reigen, on whose collection Carpenter's work was based. Many of the shells in the Purdy Collection were named after the publication of the current edition of Dr, Keen's exemplary work, Sea Shells of Tropical West America . Another outstanding collection is that of Phil Clover. It is very doubtful if there were many collect io ns of the past that contained as large a number of genuine rarities as are to be seen in the Clover Collection. Improved transportation has enabled us to go shelling in areas the earlier collectors could only dream about. Today we have Directories and other publications listing collectors throughout the world with whom we may exchange shells and information. It is a very easy matter to contact a collector in almost any area we wish. This advantage was not known to most of the earlier ^collectors. Such exchanges have made it possible for us to r recently described shells from other local it- - Page 3 Les, which were almost unknown to our predecessors. Surely, we should iot overlook the great benefit SCUBA diving has been to us, We all ■save at least some shells that were collected that way. The earlier collectors had to depend almost entirely on dredging and trawling for :ff-shore species. [n last Saturday's mail were two Shell Lists, from two different sources. Both of them, however, were from our two good friends and fellow members, Phil Clover and Art and Emma West, By an odd coinci- dence both of these lists are offering two extremely rare shells, Conus illoriamaris Chemnitz and Pleurot omar ia rumphii Schepman. Strangely snough, we have had two other lists offering Conus q lo r iamar is recently. I very much doubt that any of the earlier collectors were ever offered 'our different Conus q lor iamaris , all within a three- mo nth period. Surely, if Lamarck or Swainson or the Sowerbys could have forseen our rimes they would have said, "that will be the golden age of shelling", --Clifton L. Martin A SEASNAKE TALE Relating to the talk by Dr, James Stewart from Scripps on dangerous marine animals, it brought back an incident that occured in New Calo- donia on our first shell hunting trip to the South Seas in 1968. Ale were in Noumea and visited the aquarium of Noumea and were fortunate enough to meet the Curator, Dr. Rene Catala. Dr. Catala is the dis- coverer of the rare flourescent corals and the display of these corals under black light at the aquarium is worth the trip if- you saw nothing else. These are all from 250' deep or deeper and their beauty is un- equalled by anything I have found in the Sea. Dr. Catala, upon learn- ing we were serious collectors and divers took us on a personal tour of the laboratories and "Backstage" in the Aquarium. He has developed a facinating system of photographing the Corals and fish under black light. The tour ended with an invitation to accompany his diving crew 'the following day. ^ rjJe left the following morning about 6 A. Ml. for an island' about 25 miles southwest of Noumea called Ameedee Island. It is a beautiful coral atoll (is there any other kind?) with the highest light house in the world (The French captain claimed!). It is indeed a sight to be- hold, on approaching the Island, to see the huge white tower soaring hundreds of feet into the sky from its lush, green island base. En route we stopped at a reef to dive on two liberty ship wrecks from 1 lAi’JJ 1 1 which had been run on the reefs by the captains, after being tor- pedoed, to prevent their sinking. The deck loads of tanks and war materials are clearly visible but dangerous to dive around as they are about to collapse from rust and action of the sea. We arrived at Amedoe and took to the water at once. Surrounding reefs, are about 75 yards from the beach and shell hunting was f abu lous . . . Our take for the day was Conus chenui, litteratus, eburneus, Strombus lentignosus, vomer, aurisdianne, mutabilis and labiatus, Terebellusa and Cypraea arabica. We should have found more Cypraea but we cannot bring ourselves to tear up the coral like the natives to find them... but I'm ahead of my story! I entered the water and headed for the reef when I saw a brightly . ' Page 4 iinded snake about 3' long swimming directly towards me on the same ■jvel. I have never been a snake fancier on land and am not about to bcome one in the water. I attempted to fin in reverse with little access. The snake passed directly beneath me, less than a foot away, gnoring me completely. In a very few minutes I managed to restore nvement to my muscles and swam leisurely to the beach touching the mter with my fingertips and fins only, ~\ the beach I found Emma with her eyes about 2" in diameter. When she tec a me coherent I found two of the snakes had practically run over her. rounded up the Frenchman in charge, a Paul Goulette and advised him rD get the others out of the water. He doubled up laughing and it opeared they had experience with tourists before and we had been ini- iated. The others enjoyed the show and it made their day. Paul took o to some nearby rocks and it was literally covered with the snakes jnning themselves. Paul picked one up without fear, showed us the fouth and fangs. While they were indeed a poisonous Coral Snake, the juth was very small and the fangs set far back. They were not agress- ve and, he assured us, one could walk or swim freely among them with- ut fear. 3, with considerable doubts, went back to the reefs and, before leav- ng the Island were swimming within inches of the snakes and ignored hem as they did us. Had anyone bet me the morning we started that I ould be voluntarily in the same water with snakes, could have obtained ome very good odds and that Emma would bo there, Well the odds would ave been fantastic. What people will do to collect shells is amazing! s a sidelight, later in Australia on the Barrier Reef, the Captain of boat we were on refused to let me dive on a particularly inviting art of the reef telling me that there were Sea snakes in that area. assured him I was quite familiar with sea snakes and "had no fear of hem. I was quite put out when he remained adamant in his refusal. We ater saw a snort film on the snakes of that area and they were 8 to 10 eet long, 4" in diameter, had VERY large mouths and fangs and would ttack a diver (or anything else that moved) on sight. Two divers had lied the previous year after being bitten! MORAL - never drgue with he natives. --Art West DEADLY OCTOPUS ]ne day in 1967, a 23-year-old soldier picked up a small purple-colored jctopus from a Sydney beach in Australia. 90 minutes later he was lead. The octopus was a deadly blue-ringed octopus (octopus maculosus), jnd many of them are invading South Queensland beaches. According to Dcean Industry Magazine, this octopus may be the "deadliest creature on earth", adding that the creature rarely exceeds 10 cm (3.9 in.) in length, but carries enough toxin to kill 10 men, "The venom causes nuscle paralysis and the victim dies because he cannot breathe" The Medical Journal of Australia reports that these creatures are found from southern Tasmania to northern Australia, and at rest it has dark brown to ochre bands over its body and arms with blue circles on these bands. When disturbed, the colors darken dramatically. The octopus can be found in tide pools, but also hangs out in other places, Triton Magazine reported a case where a diver found a shell and put it inside , Page 5 Ter wet suit for safekeeping, whereupon the octopus inside the shell pit her. Luckily she lived. Scientists are trying to find an antidote 'or the poisonous bite, --From "Sea Secrets" UN DICCIONAR 10 PEQUENO PARA CARACULEROS EfM MEJICO OR A LITTLE DICTIONARY FOR SHELL COLLECTORS IN MEXICO ENGLISH SPANISH PRONUNCIATION Abalone oreja marina or-a-hah mah-ree-nah or abalon ah-bah- loan Algae al^a marina ahl-qan mah-ree-nah Anemone anemone de mar ah-nay-moh-nay day mar or actinia ack-teen-e-yah lArk shell pate de mula pah-tay day moo-lah Barnacle barnac la bar-nah-clah Beach playa ply- yah Bivalve bivalvo be-bah 1-boh Cardium elatum concha amarilla cawn-cha ahm-ah-ree 1-yah Clam alme ja ahl-may-hah Cone cono coh-no Coral coral coh-rahl (colonial coral) madrepora mah-dray-pDore-ah Crab congrejo cawn-qray-ho; or j a i b a hai-bah Dive (to) buscear boo-say-ahr Gor gonian gorgonia gore-qo-nee-ah Jellyfish ortiga de mar or-tee-qah day mar or medusa may-doo-sah Limpet lepada lay-pah-dah -* i Mangrove mangle mahn-glay Murex (black) chino negro chee-no nay-qrow Murex (pink) china rosa chee-nah ro-sah Murex re g ius china rosa con chee-nah ro-sah con boca negra boh-cah nay-qrah Mussel mejillon men-hee 1-yawn Octopus pulpo pull-poh Oy 5 ter os t ra awss-trah Pearl oyster madreper la mah-dray-pear-lah Pen shell Callo de hache ky-yo day atch-ay Scallop pe ch ina pay-chee-nah- Seahorse caballito de mar cah-bah-y i-to day mahr Seashe 1 1 concha cawn-chah Sea urchin erizo de mar err-rit-zoh day mar Shark t ibur on tee -boor-own Shell collector coraco loro car-ah-co-lair-roh Shellfish (usually to eat ) mar isco mar- iss-coh Snail caracol car-a-coal Sponge e spon ja ess-pon-hah Squid calamar cahl-a-mar Starfish es tre ’ la de mar ess-tray-ya day mar Strombus gale at us O . i u bopr-roh Strornhus gr i t to r castillo p o chino cass- tee- yoh day chee-no Paqo 6 fnt olive bartita bar- tee-tah (Oliva porphyria) j!be worm palmerita pah 1-mare-ee-tah Underline indicates accent. I you have additions (or corrections) to the Gringo Diccionario, sease send your words on. in £ o us, --Carole M. Hertz A TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS [e morning we and another boat, started on a trip to the Marquesas | lands, and we got to Key West at 6:00 in the morning, and soon lunched the boats and were off. A man had given Ivan the direction . I) take to go down between the islands, and most of the way would be potected. Well the first thing we got on a sand bar, and after free- |i g both the boats, we were in the lead. We decided to go directly to lie sea and go along the small islands. This we did. The water was jiooth and we went sailing along. It is 30 miles below Key West toward ijba. The most open water we had was four miles just before we got to jie Marquesas Islands, It is quite a way in a small boat. Then the liautiful islands. They are in a semi ring and looked so tropical. We |2 nt to find Strombus gigas linne for some of the people who were going lack to Colorado in the next few days. We went slowly along the sides r the island and found only a few. We never did get to the gulf side jr these islands, which is something I still want to see to this day, 3 found only a few S. gigas. Then the tide had turned so we thought 3 had better get back across that four miles of open sea. We did and Ten continued back along the islands. It was light and we could see here we were going. Along on the edge of the islands boing back we Dune Strombus raninus Gmelin, Conus spurius atlanticus Clench, one Dnna galea Linne and that was about all but a fine fun day. We rrived back in Key West in no time at all. It is 48 miles from Key jest to Marathon where we made our headquarters for some 11 years. So a feel we know place very well along the Kay s . Another time will take you to the Atlantic side of the Keys shelling - to Pelican hoa 1 s . --Helen Thompson MINUTES OF APRIL IS MEETING inutes of April meeting were accepted as printed in the Festivus, reasurer's report showed a balance of i206,00. The shell drawing was on by Ivan Thompson. The president announced that Ruth Purdy was in rossmont Hospital. (She is at home now) he Club auction will be held on Fri. May 15 starting at 6 i 30 p. m, at he home of Waneta and Cliff Ames, The Club discussed Conservation and arbara Good was appointed to check into the Fish and Game Regulations, THE SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 « INCORPORATED 1968 President: Carole Hertz Vice Presidents No la Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editors Blanche 3reujer / OLc I JUNE 1970 NO* 6 - 1 1- Program for June 18= Dr. Carl Hubbs on Marine Conservation + Publication Addresss + Virginia Hanselman, 5818 Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 921.22 + OUR ANNUAL AUCTION In Friday evening, May 15th, our Club met at the home o.f Cliff and Janeta Ames, our gracious hosts for the evening. We had q pot-luck Hinner, with many luscious goodies. An abundance of delicious food uas served. There was wonderful champagne punch, prepared by our )unch maker, Dave Mulliner, Needless to say, the punch bowl was a popular place. \fter the meal was consumed, and we had all visited for a bit, Dr. Hadwin presented a gift to each of his helpers at the museum. These lelpers are volunteering their time to help on the museum -collection. iT o his Monday helper, Barbara Good, went a Murex macropteriis , variety Trempre i , to his Wednesday helper, Eva Taylor, a selection of six color varations of Polymita picta and to his Thursday helper, Carole Hertz, a Cancellaria cooperi. They were all surprised and very Dleased. Then the auctioning began. Norm Currin started it off and Hid his usual excellent job as auctioneer. He was ably spelled later 3y John Souder and George Radwin, The bidding was spirited and some- times, as in my case, outrageous. "Gonna have that shell or else...!" The specimens that were donated this year were all of good quality. The choice of which you wanted was a difficult one to make., UJhen bidding lagged later in the evening, there was a break called. If there was still something on the table that you wanted to bid on, you juere to place it in front of the auctioneer. When the bidding resumed* interest again was high, and the pile presented was soon depleted. The shells that were not bid on will most likely be put into grab bags for sale later in the year or saved for our next auction, as we have done in times past. Our sales for the evening totaled a fantastic 8395! It was financially the best auction I can remember in this club. Socially, it was a most pleasant occasion. If you missed it, jue hope to see you at next year’s auction! Ale wish to thank again -'ir hosts, Cliff and Waneta Ames, for opening II . Page 2 heir home to us. Their lanai is the best place I know of to have the action, as it is so pleasant and spacious. h Monday evening, 18th May, at the Natural History Museum, there was n open-house reception for a new display honoring our very active amber, Anthony D'Attilio. It is a one-man show in which are displayed lie many and varied artistic talents of Tony. Coffee and cookies were erved and friends mingled about, admiring, and amazed at the items on lisp lay . From pen and ink biological drawings and illustrations for hildrens* books and scientific publications to sculpture and etchings n glass, all were excellent and amazing* One thing I found, that un- ike most artwork, the closer you look at Tony's, the more you see in he display is a temporary exhibit, very expertly done. You should put visit to the museum on your calendar soon. This display should not e misse.d. If you miss the arrogance of a certain smiling camel, you ill have missed much indeed! lthough the Club library, is wonderfully stocked with sTiell books and magazines, the utilization by club members is minimal. Obviously, Many of the more advanced collectors have many of the books in their siwn libraries. However, with the wide variety available, it seems reasonable to expect more withdrawls than the 3 or 4 per month that [.he library is presently averaging. In order to familiarise the mem- iers with the available books, it has been decided to review some of -he older books. If anyone has ideas on new acquisitions ,’ please Contact the librarian, ’Living Cowries" by C. M. Burgess has finally been published, and the library has a copy on order. Myra Keen's new book on West American shells is due out shortly and will be ordered as soon as it is avail- able , This month's review is on an extremely useful book, "Marine Shells Qf :he Pacific", by W. D. Cernohosky. Published in 1967 by Pacific Pub- lications, this book contains several fine chapters on general infor- nation in addition to descriptions and plates of 440 shells. Of parr ticular interest is an evolutionary tree which traces the evolution jf mollusca from the Tryblidiacea of Pre-Cambrian times to the molluscs of the present age. Other interesting items deal with the removal of * radulae and shell photography. The shells described are limited to the families Bursidae, Cymatiidae, Colubrariidae , Triviidae, Muricidae, Qlividae, Terebridae and Conidae. The photographs are black and white and of excellent quality. The shell descriptions are excellent and are often accompanied by descrip- tion of the animals. Mr. Cernohorsky lists the synonymy for each of the species described, and based on this he would be considered a "lumper" rather than a "splitter". This - is a 'must' book for those who have collected in ^.Hq Pacific, — N. M ONE-MAN SHOUi --N. M. BOOK NEWS --Jules Hertz ' . ■H AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS Page 3 ’ Erom time to time we hope to be able to print observations by our [members and friends who have aquaria or who dive and take .the time to | "see" as well as "sieze". Please send us details of any interesting occurrences you may have noted. They need not bo long. We'll group them and have a newsworthy column, 1 In our small aquarium, the Cypraea spadicea relentlessly pursued an l anemone round the tank nibbling at its adhering end whenever possible, I'd never seen an anemone -'swim' before. After a number of days the cowry killed and completely ate the anemone. This same Cypraea has been seen eating Laevicardium substriatum and also dead matter in the tank. — Carole M. Hertz I have kept some several octopuses in aquaria over the past’ couple of years and for the most part they stay out of sight, hidden in a shell or behind the filter, etc. and only come out at night. However, if you are really interested and observant, you begin to put together a personality and an intelligence. The octopus I now have lives with an Opaleye some five inches long. The octopus, stretched out, is just about six inches from arm tip to arm tip. The fish thinks he is the absolute ruler of the aquarium and makes all- the motions of any bully -- swimming powerfully back and forth, nipping at the cowries so that they withdraw t-heir mantles and at the other shells so they close their opercs. I do not say the octopus is not frightened of the fish. He simply outwits him, When he is tired of the threatening tactics of the Opal- eve, he just piles a bunch of shells at the opening of his house and relaxes. If he really wants something (say I have just put in a crab) the fish doesn't stop him from getting it. He slithers out of his home changing colors like mad, flicking an arm at the fish-and -- if all that isn't enough for the poor fish -- the octopus inks and is gone. I put a crab in one day and tho octopus had so many shells piled in the opening of his house that he couldn't get in with" the crab. As I watched, he held the crab in four arms and with the ot-her four was throwing shells hither and yon and changing colors with amazing speed. Then there is the story of the cowry the up and down norrissia -- but I'll save these for another time, --Barbara Myers A Cassis centraquadrata was collected south of San Felipe at Radar Beach, Baja Calif. Mexico, We brought the Cassis back to San Diego and placed it in our aquarium. The feeding habits of the Cassis are _ interesting. It eats sea urchins. The Cassis normally lives under the sand but when he is hungry he will surface and start tracking any sea urchin in the tank. If an urchin is captured out in the open, the cassis will sit on his spire, cuddle the urchin in his foot and eat all of the insides. Then the cassis will eat all the spines. The other day the Cassis captured an urchin in the corner of the tank. The Cassis drilled a hole in the side of the urchin phell and ate only part of the animal. "^ssibly it wasn't very hungry. Nevertheless, it still ate part art h . { n e s . ^Dave Mulliner Page 4 NOTES ON THE SUPERFAMILY PLE UR OTOMAR IACE A J|p oceanography class I learned a handy little saying to remember the jlcder of things. It goes "K. P. Comes Often For Girl Scouts". It )|:icks with me as I was a Girl Scout for years, and helps me remember hat all things fall into this order. KPCUFGS. Kingdom, Phylum, [Lass, Order, Family, Genus and Specie, With that in mind I will try ('3 place in your mind where the superfamily Pleurot omar iacea falls, id how the families it contains are related. kingdom -- Animal. Phylum -- Mollusca, Class -- Gastropoda. The word fs taken from tho Greek, meaning s t omach-FootT Term for univalve (ollusks with the stomach situated in the region of the foot. The i8ll is in one piece, spirally coiled, and symmetrical (not symmetric- l). All gastropoda undergo a strange twisting change in the embryonic tage, so that many of the posterior internal organs along with the antle cavity end up in a forward position. Sort of like throwing our tail end up over your left shoulder, as I once hoard it described, his is called "torsion". There are varied degrees of torsion, and ome even detort in their growing process. The Subclass Prosobranchia s the branch of this class that we are going into. They have their ills in their mantle cavity. f the three orders in this subclass, we will be concerned with the rder Archeagast ropoda, Archauo- is taken from the Greek, meaning ncient. The most primitive type of gastropoda living, they are all erbivorous, which means that they eat plants. They have many teeth n their radula to help them do so more efficiently. ow we arrive at the Super family Pleurotomar iacea . The Families within his superfamily are Pleurotomar i idae , Haliotidae, Scissure 11 idae and issurellidae . The Pleurotomariidae are the beautiful split-top shells hat look like the trochid top shells, except that they have a slit pened part way around the body whorl. They have a to^o-smaJLl-f or-t he- perture, very thin operc. These animals come from very deep water, so hey aro very rare in private collections. Don't feel too bad if you on't have one] ost of us are familiar with the family Haliotidae , the abalone. It s usually a large dish-like shell, with four or more open- natural !oles on its side. The inside is always beautifully iridescent. I ight add that the meat of the foot is also delicious when properly repared. The animal has no operc. he Scissurellidae are very small shells, usually coming from very eep water. They are somewhat like the genus Tegula, and are white or emit ransparent , and nacreous within. The body whorl is large with a omewhat wide aperturo, the outer margin of which has a slit or fissure, r sometimes holes. There is a slit-bend on each whorl. The operc is ery thin. he F issure 1 1 idae are a conical to sometimes almost flat shell with a keyhole" on tops The keyhole starts as a slit on the front edge of the ■hell, and as the shell grows the hole arrives at the top. In some jenus the slit remains a slit even in th§ adult. low are the large beautiful slit-top shells related to the flat dish- .ike Abalone? And the Keyhole limpet and the small Scissurella, why ire they here? It seems that by looking at the shape of the shells .hat they are so different. Yet, they are so closely related. They ire alike in tho fact that they have the slits and holes. These are ill due to the same reason. The animals are, all built on the same body ilan, so to speak. T; -nimals in this superfamily are the only gas- • - Page 5 ropods that have two gills. All other families in this subclass have nly one gill. Their bodies have such a degree of torsion that their ail-ends are up over their heads. In order to respire, water travels n a circle in their mantle cavity, entering in front and passing ver the gill and out again in front, with the exiting water also arrying body wastes. In this state of torsion the original pair of ills (on ancient animals) lay very close to the mantle, and was not sed -~ so, through time, has atrophied until there remains only one. es, in Pleuro t omar iacea the slits and holes are all for the same furic- ion. The respiratory water passes from the front or sides of the hell and over the gills. Then the deoxygenated water and waste mate r- als pass out the holes or slit. This is the way in which those ani- 3 Is have solved their sanitation problems. If the water was to return o the front to exit, considerable pollution of water for respiration ould result, --Nola Michel ources: Seashells of America, Abbott - \Je 1 ige r , Glossary of 1101 Terms- ony Russo, Oceanography Instructor, Dr. George Radwin, S. D. Museum f Natural History. UESTION: My friend said that a squid and a cuttlefish are the same hing. I believe that a cuttlefish has a cuttlubone, while a squid as no bone structure at all. Who is right? NSWER: Neither of you is right. Squid belong to the cephalopod order euthoidea and do possess an internal shell. This shel-1 or gladius, owever, is paper thin and made of chitin. uttlefish belong to the order Sep io idea , specifically to the family epiidae, found only in the Old World, They possess a thick calcium arbonate shell which aids in bouyancy control. Inf or t unate ly , these names have been confused so often that even many iictionaries are in error concerning the use of these terms. - --Sea Secrets NEW .aurence Thomas family .auronce, Louise and son, David 'he Shell Shop, 590 Embarcadero lorro Bay, Calif. 93442 i oe Bibbey •90 Citrus Ave. Imperial Beach, Calif. ,23-5133 MEMBERS Leo G. Her tie in Calif. Academy of Science Golden State Park San Francisco, Calif. 54118 Change of Address? Helmut and Ruth Meier 1010 Pinecrest Ave. Escondido, Calif. • 747-5339 SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 useum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M, Presidents Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. I ' July 1970 No. 7 4 ‘ , •* * • f * Next Regular Meeting — July 16, 1970 at 7:30 P.M. * ■ ■ • . ■ * * Dr. David W. Kenney, Vice President & Veterinarian of-. Sea World,-- speaks on "Marine Mammals, Their Capture, Care and Training." * sjc ;Jc * Publication Address: - * Virginia Hanselman, 5&1S Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 92122 * * # # # >;o;« >‘,z % >;< ;|c # ;js # # # # i|< # # ;,'c ^ # t'fi i\< sjcsj: >\t sj« sjs^csjssjc ijc J.'o.'sJ,': sje # ## ## Jjesjcsjcij^c MARINE CONSERVATION The speaker at our June meeting was Dr. Carl Hubbs from Scripps Ins- titution of Oceanography, his subject, "Marine Conservation" - in particular, in the seas of the world - The World Ocean. pollution comes from many sources with the air currents carrying pol- lutants, even thousands of miles, to drop them in dust and rain on ■she rurface of the seas and the land. The land itself drains its poison.- into the rivers - and so, the sea receives it all eventually as an ever - growing menace to its inhabitants. Most people are aware of the sources - industrial wastes, automobiles, planes, pesticides, sewage - but not which poisons cause the damage. Lead is ten times the most serious, coming mostly from fuels - indust- rial poisons, acids and mercury, very toxic in their effect - sewage, raw or only partly treated - pesticides, which stay in the fatty tissues and in each exchange in the food chain are multiplied by ten. The California Brown Pelican is almost extinct, DDT having damaged the reproductive process. Eggs that are laid have shells so thin they can not protect and .support life. Consequently, the count is decreasing extremely rapidly. A year ago there were 800 birds on the Coronado Page 2 Islands. This year, there were only 9 nests and only one doomed egg was observed. The accumulated DDT keeps their bodies from producing the necessary calcium. In Newport Bay, abalone shells are so thin they may be broken by a finger thrust. Dr. Hubbs tells us. As long ago as 1920, Dr. Hubbs observed the effect of sewage in San Francisco Bay on the fish. A very- high percentage had cancerous spo *r and growths. In the early forties, San Diego Bay was receiving sew- age, the highly-nutrient condition of the water caused the format ic of a great mass of chocolate- colored algae and a matching increase .1" the fish population. Dr. Hubbs, examining many individuals, found them to be malformed, having S-shaped vertabrae. Still, there is promise of better days ahead. Everywhere, an alarm od. population is taking steps to combat pollution. The effluent is belai treated before discharging it in the water. A process known as ro- vers© osmosis is being explored - the sewage flowing into a membre.ni through which only the water molecules can pass. A membrane success- ful enough to handle the sewage of a large city is the desired result. As to the water itself: A chain of sewage treatment lakes at Santee produces potable water. Steam electrical plants can return the warm water resulting from their cooling processes to the sea, pumping it to bottom levels offshore. The rising warm water causes a beneficial mixing. Aquaculture of selected species is possible. Warmer water, in some cases, assures a higher rate of production. Stefan’s waste - from sugar factories - is a rich source of vitamin B-L2. Solid wastes subjected to 1000° of heat in a completely closed structure become coke. Recycling of solid wastes will be the answer to the garbage disposal problem. Paper and steel are old stories, as are vegetable fibers, cotton and linen, but to these have been added aluminum, glass and solid plastics. (What remains can be safely left to the naturally - inventive American mind). B.B. FOOD FOR THOUGHT By Dr. George E. Radwin While savoring your next abalone steak, or other marine gastronomic delight - lobster, crab, clam, shrimp - ponder for a moment what the eaten eats. The food and feeding habits of the commoner marine inver- tebrates, edible and otherwise, are as varied as the feeders them- selves. A few examples follow. The abalone, known better for what it can do for our appetites than for how it satisfies its own, is a browser, whose manner of feeding might be compared to that of a cow. To complete the analogy, imagine the abalone using its radula to browse or crop algae. The radula is a flexible rasp found in gastropods (snails) and some other mollusks, taking various forms in different animals. It is a tooth-bearing car- tilaginous ribbon, bent double over a stiff cartilaginous rod. The radula works back and forth in a belt-like fingernail material) and silica (like glass or sand particles). According to the food habits of the animal, the radula is effective at rasping, raking,- or boring. Page 3 The abalone’s long, slender radular teeth cut the algae up and rake the fragments into the mouth of the animal. How this relatively un- palatable algae is converted into the tasty meat familiar to us is a mystery not yet unraveled. Another gastropod delicacy, although not generally tasted on this coast, is the whelk (one of a number of species in the gastropod family Buccinidae). The commonest whelk in this area is Kellet’s whelk (Kelletia kelleti). I have never tasted the meat of this species, but judging from other members of the family (some of which I have eaten), the foot, at least, is tasty but tough. Whelks are eaten in many seacoast regions of Europe, particularly in England. The whelk has a narrow radula, composed of many transverse rows, each with only three teeth. The sickle-like shape of the lateral (side) teeth is well adapted to flesh-tearing. The animal’s diet includes living and dead flesh. The succulent clam, a bivalve, is certainly one of the seafood lover* 5 favorites. Unlike the gastropod, the clam leads a more sedentary life - living in a relatively restricted area, moving around little, if at all. How, then does it feed? "If Mohammed cannot come to the moun- tain--." The clam draws a constant stream of water over its gills. This current, caused by the beating of millions of microscopic hair- like structures called cilia, not only brings oxygen to the gills and removes carbon, dioxide, but also carries food, which is caught in mucus tracts on the gills and trasferred to the mouth. The sea urchin, rarely usfed for food in the United States, is fre- quently eaten in other parts of the world, such as Italy. Actually, only the gonads (reproductive organs) are usually eaten. I have tast- ed the gonads of a Floridian species, and I confess that the acrid, almost sour taste did nothing for me except to give me an enormous thirst - for anything. The urchin grazes on algae using its feeding organ, a remarkable apparatus known as "Aristotle’s lantern". This structure is actually made up of numerous parts. The calcareous plates, ligaments, and muscles function efficiently to operate four calcareous "teeth", which, protrude from the oral surface. Often sea urchins are found imbedded in cavities in the rock - cavities eroded by their feeding activity. Where the urchins live on kelp holdfasts, the feeding of the animals eventually produces gaping holes and inevitably, the uprooting and death of the kelp plant. Another animal rarely, if ever used as food in the United States is the polychaete (bristle) worm Glycera. In Polynesia, however, other polychaete worms, called "Palolo" by the natives, are collected in vast numbers when at certain times of the year they swarm at the sun- face of the sea. Actually, the swarms of "worms" are made up of the hind ends of worms, the other part of each worn remaining in rock- encrusting tubes at the bottom. The swarming of these reproductive portions of the worms occurs only on one or two nights of the year and assures high success in the meeting of the eggs and sperm contain ed in these fragments. Apparently, the average Polynesian’s conten- tion that these Palolo are delectible treats is well-nigh unshakeable. Page 4 r Glycera, a local relative of this exotic spawner, is found on mud or sand bottoms roaming freely across the sea bed, rather than restrict- ed to a tube as the Palolo worm is. The feeding mechanism of this worm consists of four hooks borne on the end of an eversible probos-' cis. When attacking, Glycera contracts its body-wall muscles, forcing fluid into the proboscis and causing it to be everted or thrust out with astonishing speed and force. The four hooks are therby position- ed at the tip of the everted proboscis and are capable of grasping, with a pincer-like action, the small worms that make up the bulk of the worm’s diet. Several crabs, ranging from our east coast blue-claw to the large dungeness and the bizarre king crab of the Pacific, are widely eaten, especially since the advent of frozen foods. Crabs are usually carnivores and feed on almost any meat, living or dead, that they can find. Their large, impressively armed chelae or claws tear food into pieces small enough to be passed int'o their mouth. Surrounding the mouth are various types of mouthparts, the most important of which are generally the mandibles, paired lateral . jaws which "work" from side to side grinding the pieces of food pass- ed into the mouth by the chelae. Other mouthparts are also used in one feeding capacity or another. Gastropods of the family Muricidae, the Murex or rock shells, are eaten in several European countries, most notably Italy. By all accounts the meat is sweet, though tough. How do these gastropods feed, and on what? Here we have another ex- ample of the versatility of the gastropod radula. In the Muricidae there are three teeth in each transverse radular row. These are some- what differently shaped than those in the Buccinidae, and, more sig- nificantly, the average number of transverse rows of teeth is higher than generally prevalent in the Buccinidae. The muricid radula is adapted for rasping and boring holes through shell matter such as clar or barnacle shells. It does not, however, function alone in this pro- cess. An additional organ, the ABO (accessory boring organ) is apw plied alternately with the radula. The exact nature of the secretion of the ABO is unknown, but it is reasonable to assume that it weakens the calcium carbonate in some manner and thus allows the radula to erode the shell more efficiently. The common seastar does not appear on a dinner menu in any known reg- ion. Nevertheless, it continues eating its fill of other seashore residents, as though its right to do so bore no connection to our owr. eating interests. But then, he was there first; we are, after all, the " johnnies-come-lately" on the seashore scene. The feeding of the seastar, Pisaster ochraceus, is more voracious than that of other denizens of the shore. As with most seastars, this species is equipped with sucker-tipped tube- feet in tracts along the underside of each arm. When the seastar becomes aware of prey in the immediate area, generally by "smell” ( chemoreception ), it "speeds" to the prey, usually a clam, grips the two valves (shells) of the clam * and exerts proportionately great pressure in two opposite directions so as to pull the valves apart. The adductor muscles, which holds the clam’s valves together, is quite strong, but its staying power is Page 5 no match for the seastar’s tube-foot suckers which work on a water pressure principle. Applied in relays, these suckers eventually ex- haust the adductor muscle causing the valves to gape. The seastar then everts its stomach through its oral opening, insinuates it be- tween the clam’s gaping valves, and proceeds to digest the animal externally. Talk about bolting one’s dinner.’ When all is said and done, as remarkable as it may seem to us, all these animals seem to consider their feeding far more important than ours. Reprinted with permission of the San Diego Society of Natural Histor” BOOK NEWS Jules Hertz "The Living Cowries" by C.M. Burgess has finally arrived. One quick glance at this excellent book is enough to know why it took so long in coming, and it was well worth the long wait. The book is copious- ly illustrated in both monochrome and color. It contains 44 color plates of very high quality showing the 186 species recognized by Burgess as well as geographical race variations of many of them. In addition, there are 1 Sl+ maps which show the distributional ranges for the individual species. Our fellow Club member, Tony D’Atillio, also contributed some fine schematic drawings showing the conchological characters of a cowrie. Burgess follows Kay in this book and reverts to the use of the Lin- nean genus Cypraea. For the average collector this is certainly better than Schilder’s (1941) proposed division of the family Cypra- eidae into four subfamilies, ljL tribes, 22 sections, 46 genera, 72 subgenera, 405 species (including the fossils), and 503 subspecies or races. Anatomical studies by Kay have shown that the taxonomic group ings of the cowries into subfamilies, genera and subgenera by Schilde Cotton and Steadman, Allen, and others, are not supported by anatomi- cal differences. Further anatomical studies may significantly reduce che number of species recognized by Burgess in this book. Burgess ha arranged the plates so that similar species are pictured together or in succeeding plates for comparison purposes. This book has several features which will appeal to the average col- lector. These include a system of rating the shells as to rarity, detailed descriptions of the animals where such information exists, and habitat information. The book is excellent from almost every standpoint and it would be difficult to find anything to criticize. Published jointly by A.S. Barnes. & Company and Carlton Beal, the book sells at thirty dollars a dopy. Members can obtain the book from Seashell Treasures in Chula Vista, since Art West has stock-ed a large supply. Page 6 CYPRAEA - GENERAL INFORMATION By John Souder The Cowries ( Cypraeidae ) .from a family ' recognizable at a glance - the shells being colorful, polished, more or less ovoid, rounded on the back but flatter below. The base' is crossed by an aperture extending length ways and bordered; by. ridges or teeth, usually numerous. The spire of the shell is reduced or entirely absent when adult. There is no operculum (or ,rlidn) closing the entrance of the shell as is the case in most families in the order to which the cowry family belongs. The mantle, or part of the body which lays down the shell , has two large side flaps which meet oyer the back of the shell who- j the animal is in motion, thus resulting in the high polish so charac- teristic of this family. A collecting trip to an area inhabited by Cypraea will usually result in finding a number of species* At first sight, it seems surprising that these species flourish in one environment. It may seem biologi- cally uneconomical for so many to have evolved in order to fill one niche. A little further study, however, will show that there are dif- ferences in the areas inhabited by the various species. Some are more tolerant to exposure to air than others, and are found further, up the beach. Some will be found concealed under stones or coral, while others will be in more exposed places; Time of collecting will also cause certain species to be in the open when normal conditions might find them else- where. For some species the area will obviously be more suitable, and the population will be large. For others, it will be ,the edge of an inhabitable area, and fewer animals will be found. As well as these smaller differences of habitat, there are some larger ones which will be readily apparent. Some species are only found on the outer edge of coral reefs - (aurantium. testudinaria ) - others, usually in deep water ( saulae. mappa ) . some on sand or mud, or under isolated stones or pieces of dead coral among sand or mud. Some live in, or on Bryozoa in deeper water, while others are only known from chance discovery by dredging or from the inside of fishes. If we could define the precise habitat of each species in each differ’' ent part of its range, we would have a far better idea of the signify cance and of the origin of the groups now called sub-species. We would understand the reason for their differences, and so would have a better understanding of the means by which the diverse forms, now contained in the family Cypraeidae. have evolved from a single remote ancestral group very far in the past. To achieve this knowledge, precise information is needed for collec-. tors on the local habitats of species. 1 - Precise locality, 2 - % Date, time of day, state, of the tide, 3 - List of species in the lo- cality, U - Lengths of all shells collected, 5 - Habitat of each species, i.e., 5 specimens under dead coral, 3 under stones. 6 - approximate number of live specimens seen of each species, 7 - Depth, or position of each species in the intertidal zone. Page 7 In the latter case, the best way is to make a rough sketch of the beach, showing high and low tide levels, and indicating the heights between. Either plot on it, the area in which each specie was found, or indicate where each specie was plentiful, rare or absent. Egg- masses - were they found? What species were on them? HUNTING CYPRAEA ON THE FLORIDA KEYS The cypraea is one shell that is easier to find at night. So most trips were made from 9:00 P.M* on into the morning. We would take two motors - one large and one small - to use after we got to th shelling places. We would go to the Tom’s Harbor landing, put the « boat in, then go all around the little islands, using lights from a battery. With long poles and the small motor, Ivan would back the motor along and I would keep the boat in close to the rocks. We had a long pole with a small net on it and when we would spy a cypraea, would use that to dip them up with* We found all the real large cypraea cervus we have at this place* Also we found the cypraea tebre (Linne) at the same time. It was always the darkest night, and ag- round 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning when we could find theta. We had a pot we had bought in Mexico, with a lid, that we used to keep them in. They would crawl all over the boat and leave it real slimy if we did not keep them in the pot. Sometimes the tide would be running so strong we could hardly keep the boat close to the shore. When we took another couple, it was so much easier - one to run the motor, one to keep the front of the boat in close, and one to keep the lid on the Sot - so they did not get away - and one to dip them from the water, ne night we were coming in, real late, maybe close to 3:00. - dark as could be - and Ivan ran onto a sand bar - and we had to get out and pull it off into deeper water. But the water was always warm, so was such fun. On our way in, along the bank, the fishermen turned on their lights. They did not want us to come too close and get tangled in their lines. It looked like a small city when they heard us com- • ing, and turned lights on along the bridges. It was a challenge to find the right opening to get to the car. At night they all look the same, so we had to be carful and, believe it or not, only missed the opening maybe every third time we went out to shell. We went about 15 miles from our trailer park to get to this shelling place. There are places to launch your boat all along the Florida Keys, and most of them are free launchings. We loved it so well we went to Florida from 1956 until 1967 every year, for the winter. Helen Thompson AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS POLYPUS BIMACULATUS - "PUSS" By Barbara Good "Puss" is a small - very opinionated - Polypus bimaculatus (octupus)* with a personality which required more individual recognition, so nov identified for this, writing as "Pusa”, Page 8 Puss’s principle residence is the Pacific Ocean, but he (she?) temp- orarily resides in my salt water aquarium. In it is a large Murex princeps. which serves as a temporary abode. Puss is quite content, so far as one can tell, except when the urge to hunt or eat besets him. Either - or maybe both - causes him to leave the Murex Princeps and stalk the entire aquarium for prey. Hermit crabs are his easiest targets. He literally ’gobbles* them, nr matter how many are placed in the tank. When the hermits are exhaust- ed he attacks anything alive that doesn’t move too fast. Limpets are easy prey for him. A small clam that he has attacked several times continues to defy him. The clam apparently is not subject to avoid ’Puss’ but recently has hidden in the sand to avoid the constant in- volvement. (My research on the remains as I felean the aquarium in- dicates that Polypus bimaculatus do actually drill a shell to with- draw the food therefrom. ) As already indicated. Puss has his way! Recently my son provided fresh abalone for the household. Naturally, I wanted to share with ’Puss’. When I pushed it into the hole left by the loss of the oper- culum in the Murex princeps he not only refused the delicacy but pur- posely removed it from his immediate surroundings. He moved it as far away from his abode as space would allow. • Later, I was watching him as he roamed the tank looking for some ac- tion. As all the hermit crabs were eliminated and the limpets were in scarce supply, I offered him my finger. It was something new, and apparently he did not like it. I followed him probing and pushing. Indignant at this treatment, he proceeded to crawl out of the tank, over the floor looking for his true home - the Pacific Ocean. Again my son came to the rescue — recovered him and returned ’Puss’ to the aquarium. We then installed a cover, which allegedly will retain ’Puss’ in his present quarters. My observation of ’Puss’ indicates there are many mollusks that Poly- pus bimaculatus will not attack. There are several Cypraea spadicea as well as Mitra idae which ’Puss’ carefully avoids. He did attack a small Ceratastoma nuttalli which I rescued. In checking back, I determined he had not had any hermit crabs or limpets for over a week. Obviously, it was hunger - not just the hunting instinct at work. As much time and difficulties that I am having with ’Puss’, my family and I now recognize him as he would desire - as an individual of a species. MINI MINUTES Treasurer’s report - $362.00. New book ’The Living Cowry’ for sale to members at 20$ discount from Art West, Regular price $30.00 - discount - $24.00. Waneta Ames won shell drawing. Membership voted to continue paper - most agreed to contribute articles. SAN DIEGO SHELL CLU FOUNDED 1961 a INCORPORATED 1968 fluseum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. I August 1970 No, ; * Next Regular Meeting — August 20, 7 00 P.M. * j ❖ ! * Twila Bratcher - Terebridae * * Dave Mulliner Slides of WSM Meeting and Shell Auction i * I * Publication Address: ; * Virginia Hanselman, 5&1$ Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 92122 MARINE MAMMALS THEIR CAPTURE, CARE AND TRAINING Dr. David W. Kenney, our speaker July 16, has a very special job in a rory special place. He is vice president and veterinarian of Sea 1 rid. There just aren’t very many like places, though their number 13 increasing. He mentioned briefly a few of the whale species - the largest of all, the blue whale, a museum model 80 feet long, pictured. They average * 2 tons of weight to each foot of length. The largest ever captured 1 was 120 feet long. Let’s see, that’s 240 tons - times 2000 - 480,000 I pound si A Baleen whale - as big as 2, 400 200-pound people.’ The California gray whale is also a Baleen whale. With the Baleen, he utilizes the plankton but, swimming with his mouth open, he also gath- ers in many larger creatures, - as do all Baleens. The killer whale, bl-- black with sharply-defined white side-marking and white belly* a toothed whale (a dolphin) with canine teeth intevH ■* tally spaced. An adult killer whale is 26 to 28 feet long. _ T h n r a .1 SO killer, uha 1 a _ jja.. Ja.1 . Lr. . . f.in/-iL ». ; V. ^ u i - i i vj Page 2 'he Beluga whale of the Artie Seas, 10 to 20 feet long, is a Dolphin, torn dark gray or almost black, he becomes white, as an adult and is cnown as the "white whale". /hales, being air breathers, usually have their noses (blow-holes) on ;op of their heads, though there are a few exceptions where the nose .s on the front of the snout. A nose detail, on a slide, showed the iivision of true nostrils. 3ea World is interested in the capture of whales, seals, elephant seals, dolphins. Capture is a fascinating sequence of maneuvers. Con- :raptions vary from simple nets and squares of plywood to vast nets and cradles. Big boats and fair-sized ships, helicopters are hunters. Dolphins, they catch (after they have t ranquilized them) with a net on a long pole. Attached to the trailing net is a hundred pound barrel, after the dolphin has pulled the barrel until he admits defeat, he is swung aboard and placed in a canvas cradle where he is kept wet, to . •{ » a Page 4 t was a most enjoyable show with many fine exhibits and we spent iours pouring over the wonders displayed there. In one large room rere housed the many categories of shell exhibits, aquaria, and photo- ;raphy. Around the perimeter of the room were sales tables with every- thing from cocktail napkins with shell motifs to shells for sale, >ooks, shell pictures and shell jewelry (most beautifully done by our >wn Donna Snell ) . in a separate room were the shells displayed for the auction on Satur- lay afternoon. Conus gloriamaris, Cypraea aurantium and Mur ex a r.gu s ,/ere among the choice items shown. Most of these valuable shells were tagged with minimum bids. We observed one of the top sales of the day /hen Mur ex argus (yellow form) was sold for $250. - its minimum bid. Je found the exhibits of most interest. I think Jules and I felt that Le Roy Pooman?s "The Study of TIuclei and Growth Series" one of the ■lost fascinating. Imagine seeing a minute Xenophora. no LAftger than a, i^rain of sand and in the accompanying photograph, realizing that this tiny animal had already attached its first equally minute pebble? 4ary Ricaud?s exhibit entitled ,TMexican Sea Treasures" was an encyclo- pedic display of shells of the West Coast of the Americas. Her co- llection included not only rare specimens but also exceptionally fine specimens of the many shells displayed in her three cases. I was intrigued also with Faye Howard ?s exhibit, "How Are Shells Born?" It was a small display showing a Cantharus macrospira 'with egg cases under a strong glass. The viewer was able to see the tiny shells (usually three to a capsule) about to erupt from the egg capsuless fastened to the adult shell. Trophies were awarded to the following: Best Live Exhibit to Stephen Newswanger of Santa Barbara for his exceptional aquarium. Best Shell of the Show to Laurence Thomas of Morro Bay for the most magnificent Pleurot omaria rumphii . Best West Coast/Local Exhibit to Mary Ricaud for her previously men- tioned display. Best Exhibit of the Show to Le Roy Poorman for his previously mentioned exhibit. Best Exhibit of Shell Photography to Richard Walty of Santa Barbara for a slide of Flabellinopsis iodinea . Best Exhibit by a Junior Member to Steve Walters of Lompoc, Calif, for his display of World Wide Cowries. Many other exhibits won ribbons in other categories and were most interesting. We were completely captivated -by the Santa Barbara Shell Show and returned to San Diego eager to v/ork -on one of our own. ■ SOME UNUSUAL EXCHANGES ruga 5 by Clifton L. Martin Trading shells of this area for those from other areas is perhaps the greatest factor involved in the growth of most collections. It may be of interest to know that trading shells is by no means a recent devel- opment on this coast. In his publication, California Abalones, Family Haliotidae, Keith W. Cox relates that there was a flourishing abalone fishery on the California coast perhaps as far back as 7, LOG years ago. Further, quoting Brand, 193 8, he states, "abalone shells, frag- ments and artifacts have been recovered from prehistoric grave ruins in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and southwest Colorado and are in the remains of all cultures from the Basket Makers to the Pueblo C-ldfi Dwellers. Abalone ornaments found in Basket Maker graves are an esti- mated 1,500 years old." He further states that the shells carried eastward on the northern trade route were mostly abalone shells and according to Ives, 1961, have been recovered in numerous sites east cf the Mississippi. Since barter was the generally accepted system of ex- change used by the American Indians it would be interesting to know just what was received in return for those shells. It is only when the collector exchanges other things, which have a commercial value, that the true 'spirit of a. shell collector stands forth in all it’s glory. Only another collector could possibly under- stand why some of the more spectacular trades were made and I am afraid the outsider would label us all as being a bit strange. Such adver- tisements as the following,, which appeared in a hobbyist’s magazine a few years ago seem almost normal when compared to other trades that have been made. The advertisement stated; PIGEONS. Will swap pigeons for Florida sea shells. Most of us know about the trade Phil Clover made in which he exchanged an automobile for a Cypraea teramachii Kuroda. At the time the trade was made there were less than twenty known specimens of Cypraea tera- machii in the world. Incidentally, one of them, according to Phil’s article in the Hawaiian Shell News for October 1962, was in the collec- tion of Anthony DAttilio. Cypraea teramachii is still an extremely rare species and, due to the different type of trawls now being used, may never become more plentiful. It is a very rare occasion when a new specimen is found. In the summer of 1962 we received an unusual request in a letter from a collector in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, with whom w had been trading shells for about a year. He had bought at auction a twelve cylinder Packard automobile that had been taken to Australia by one of our Consular officials just before World War II. The car was badly in need of repair and the necessary parts were not available in Australia. He asked us to see if they could be gotten in America. Since the Packard Company was no longer in existence when we got the letter and, in any case, had not made their twelve cylinder model since he promised that we would be well paid in shells if we could get the parts and send them to him, we decided to see what could be done. Our first contact was with a former Packard dealer who had been in that business until Packs"'1 quit making cars. He gave us the address of an antique auto-parfca r- .--xer in El Monte (a suburb of Los Angeles) who i ' Page 6 In ad bought the factory warehouse stock of Packard parts and might have gotten some of the twelve cylinder parts as well. [Fortunately, they had the parts we wanted and because they had bought [them at liquidation prices, we were able to get them at less than a [third of their original Catalog list price. The dealer included a ^Packard Twelve Service manual free. Needless to say, we had the parts on their way to Australia as quickly as possible. In a few weeks we received an air parcel which contained, among other i things, a nice growth series of three Volutoconus bednalli (Brazier). The largest specimen being 98.5 mm. and the smallest being 67 mm. Shortly after receiving them we traded the second largest specimen to the late Everett Stiles of Bellingham, Washington, for an extra large specimen ot Arctomelon stearnsi (Dali), I hope this will encourage those of you who have made unusual trades to write about them for future issues of The Festivus. Undoubtedly, some of you, especially those who have been stationed in the western Pacific, have some interesting accounts of how you got those goodies in your collections. WSM MEETING by Dave Mulliner The 1970 conference of the Western Society of Malocologists was held on the campus at Stanford University. Dr. A. Myra Keen, president, presided over the three-day meeting. Among the 108 who attended were people from Japan, New York, Washington, Arizona and California. Scientific papers were presented covering many fields. "Paleoclimati c History of the Pacific Margin" by Dr. Warren Addicott, "The Spread of the Giant African Snail to the Continental U.S." by Dr. Albert Mead, "Boring Shells Penetrating into Volcanic Rocks'* by Dr. Koichiro Musuda (Japan), "Notes on Generic Names and Placement in the Muricacea and Buccinacea" by Dr. George Radwin, "The Intritacalx, A Previously Un- investigated Surface Layer of Some Muricid Gastropod Shells" by Mr. Anthony D?Attilio, and many other interesting papters. A symposium was given on Nudibranchs, with Dr. David Franz and Mr. Richard Roller as co-chairmen. After the Symposium, an informal slide show and discussion was held in the Serra Lounge, Mr. Larry Harris stole the slide show with the spectacular and beautiful Nudibranchs’ he had photographed on the Barrier Reef, Australia - all, as yet, unnamed. Dr. Eugene Coan chaired a symposium on "Advance atics; A Survey of New Theory and Practice". in Molluscan System- The Shell Auction was held Wednesday evening with Tony D'Attilio as auctioneer. Many beautiful and specimen shells were bought by the lucky bidders. A field trip to the California Fish and . Game Commission and the Geo- logical Survey was excellent. The ecological balance between the ' 7 man must keep his hands off. The commercial oyster industry using spat imported from Japan was explained. The tour through the Geology Sections was most interesting, with fossil shells from many sites a- ! long- the coast and inland on display. ^ ; Saturday noon the last good-byes were said. We headed for home, back in by the coast. We spent the night at Steve Long’s home in Pismo Beach. He showed us many slides of Nudibranchs from the Pismo Beach area. The next morning, as we walked along the beach, we; picked up a few Velella from the high tide line but we found no Janthina at' all.. . Dr. Coan, as the 1970-71 president of the WSM, has asked the San Diego Shell Club to be the host at Asilomar for the June 1971 conference. The San Diego Shell Club has accepted the invitation. A GOOD DAY’S DIVE Nola Michel Diving is always an interesting experience. Some dives are just "sightseeing11 as far as collecting is concerned. Others are fantastic collecting opportunities, as was the one we were on last weekend. We were up early and at our buddy’s house. Soon the truck was loaded with two more divers and their gear, headed for the boat in the Mission Bay area. Diving is heavy work, requiring loading ’'unteen” tanks, wetsuits, weight belts, gasoline tanks, boat cushions, etc., etc., from truck to beach and boat. And after wearing yourself out diving, you still have to haul it up the beach, and home, then clean it and any "booty" obtained. On this day we were out off Pt. Loma and suited up ready to "fall overboard" at 10 am. I was the first in the water and promptly announced it was cold, wet and there was lousy visibility. The kelp cutter had just been through the area, so we decided to go to .the bottom and see if the visibility was any better there. It was. There was about 25 ft. which is good in our waters. I was buddying with my husband John. First time in ages, since he’d been overseas for some months. We had decided that we were going to thoroughly "pick apart" (look very carefully) one small area for shells. Right at the bottom of the anchor line (65 ft.) was a likely looking pile of rocks. A quick look revealed several "scars" where red abalon' had recently been removed. The commercial Ab divers had been here toe We began our minute inspection and soon had in vials the nudibranchs,- Hermissenda crassicornis and Diaulula Sandiegensis. for occupancy in our salt water aquarium. Also seen were Dendrodoris f ulva . I also picked up a small A strea undosa to feed to the Murex £ rom~ the Gulf residing in my aquarium. A short time later I found an A strea gibbe- rosa . Also taken on this tank of air were several Amphissa vericolcr. John found a lovely pair of something we couldn’t even put it in a . family without a book. So we were puzzled until we looked in Jim McLean’s book, 1rMarine Shells of So. Calif.". We found it is in the family Turridae, Megasurcula stearnsiana . These shells were found in the sand near the rocks- me fully exposed, the other, half buried. The shell is buff -eP10refi > with brown color bands - the animal is a vKl lOW e.O 1 mr mi hh. m l nutr ia Page o Long before our tank of air was consumed we were numbed with cold, as £ had forgotten my woolen sweater to wear under my wet suit and John aad grown used to the warm water in WESPAC. We came up shivvering, after a half hour in the 55 degrees water. It is always that cold below the thermocline. After 4 5 minutes and two candy bars we were //arm enough to try again. V/e had such good luck that we decided to try the same area again. This dive John found a Murex, Pteropurpura aacroptera, I had found one on the first tank, so that gave us a nice fair . Also taken were three abalone. Two turned out to be Halioti s assimilis and one H. sorenseni , V/e also took home three Cypraea [soadicea for the aquarium. When we arrived home we placed all the small animals in the aquaria. After we had cleaned us and our gear and had a bite to eat we looked I at them again. One of the Megasurcula had already disappeared under the sand. The other hadn’t moved. Then suddenly he (she?) reached forward and down with the front part of the foot and made a forward and descending jerk. About two minutes and 10^"jerks” later only the spite of the shell showed. This animal seems to stay in that position in the tank and 'the other is always hidden under the sand. It surely was a good day’s dive and I just had to tell you all about it COME TO THE "OKAZU" (JAPANESE LUAU ) IN SEPTEMBER (If you have any Oriental items that can be used as decorations - not fragile or precious - please offer to Nola Michel - NOV/ - so their use can be planned. Call 27B-90B3). MINI MINUTES Minutes accepted for June 1$. Treasurer’s report $420.00. V/inner of shell drawing, Carole Hertz. Voted to send $25.00 to Dr. Stohler for- the Veliger. Voted to host V/SM at Asilomar, June ’71. Voted to buy Weaver and Dupont’s "Living Volutes". .'lev/ Members: Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Browning and Family 603 San Vincente Blvd. San Diego, Calif. 92114 Phone: ' 463-6712 INCORPORATED 1968 SAN DIEGO FOUNDED 1961 o seum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol* I September 1970 No. 9 # # # if if if if sjc iji if xjc # 3^ if if if >r :|c s;c s[c ;'c i,f :;c if :;c if 3[c 3,'r 5^ if 3,'c 3|c if r Of O* »l. COME TO THE OKAZU (WITH RICE) * * * * * * ❖ Date: Friday, September 18, 1970 Place Time: Happy Hour 6:30 P.M. Dinner later Dress ( if if if if if if 3|; if ;|c Directional map with "Bringems if ;J; if i.'c if 3|c if if if 3*: j|o^ if ;|c >Jc >1; if if s;« if if i - if >[; if sj: rr : Hertz Oriental Gardens* 3883 Mt. Blackburn Ave# San Diego * : Your best Oriental * Finery * on last page) * if ;;; if if 3,'c 3;; jjc sjc if ifif if if if if 3|c 3|c if if if if 3^ sjc PATTERNS IN CONUS TEXTILE AND OMARI A COMPLEXES by Anthony D’Attilio Although much has been written on the problems of the taxonomic rela- tionship of certain Conus groups, no attempt has been made as far as this writer knows to study the characteristic color patterns and de- signs. Two groups will be here described and illustrated with the object of making certain relationships apparent. It is hoped that this will be of use to amateur collectors who are confused by the multipli- city of names encountered when dealing with what may well be only a . few polymorphic species. No conclusions are to be drawn, however, as to the ultimate specific validity of these names without including essential data drawn from the broadest possible study of the total animal, a task well beyond the scope of this paper. * PART I: TEXTILE GROUP Page 2 The first group to be dealt with is Conus textile Linne, and those species and varieties which partake closely of the same pattern scheme. The common form of Conus textile found throughout the Indo-Pacif ic, on the basis of color and design, will be found in detail to look like Figure 1. There are, as can readily be seen, two motifs in this illus- tration, These are modified from specimen to specimen throughout its range. Figure la shows the motif of triangular markings and Figure lb shows the second motif. In general these two motifs are interwoven over the entire shell in the majority of specimens. The extreme ex- amples would be shells having only motif la or lb over the complete shell, A large series of specimens from the t;htire range would show all combinations of these characters up to both extremes. Undiscri- minating students might find such forms tempting for the creation of new names, especially when such examples are found in conjunction with variations in spire height, degree of obesity, and angularity of shoulder. Another character in the pattern development of Conus textile is the tendency of this design to arrange itself in spiral bands, A stylized rendition of this banding is shown in Figure 2. This banding is modi- fied at times even on individual shells, so that one side of the shell is only poorly banded while the reverse side is well marked. A further modification, and one responsible perhaps for a number of specific names, is the size of the two basic motifs in proportion to the size of the shell. At times, for reasons best known to Nature herself, the white triangular markings are all of very small size and the general tone of the shell thereby also becomes relatively dark, due to the greater proportion of brown that outlines the white markings. Such shells are in addition sometimes flushed with a grey-blue color adding to their darkness. Whether due to ecologic or other conditions not understood, colonies of such shells may live in areas inhabited at the same time by more typical populations. Melvill's arrangement of the Conus complex under discussion is pertin- ent* (Melvill, Revision of Textile Cones, Journal of Conchology, IX, pp. 305, 310. ) Although it does not necessarily coincide with the writer1 2 3 s opinion in detail, it should be studied for one possible way of understanding the interrelationships. A word of necessary warning that cannot be too often expressed is to remember that the names here used are to be considered valid only when proven to be the original author's concept of that species, and this is possible only be a com- parison of the original types. It is more than probable that no student has yet checked all these names against types and therefore, all names here used are to be accepted only provisionally as the author's species. Group III, TEXTILIA of Melvill 's subgenus Cylinder Montfort is broken down into three separate subgroups as shown below: (a) Conus textile Linne 1. tigrinus Sow. 2. vicarius Lam. 3. verriculur oeve A. con cate- Lc 5. scriptus Sow. 6. canonicus Hwas3-Brug, ener 7. condensus Sow. 8. dalli Stearns Bj Page '3 (b) Conus abbas Hwass-Brug. *• Panniculus Lam. var„- Textilinus Kiener corbula Sow. var. eutrios Sow. " archaepiscopus. Hwass-Brug, lf victoriae Reeve var. complanatus Sow. 11 cholmondeleyi Melvill ” prevosti Sow. (c) Conus pyramidalis Lam. var. convolutus Sow. .gloriamaris Chem. w legatus Lam. paulucciae Sov;. ” telatus Tieeve PATTERNS IN CONUS TEWTI.T E 3 • VW ■ Figure 1 b Color of motif Figure 1 a: White background, markings are delineated with brown lines. Color of motif Figure 1 b? Wavy axial lines sometimes more faintly crossed by spiral lines. These lines are of the same brown color as those defining the white markings in the previous fig. A lighter shade of the same brown color forms the ground color of the shell wherever the pattern of. fig. 1 b is dominant. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 2 shows the two motifs arranged in a more regular banded. pattern with sporadic white markings floating across the intervening areas of axial wavy streaks. Figure 3 The white markings are shown here reduced to small size and turning at times into almost parallel zigzag lines. Al- though see- to imitate the character of motif in fig. 1 a ~ — — ----- - • -r~- - •- - : Page 4 PART II: THE OMARIA-PENNACEUS COMPLEX Collectors have frequently lumped together all their difficulties in unraveling the "Tent cones", as though there were little to distinn guish the Textile from the Omaria series or for that matter the Mar- moreus complex. If their style of color and ornamentation is studied however, it becomes apparent that there can be no mistaking the larger groupings. Nonetheless, once these "species" have been separated into difinite groups, tao real difficulties become apparent. As relative size and shape cf the shell afford the only distinguishing basis for species differentiation among many of the textile cones, so the same can be said of the ^maria series. If anything, specific characters in the latter group are more fluid and intergradation even more marked among many if not all species. A diagnosis of the ornamentation of these shells discloses the follow- ing: The body color is typically a rich red to yellow brown; varia*- tions occur and individuals may have a fairly light brown, orange, or golden color. Since dead shells, normally brown when alive, fade to a golden color after lying exposed on tropical beaches, none. but live collected material should be used for study purposes. All the "species" in this series have the body whorl encircled with what might be described as narrow fillets. These fillets are, as here illustrated, decorated with white and dark alternate dashes or dot and dash, to which the application of the word "necklace" might be equally as well applied. These fillets may be slightly or strongly raised from the surface; they may be very apparent as a rich ornamentation, or very obscure and visible only under magnification. ... Further ornamentation consists of white trigonal markings which are sometimes relatively large and scattered loosely over the shell; in other species these markings are small, gathering themselves into spiral bands or diagonal chains. At times in addition some of these trigonal markings substitute for some of the white dots or dashes on the fillets. A series of such trigonal dots on the fillets may gradually increase in size spirally in the direction of shell growth and then scatter over the shell. (Figure 1, much enlarged.) Other characters noted: ‘ . 1. The fillets do , not appear on the spire of the shell although the white trigonal markings do occur there, 2. The trigonal markings are mostly uncolobdd, but in one species the white is partially shaded with a darker violet gray (Conus praelatus Hwass Bruguiere). > The ornamentation of the> above enumerated, forms undergoes many varia- tions. Nature always has her many little surprises, and here it is well to be on watch for clever and subtle variations. To give an example, in such wide spread areas as' 'Hawaii ’ and Mozambique, two species inhabiting these waters demonstrate similar variations. Al- though not exceptionally difficult ..to. describe and illustrate, the actual shells must be studied to realize the transformation that the design elements above described undergo. The trigonal markin '-ecome extremely small and crowded; the fillets, usually well. 8«para w are almost touching; and the whole resem- 1rHo" n r'^ rinp threads running horizontally or - ' Page ' 5 As previously indicated, there is no attempt here to evaluate the spe- cific validity of these forms. The attempt is rather to make rela- tionships clearer and to facilitate the division of the more complex groups . MelvilL’s (see "NOTES*’ No. 59) proposed classification of this complex is as follows " (a) EPISCOPI Conns epi scopus Hwass omaria Hwass 1. pennaceus Born 2. rubiginosus Hwass 3. magoides Melvill 4. marmori color Mel. 5. madagascarensi s Sow. Conus praelatus Hwass elisae Kiener (?) aulicus Linne 1. propendus 'Melvill (?) auratus Hwass magnificus Reeve (b) CROCATI Conus colubrinus Lamarck crocatus Lam. racemosus Sowerby The position of the (b) crocati group would be difficult to understand due to the extreme scarcity of any specimens for study. In addition. Conus stellatus Kiener should be added to the (a) EPISCOPI r In conclusion, two additional names should be considered? 1. Conus aureus Hwass-Brug. The distinctive color pattern and form relate this species closest to the textile series. The strong close set raised striae are nonetheless specifically distinctive. 2. Conus auricomus Hwass-Brug. Superficially resembles some forms of auratus or aulicus but is readily distinguished from any species in Melvill 9 s EPISCOPI by a com-' plete lack of any color or ornamentation on the strong revolving striae. Relationship between C. aulicus Linne and C. auratus Hwass and the other species of Melvill’ s ‘’EPISCOPI" is doubtful. I (The change in our scheduled program for August has a s,Pain-Fullw ex- planation. Tv/ila Bratcher has been having trouble with her back. Still unable to be upright for any length of time, she considered traveling ambulance- le in their station wagon to keep her promise to us-, but we soiilci rmt. accept such sacrifice. . ' Page 6 Tony D'Attirio came- to -the rescue with the above presentation, for which we thank him, very much.. We hope that Twila, fully recovered, will be able to come in October) SHE IX ENG NEAR LA PAZ, ’■ \ Roland Taylor As we have all repeatedly experienced,, moll-usks tend to disappear with the encroachment of so-called civilization! Licenciado Luis Echeveria A. has guaranteed Baja California a paved highway from Ensenada to the Cabo by 1973. However, lon^ before . this, the devastating influx of the "Gringo" shelle'rs have 'covered the area from La Paz to the Cabo with fine-tooth combs and scuba equipment. It is therefore surprising to find, within easy reach by a standard vehicle, any moilusks whatsoever in this area. January 19, 1970 found us at afternoon low tide at Balandra, some four miles beyond Pichilingue, which is 11 miles below La Paz. The beach here slopes gradually, and as the tide recedes there are some 300 yards of beach exposed. The beach is in a cove with rock areas on 'both sides. In the shallows were giant needlefish and small octopi and in the rock area, one or two fairly large Conus princeps Linnaeus. In the sand, fairly high up, were Polinices bifasciatus (Gray ) , Tots of Sanguinolaria nuttali. a few Cassis centiquadrataj Valenciennes, to- gether with Terebra variegata Gray, and T, specillata Hinds. There were some Oliva polpasta Duclos. January 21, 1970 found us below Punta Coyote, and there in lava forma- tions, we found Cypraea annettae Dali, Conus nux Broderip, C, brunneus Wood, and to our surprise, 2 specimens of Cypraea isabella-mexicana Stearns, which have normally been reported from offshore islands, .with an. occasional report from the mainland. V . « January 22, 1970, “wg returned to a beach where the year previous,, we had found a profusion of Strombus qracilior Sowerby; and to our sur- prise, since this beach is between Pichilingue and La Paz, and dir- ectly bn the paved road, we found probably a thousand S. gracilior and a few S, granulatus Swainson. Of course, we took only a very few and sincerely hope that those who find the area subsequently, are also conser vat ion -minded . DISCOVERY By Barbara W. Myers It was a sparkling December day, 1967 and John and I were snorkeling off La Jolla Shores. The ocean was alsmot flat calm and visibility about thirty to fourty feet. At a depth of about fifteen feet, we observed many more rays and starfish than usual. Also noted several Polinices recluzianus, Nassarius fossatus and N, perpinguis. I spotted severaT specimens of an unusual egg case floating on the bottom, jelly- like, about five qn. long and about three fourths in. in diameter. page 7 As we swam out into deeper water, we found these egg cases attached to the bottom and the deeper we went the more plentiful they were. Then incredibly, I saw what I knew instantly was a squid, although I had never before seen one except in pictures. The mollusk seemed to be trying to dig itself into the sandy bottom. It was hard to believe my eyes as I had always read that they were extremely elusive and possessed of amazing swimming speed. Yet here were several of these creatures, as we hovered over them, just apparently digging in the sand. That they saw us there could be no doubt — their eyes were large and fixed on us. About ten in. to a foot long they were of a pearly irridescence . Out deeper in the canyon there were masses of them. I brought home four of them thinking to watch them in my acquarium, but they did not survive more then a couple of hours. As I ran my finger up and down the body, color dots would appear in a changeable pattern. They were soft and fragile. We later learned they were Loliga ooalescens. The females were in the act of depositing the egg cases on the sandy bottom. Both the male and female die after spawning and the eggs hatch within 35 days. They come from the deep ocean to spawn in depths between thirty to 60 ft. BOOK NEWS Recently, many members of the San Diego Shell Club have shown increased interest in microscopic shells, some no larger than a grain of sand. There are many reasons for this interest, but perhaps the best is the beauty and delicacy to be found in these tiny shells. Searching through grunge is painstaking, but the reward is often great. A good hand lens is a necessity, if a microscope is not available. Photo- graphing these shells is also very rewarding, since some of the re- sults can be breathtaking. The collector of microscopic shells is often deterred by the lack of sources for identification. Books specifically devoted to minute shells of the Western USA or the Panamic region are sorely needed. However, Shell Club members have many soft covered pamphlets dealing with various families of microscopic shells available to them in the Shell Club library. Although very old, these pamphlets and papers • offer hours of interesting reading. In addition, they offer a source of identification. Some of these pamphlets are listed below: "New Mollusks of the Family Vitrinellidae from the West Coast of America” by Paul Bartsch, 1907 "Descriptions of New Mollusks of the Family Vitrinellidae from the West Coast of America" by Paul Bartsch, 1911 "The West American Mollusks of the Genus Triphoris" by Paul ■ Bartsch, 1907 "Summary of the Marine Shellbearing Mollusks of the Northwest Coast of America from San Diego, California to the Polar sea. Mostly Contained in the Collection of the United States National Museum, With Illustrations of Hitherto Unfigured Species" by William Healey Dali, 1921 "The Pyramidellid Mollusks of the Oregonian Faunal Area" by William Healey Dali and Paul Bartsch, 1907 "Notes on Japane- Indopacific, and American Pyramidellidae" by William Heal a-- . .and Paul Bartsch, 1906 Letter from "Rudi" Page 8 .August* 25, 1970 Mrs. Carole Hertz San Diego Shell ‘ Club San Diego, Calif. Dear Madame President: Please convey my sincere thanks to the members of the San Diego Shell Club for their most recent generous donation to the Veliger. As you all know, all contributions are ’’put to work” by placing them in the Endowment Fund. This fund is irrevocably dedicated for-. the purpose of helping ’defray expenses of producing the Veliger. Some- times, the income from the fund can be used to pay for the cost of some illustrations, which normally should be paid by the author, or in other ways to help an author whose financial situation is not very affluent. If no such need is present, the income can be used to help keep the membership dues at their low level. Thus, the contributions from the San Diego Shell Club are most helpful, not only once,, but they will keep on being helpful in all the years to come, as. long* as the Veliger may continue. And, should ever the Veliger cease-, then the funds will be used for scholarships. -r . ' ' Again, on behalf of the Veliger, my wannest "thank you all", to the Club and many personal thanks for the friendship the- many members have - given me. Sincerely yours, Rudolf Stohler , ANOTHER STANDARD HAS FALLEN Clifton L. Martin Throughout the history of shell collecting there have been many stand- ards established by which other shells have been judged. When consid- ering new specimens for our collections we all have standards of size, color, perfection etc. by which we judge a shell before it is added to our collection. These standards are usually arbitrary and 'will vary from one collector to another. Sometimes -they will vary from one locality to another. For example, we would not expect a Conus leopar- dus found on the Great Barrier Reef or from the Philippines to be as large as the gigantic specimens found in Hawaiian waters. There are also 'standards that have been universally accepted, such as the type specimens designated by authors when a new species has been described and named* These are the standards by which a. .species is judged and, of course, are not arbitrary and they do not change. Page 9 Among other standards that have become universally accepted, more or less, are those pertaining to rarity. We often hear the rarity of a shell being compared to that of Cypraea aurantium. or to some other ' ' very rare shell. In this way Cypraea aurantium~Tias become a standard of rarity. One shell that was a standarcT~of ' extreme rarity 'for almost ■ a century was the ’’Precious Wentletrap”, Epitonium scalare, On those rare occasions when one was offered for sale during ~t Hi s~Tong period the price was far beyond the means of any but the most wealthy collec- tors. Many articles have been written about the fabulous prices paid for them. However, in the early years of the nineteenth century Epitonium scalare began to appear in ever increasing numbers and it became apparent that it was neither especially rare or very limited in range. It1’ was no longer useful as a standard of extreme rarity and today it is seen in almost all collections. Many other shells were used as standards of extreme rarity after Epitonium scalare was toppled from the throne. Many of these did not become established as standards beyond the area of their habitat. Others, such as Scaphella junonia achieved much wider recognition but did not hold the~positTon long because of the frequency of new finds. Many others had their day or two of fame and were retired from the contest . Then, almost miraculously, another standard began to gain universal Acceptance. Conus gloriamaris was described by Chemnitz in 1777 and more than a century later,' in 1387, there were only twelve known specimens in the entire world. New ones were found only on extremely rare occasions and as recently as 1961 an eminent British malacologist estimated that there were only twenty-five specimens known to exist. When we heard a shell’s rarity being compared to that of Conus gloria- mar i s we knew the shell was extremely rare. There was some speculation prior to 1957 that Conus gloriamaris may have become extinct. Then in 1957 a single specimerTwas found off Corregidor Island, in the mouth of Manila Bay, in the Philippines. It was collected alive and was the first authenticated find in more than sixty years. Six years later, in 1963, the discovery of two nev; specimens was announced to the world at Rabaulp New Britian, in the Trust Territory of New Guinea. These two shells were found by native divers and since that time this area has produced an ever increasing number of them. When Van Nostrand’s Standard Catalog of Shells, second edition, was published in 1967 there were severity known specimens in the world. From the twenty-five specimens known in 1961 the number has steadily increased until today, less than a decade later, there are pershps ten times that number. It is very doubtful if any reliable data exists as to the exact number of specimens there are today but it will cer- - tainly exceed two hundred and may be much more than that. So our standard of extreme rarity has fallen. What will take it’s place? Will it be another cone shell? There are several of them that are rarer than Conus gloriamaris was at the turn of the century. Or will the new standira pe’ a Cypraea, or a Voluta, or a Murex, or what? All of these have likely candidates for the position. One thing is for sure, it will be an extremely rare shell and will be distinctive enough to have universal appeal. Judging from the past it will also have certain 3ize 15 tations and will be neither very small or very large but fit w«. the collector’s cabinet. . ' ' - Page 10 Until the new one is found we will have to go back to the hodge-podg of miscellaneous shells 'of extreme rarity for our own' personal standards. Out of this melting-pot will probably emerge the new • monarch. However, it too will have a reign of_ limited duration and will eventually be toppled from the throne. MINI MINUTES Tony D’Attilio graciously substituted for Twila' as speaker and Dave Mulliner showed slides of the Shell Auction and the WMS meeting. Mini minutes for July 16th accepted. Treasurer’s Report was still $420.00! Billee Dilworth and Betty Baker volunteered cookies for next regular meeting. Kay Taylor won shell. - I THE SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. I October 1970 Mo „ 10 a i'f. a >;< ;|c ;|c SJ; ;|c ;,'c ;|c ;|c ;|c sjc ;|c ;|c ;|c ;|c ;|c ;]c Wc :|c ifo'c s|c ;;c ;Jc ;|c sjt sjc jJ.- ']< sft PROGRAM FOR OCTOBER 15 Terebridae: Twila Bratcher * Surprise Slides: Dave Mulliner * * Publication Address: * * Virginia Hanselmar., 5813 Tulane St., San Diego, Ca. 92122 ■:« >\z s[< sjc 5|t ;,'c ;|c s|e -c ;|; jjs ;Js s|< >|c ij; ;|t >|c i|c sj; ;,’c r!c i.'c :|c ;|c :|c ;[< ;Jc >;< ;[c sjc i,'c ;|c >'z ;,'c :|c THE ,?0KAZU" The club’s "OKAZU", held at Jules & Carole Hertz Oriental Gardens on Friday evening. Sept. 18th, was an ichiban success. Softly lighted Japanese lanterns hung from the trees, and the Gardens were very fes- tive with their Oriental decorations. There was even the mystic music of the Orient and an occasional tinkle of' windbells. Dave’s surefire champagne punch made Happy Hour even happier, and many delectable appetizers were enjoyed with it. Sukyaki, with rice, was served as the main dish at supper, with fruits and other interesting dishes to choose from. Low tables were set on the lawn, and seated on Zabutons, we all enjoyed the delicious food. Some struggled with chop- sticks, some managed theirs with a flair, and a few pikers used spoons, Green tea was served, and for dessert, the fortune cookies held fort- unes particularly appropriate to all good shellers. (I quote: "Bad tempered shell collector has short fusus" n) Am Ja rrr-ng the guests were those in native, and not-so-native, dress of apan, China, and India, and even a few from the Islands. Al.l were colorful and fun. Me were /cry happy to Lave with us for the evening, Dv’. Ckucani, who is hern from Japan and presently doing some work at Ssripps, We thank Carole and Jules for scaring their home with us for the occasion. It was a delightful, fun -evening. \Ti r T ^ ' SPIRULA Page 2 Class — -Cephalopoda Genus Spirula Lamarck, 1799 Family--Spirulidae Species Spirula spirula (linn.) 175$ Spirula belongs to the sub-order Sepioidae, and is thus akin to the 1 Cuttlefish. There is only one species, Spirula spirula. Found in nearly all tropical and sub tropical seas, it lives at depths between 600 and 3000 feet. This little squid-like animal has a cylindrical body rarely measuring more than one and one half inches excluding the tentacles. Spirula has eight arms and two tentacles which measure abcut one and one half inches when fully extended, thus giving an overall length of three inces. When it is swimming, the two small end-fins frequently aid the jets from the funnel by constant fluttering movement. Placed in an aquar- ium, they are seen to swim with jerky, backward spurts of jet-propelled motion. Between the fins there is a circular disk, with a small bead- like organ in the center, that emits a steady, yellowish-green light which ^burns’ for hours on end. This disk acts as a top-light - its function is probably to enable a school to keep together. The normal position of Spirula is vertical, with the arms hanging downwards. Its movements are mainly vertical, up and down, through half a mile of sea-water . Inside the top end is a small shell, which is completely enclosed by the mantle, despite statements in numerous text books to the contrary. The late Dr. Anton Fredrick Bruun, the Danish Zoologist and Oceano- grapher, observed Spirula alive and dead. X-ray and photographs had proven this. In this little shell, curved like the horn of a ram, we have one of the few persisting reminders of the days when great, spiral-shelled ’cuttle fish’ swarmed in the oceans of the Jurassic and earlier periods. The shell is divided into 25 to 37 chambers which are filled with gassy air. A delicate, hose-like extension of the body, called siphuncle, runs through them. The coiled, chambered shell is entirely buried in the body of the living animal, somewhat posteriorly. It keeps the animal suspended head downward and acts as a hydrostatic organ. In the several centuries that men of inquiring mind have been walking the world’s shores, many unknown animals have been discovered as strays from the open ocean in the flotsam of the tide lines. One such mys- terious link, between the open sea and the shore, is the ramshorn shell, Spirula. For many years only the shell had been known - a small white spiral forming two or three loose coils. By holding such a shell to the light, one can see that it is divided into separate chambers, but seldom is there a trace of the animal that built and inhabited it. By 1912, about a dozen living specimens had been found, but still no one knew in what part of the sea the creature lived. Then Johannes Schmidt, the famouse Dani uarine biologist, undertook his classic researches into the 1: >ry of the eel, crossing and recrossing . ' Page 3 the Atlantic and towing plankton nets at different levels from the surface, down into depths perpetually black. Along with the glass- clear larvae of the eels that vie re the object of his search, he brought up other animal'3, among them many specimens of Spirula, which had been caught swimming at various depths, down to a mile. In their zone of greatest abundance, which seems to lie between 900 and 1500 feet, they probably occur in dense schools. It may seem mysterious that the remains of such a deep-sea animal should come to rest in beach deposits, but the reason is after all, not obscure - the shell is extremely light. When the animal dies and be- gins to decay, the gasses of decomposition probably lift it towards the surface - there, the fragile shell begins a slow drift in the currents, becoming a natural ’drift-bottle’ whose eventual resting place is a clue, not so much to the distribution of the species as to the course of the currents that bore it. The animals themselves live over deep oceans, perhaps most abundantly above the steep slopes that decend from the edges of the continents into the abyss. In such depths, they seem to occupy tropical and sub-tropical belts around the world. When the animal dies and its fleshy material deteriorates, the shell is released and floats to the survace. Dr. Bruun made detailed studies of the vertical distribution of the ; animal and concluded that it lives in the mesopelagic region, or below the zone of light penetration. Spirula does not approach the surface closer than about 100 meters. (approximate=325 feet). Excerpts from "The Biology of Spirula Spirula ( L ) — by Dr. Anton Fredrick Bruun. Contributed by Neil M. Hepler, who gave permission for its use to Emma West, (we are doubly grateful. Ed.) A REMEMBERED TRIP by Clifford A. Martin Most shell collectors can remember one shelling trip that they enjoyed more than any other. The trip I remember most is the first time we went down to San Felipe. I had never been to the Gulf of California before and looked forward to going with great anticipation. That was back in 1955 and the shelling was still good there at that time. We decided before we went that we would try to collect at least two good specimens of every species we could find. Our collection at that time consisted mostly of California shells which we had collected here in San Diego County. When we arrived in San Felipe we were amazed at the quantity of -shells around the rocks and on the beach. Actually, a person couldn’t take a step without stepping on Tegula rugosa p_r Cerithium st orcusmuscarum . The Cerithiums were there by the thousands. The intertidal area was almost black with them in some places. ' Page 4 We spent three days shelling and found nice specimens of Mur i cant hus nigritus. Hexaplex erythrostomus, Conus regularis, two species of Car.tharusg Strombus gracilior. Turritiella anactor and may others • Altogether we collected more than seventy -five species of shells, most of which were new to our collection. When we returned home and got down to the "dirty work" of cleaning our shells you can imagine our surprise at discovering that we did not have a single specimen of Cerithium stercusmuscarum in our loot. It was the most plentiful species in the area and we had failed to collect a single one. BOOK NEWS Jules Hertz The Shell Club library has received two donations that are not directly related to molluscs but which will be of general interest to those interested in the ocean and its inhabitants. Clifford & Clifton Martin have donated a newly published, soft-covered book. Starfish by Marjorie Furlong and Virginia Pill. This is a beautifully illustrated book dealing with the sea stars (starfish) of the Pacific Coast, Alaska, Mexico and Hawaii 4 Although aimed at the non-scientif ic public, the book gives considerable scientific data about the phylum Echlnodermata as well as the specific sea stars being described. There are excellent directions on methods of preserving sea stars, and the„.color photo- graphs and fine descriptions will be of invaluable aid for identifica- tion. This book is a must for those who love to beacheomb and enjoy our natural surroundings. Barbara Good has donated a Directory of the Public Aquaria of the World which she obtained in her recent trip to Hawaii. Prepared by Karean Zukeran, Charles DeLuca & Spencer Tinker, the purpose of this directory is to bring the public aquaria closer together in order that they may assist each other in exchange of ideas & exhibits. The book lists the specimens whieh each aquaria would donate, exchange or sell to other aquaria. Other additions to the library are the July and August ,issue3 of the Oregon Shell News, new book list from W & R McCauley, Summer 1970 issue of Of Sea k Shore, and most of the 1970 issues of Enviroment Southwest. AQUARIUM 0BSERVAT3D NS Carole M. Herts We thought that perhaps the reason our Cvpraea spadieea had attacked & eaten the anemone in our tank was that the anemon e’ had been sick or weak. Now we’d found another healthy anemone attached to a small rock. We brought it home--still on its rock and placed both in our tank. V/ithin several hours this new anemone was "swimming” around the tank with the cowry in hot pursuit. The cowry killed it in several days and by the end of a week there no trace of the anemone. The stalking spadicea had struck . SPage 5 NOTES ON OLI VELLA 3AETICA CARPENTER by Clifton L. Martin In a recent exchange of shells with a collector. in the Los Angeles. area we received some shells from two rather old collections. One of these was the R. H. Tremper Co? lection and the shells we received were collected between the years of 1904' and 1925- All of the shells we got in this exchange were fr^m the California coast and most of them were from the Los Angeles County and Orange County areas. Two specimens of Oli vella baetica Carpenter are quite remarkable vine n compared to specimens found today. These two shells are from a lot that was collected at San Pedro, California, 1904, and are giants for the species. The larger specimen measures 22.1 mm. and the smaller is 21. 6 mm . A portion of the Tremper Collection was purchased by the Agassiz Nature Club in 1934 and in 1957 was donated, together with shells from other prominent collections, to the University of California at Long Beach. The shells in our collection are from the surplus material, which was not sent to the University. It is interesting to note that other specimens of Olivella baetica in our collection from the Tremper Collection and collected in the same area in 1924 are much smaller. The largest of twelve specimens being but 15.3 mm. This compares favorably with specimens we collected at Agua Hedionda Lagoon, south of Carlsbad, 1959, the largest of which is 15® 7 mm. The record size for this species, as posted in the Lost Operculum Club List of Champions, published by the Conchological Club of' Southern California, measures 19 mm. in length. While this is not nearly as large as either of our two specimens I must confess that the lot from which ours were selected contained other specimens that may have been larger. Although we did not measure it a gigantic specimen in the collection from which ours came appeared to be at least one inch in length. Also, it must be remembered that these shells came from the surplus material of- the Tremper Collection and specimens much larger than ours may have been among the shells donated to U.C.L.B. A WEEKEND IN SANTO TOMAS by Carole M. Hertz On Friday afternoon, August 14, the Mulliners and the Hertzes took off in the Mulliners* rolling rancho for Santo Tomas. Santo Tomas, on the ocean about 50 miles south of Ensenada, is a quiet little fishing fillage as yet undiscovered by the tourists. V/e set up camp that evening on a bluff overlooking the ocean and the cove of Puerto Santa Tomas. A quick supper, a slow Kahlua and it was time to count the stars to sleep. j Page 6 Saturday morning looked like rain and dirty water for diving but Jules encouraged Dave and me to "get wet anyway" and we were glad he had. The visibility was quite good and “getting wet” is always a delightful if somewhat chilly pursuit. The weather and water improved steadily and it was soon sunny and clear for our mini-vacation. We were thrill ed to find Bursa calif ornica which was “new" for both Mulliner and Horta. Also found were many Cvpraea spadicea. all much lighter in color than those found here. However, very few were taken since all were pitted on the dorsal side to some extent. We wondered what could cause this condition but there was no obvious explanation. We also found Mitra idae, Norrisia norrissi . Crepidula norrisiarum. Acanthina luqubris, two species of Calliostoma (as yet unidentified by this author!, Anomia peruvianus and in grunge collected from cur dives Jules identified two species of Lirularia--acuticostata and succinta. We found several species of nudibranchs also: Laila cockerelii . Chromodoris macfarlandi. Dendrodoris fulva. Cadlina sedna, 1 sod oris nobilis and one not yet identified by Dave. While Jules remained on the rocky excuse for a beach, acting as a combination lifeguard and babysitter, he collected some of the best finds. The Mexican fishermen had just brought in a load of abalone and cleaned out the meat. They took the meat and all the “good" abalone shells and left the entrails and the few “too small" Haliotis sorenseni and assimilis behind. Jules gloated that hefd done as well as we--and without a wetsuit I We met two fishermen from California who were relaxing just like us and they provided us writh a royal Sunday feast — fresly caught and filleted rock cod. First time I*d ever had rock cod, bacon and eggs for break- fast. Marvelous!! All too soon it was Sunday afternoon and time to return home. With the exception of a flat tire it was a smooth trip. We sailed right across the border--an unbelievable feat for a camper--at 5 P.M. on a Sunday evening--in Tijuana. NEW MEMBERS: Walker, Dr. Vivian S. Coast Blvd. La Jolla, Calif. 92037 Dept, of Malocology Academy of Natural Sciences Nineteenth and The Parkway Philadelphia, Pa.. 19103 ATT: Mrs. Morgan C. Rulon Windmiller, Mrs, Erla N. 9145 Elk Grove Blvd. Elk Grove, Calif. 95624 CHANGE OF ADDRESS: .Webb,. .Ray &. Kay 501 Anita St., Space 166 Chula Vista, Calif. 92011 420-4900 ) Day Date OCTOBER M 12 San Diego (PST) (Guaymas) (MST) Pto. Penasco 0600 -2.5* 1830 -3.0* T 13 1406 -0. 4 T 0640 -3.2* 1900 -3.8* W 14 1454 -0.9* 0720 -3-0* 1930 -3-8* Th 15 1536 -1.0* 1624 -0.3’ 0800 -2,1* 2000 -4.2* F 16 1624 -0.9* 1700 -0.3* 2030 -3.8* S 17 1712 -0.6* - Th 29 I84O -3.1* F 30 1524 -0. 4 1 1554 -0.5* 1910 -3.2* S 31 NOVEMBER T 10 1600 -0 . 4? 1630 -0.6 * 1940 -2.9* 1740 -3-4* W 11 1400 -1.0* 1506 -0.8* 1810 -4.0* Th 12 1443 -1.3 * 1536 -1.0* 1340 -4.6* F 13 1530 -1.4’ 1612 -1.2* 1910 -4.2’ S 14 1612 -1.2* 1643 -1.1* 1940 -3.8* S 15 1700 -0.9* 1724 -0.9* SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 © INCORPORATED 1968 Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Carole Hertz Vice President: Nola Michel Recording Secretary: Barbara Myers Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Good Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. 1 November 1970 No. 11 if if if if if ;{< if if if if if if ;]c if if if if jjc if if if if if ;;< sjc if if ;|c sjc if if ;[r if if >|c if 3,'c ;|c >;c if if if if s[e if j{t if if j;« 3|c jjc j|c if if s[c if if if 3jc if if * PROGRAM FOR NOVEMBER 19 * Dr. Takashi Okutani speaks on Japanese Malocologists * * PUBLICATION ADDRESS: * * Virginia Hanselman, 5$1$ Tulane St,, San Diego, Calif. 92122 >*x ^ vl# »•/ vlf Ox sU O/ N*X Ox .1/ J/ Ox »'/ fclx Ox 0< 0< Ox >«x >*x >'<• 0-» Or Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox xlx Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox NOTES ON TEREBRIDAE OF THE EASTERS PACIFIC By Twila Bratcher Terebra may be separated from other slender, many whorled, somewhat similar shells by the following: The nucleus is never hetrostropic (with the first turns resting at right angles to the following whorls). The most prominent plication will be at the anterior end of the colu- mella not at the posterior end. The columella always is visible, sometimes with one or more plications, sometimes without. There al- ways is a siphonal fasciole. The anterior canal always is visible from the dorsum side. There are no swollen varices. Using these diagnostic features, Pyranidella. Turbonilla. Turritella. and Cerithum, and other genera may be distinguished from Terebra . Though sculpture, color, and spical angle vary greatly in many terebrid species, there are shell characteristics which do not vary within a species: shape of nucleus* plications of the internal columella; out- line of whorls (concave, straight, or convex.) Among the most variable of eastern . Pacifi c Terebra are robust s Hinds (syrr: T. Lunr^ualis Hinds, and T. dumbauidi fcanna and Hertlein), which varies greatly in spical angle; T. tiarella Deshayes ( syn ; T. fit chi. Berry), which varies as to color and number of nodes in sub- sutural band; T. st rii?ata Sowerby, which may be smooth or ribbed and also may be lacking in the typical brown axial stripes; T. elata Hinds (syn. T. ira Pilsbry and Lowe), which varies in color pattern and sometimes is very slender, sometimes obese. ' . ■ ■ Page 2 Species of eastern Pacific Terebra which easily could be mistaken for one another are: T. cracilenta Li, which usually is a warm flesh color, has an elongate aperture and a laminated columella, and T. tuberculosa Hinds which generally is grayish, has a less elongate aperture, no lamination of the columells, and whose nodes do not seem to be formed from axial ribs as do those of T. cracilenta0 T. ruf ocinerea Carpenter, also noded, may be separated from the two just mentioned by its many tiny nodes on the early whorls as opposed to two rows in the other two species and by its definite spiral sculpture* T. int ertincta Hinds may be separated from T. variegata Gray by its concave whorls" and row of nodes posterior to the suture and at the periphery of the body whorl; To larvaef ormis Hinds ( syn ; T. isopleura Pilsbry & Lowe) has convex whorls, few wide spaced slanting ribs, and subsutural band marked by broken lines, while puncturosa Berry has flat sided whorls, more and straighter ribs, with subsutural band marked by punctations; T. ornata Gray has smooth early whorls, short body whorl, and a very sharp plication at the extreme anterior end of the columella, T. robusta Hinds has very heavily sculptured early whorls, longer body whorl and more elongate aperture, the most outstanding feature of T, f ormosa Deshayes is that the subsutural band accupies about two thirds of both early and later whorls. T. f ormos ? s background color usually is white in contrast to the beige of the other two spotted species. The color of T. albocincta Carpenter does not seem to vary from the rich brown with whitish subsutural band spotted with brown. It may be distinguished from T. glauca Hinds and T. variegata, whose color some- times is similar, by the axial ribs which are inflated at the anterior end, seeming to overhang the suture. Indo-Pacific species of Terebra which have been collected in the east- ern Pacific area are T. crenulata Linnaeus, T. maculatn Linnaeus (The subspecies, T. maculata roosevelti is endemic of the Revellagagido Island, Mexico. ), TT afflnis Gray, T. laevigata Gray (syn: T. stylus Dali), T. paucistriata E. A. Smith, and T. turrits E. A. Smith. Two Atlantic species, T. di slocata ( Say ) and Hastula albula (Henke) are found living in the eastern Pacific area, the former being the more uncommon. Three species of Terebra were named for San Diego Club members this year (Bratcher & Burch, 1970), T. dorothyae for Dorothy Brown, T. purdyae for Ruth Purdy, and T. stohleri for Dr. Rudolph Stohler, Other 1970 Bratcher & Burch species are T. allyni, T. brand!, T. hancocki, T. jacouelinae and T. shyana . Colored slides of all species mentioned were shown in the program. BOOK NEWS Jules Hertz This writer is privileged to review, this month, the newly published book, LIVING VOLUTES - A Monograph of the Recent Volutidae of the World by Clifton S. Weaver and John E. duPont, Monograph Series No. 1, Delaware Museum of Natural History, 1970. This exceptionally fine book is sure to be considered a standard of excellence for all future writers in the field. This book has outstanding organization. Start- ing with a complete systematic arrangement of subfamilies and recent % ' Page 3 genera in the family Volutidae, it then proceeds in detail through the descriptions of family, subfamilies, genera, subgenera, and speciea The generous use of different sizes and forms of type makes it extreme- ly easy to locate desired information. A typical description of a species is broken down into synonymy, type, type' locality, range, habitat, dimensions, shell description, ' animal and radula, and remarks. The text is extremely thorough and well balanced, augmented by many plates and figures of the shells as well as the animals and their parts The book contains 79 color plates of exceptional quality generally showing both dorsal and ventral views of the many species and their various forms. A number of the color plates depict the live animals, and the beauty of the shells is overshadowed by the fantastic coloring of the animals. The figures are black and white drawings of radula, opercula and various animal parts. An occasional map is used to supplement the text. The authors tend to "lump" rather than "split" species. Some examples of this are, (1) the lumping of johnstonae and butleri under the species junonia, (2) the placing of depressa, jaculoides, and johns- toni under the species arabica, and (3) the placing of ruckeri, cerau- nia and macgillivrayi under the species rutila norrisii. Areas where sufficient information is presently lacking to lump certain species are carefully reviewed. The book has an excellent bibliography as well as a glossary of volute terms. The LIVING VOLUTES is a must for all who specialize in the collection of volutes. It could be a most welcome addition to anyone’s shell library. This writer is just kicking himself for not„.purchasing the LIVING VOLUTES at its initial offering price. For those who have yet to purchase the book, the present cost is $55.00 OBSERVATIONS OF TYPHIS AT SAN FELIPE By Joyce Gemmell Since the first report of Typhis coronates Broderip, 1S33, collected here in San Felipe bay, in 1963, I have been keeping a monthly check on the small colony. Possibly the uninviting area and the difficulty in seeing them in their natural habitat has been instrumental in the establishment of this rarely-found genus intertidally . The small population under observation is found in a very restricted area of mud and cobbles at the edge of the extreme minus tide line. They have been found on stones, both bare and covered with marine growth. In more instances they are found close to the base of stones' in muddy silt with only the siphons or tubes protruding. i The monthly check on the colony has shown at least one specimen every month there is a minus tide of four feet or more. The largest number of specimens counted were in the month of April during early morning minus tides when juveniles were found along with adults. * Page 4 Observation of specimens in the aquarium has provided little informa- tion as this condition is so alien to their natural habitat. In the aquarium they move about very little- and usually stay in the corners of the tank or against a rock. They bury themselves if there is very fine sand in the tank. When they are in motion, it is so slow as to be almost indeterminable except for abrupt changes in direction. The forward motion of the foot and shell do not seem to be parallel. The shell is off to the side on a slight angle and after the foot moves forward a quarter inch or so the shell is rotated around in the direction parallel to the foot. Observation of the animal in the tank is difficult primarily because of their inactivity. The foot, viewed from the bottom seems rather small compared to the shell length. In viewing the animal from the side as it moves on a flat surface, the eyes and tentacles are diffi- cult to see. The shell slants downward and protrudes beyond the leading edge of the foot. If the anterior end of the shell slides up an obstruction before the foot follows, one gets a view of the tentacles and eyes as if one pushed a hat back off the eyebrows. The tentacle ends are almost microscopic beyond the eyes and it has been virtually impossible to get the animal in any position to see if there is a mouth or proboscis. In checking the distances between rocks across muddy flats and channels and the distances from low low water to the highest area they have been found, it seems the animal would spend several days moving from the exposed bottom to the low water line. In reviewing the natural area it might seem the semi-fluid condition of the upper layer of silt which they inhabit might facilitate a faster horizontal movement. The possibility of some constructive observation of this genus in the field has been an impossible project for one person to undertake simply because of the difficulty in spotting the shell in the limited time of lowest water. If any shell club members would be interested in cooperating in a project of marking all specimens found during the night time minus tides, from November to March, I would be more than happy. to supply the marking material and explain the procedure. It would also entail a record of the shells marked and replaced along with a record of those taken for a collection. The object of the marking being a population count in the spring of 1971 and a record of several other observations made at the time, which would be tallied in the spring also. If you plan to be in San Felipe on any of the winter minus tides and would be interested in spending an hour or two commiserating with a fellow shell collector about all the rare Typhis you picked up and put back. I would be happy to see you. (J.G. - Club De Pesca, San Felipe, Baja, Calif.) . ' MINI MINUTES Page 5 Letter of thanks from Calif. Malacozoological Soc. for $25. donation. Overseas membership rate set at $3.50. Surface mailing only. Slate of nominees by Board for November election: President, Roland Taylor - Vice President, Clifton Martin - Corres. SecTy, Virginia Hanselman - Recording Sec'y, Clifford Martin - Treas., Margaret Molliner . Christmas party to be held at Miramar CPO Club, Dec. 11 (Fri. ) Reser vations taken at November meeting. Helen Thompson volunteered as Decorations Chairman. Willing helpers, please contact her. Club voted $35. to buy new books. One chosen is Olive Shells of the World by Zeigler and Porreca. New members joining at meeting: Betsy Dyer, Lucinda Rubio, Susan and Martin Bishop. Cookies for November - Emma West and Helen Thompson. New Dr. & Mrs. Martin Bishop (Susan) Members 7132 Cabrillo La Jolla, Calif. 92037 Mrs. Hazelle B. Maquin 137 Douglas St. Salt Lake City, Utah £1102 Dr. Takashi Okutani 632 Sea Lane La Jolla,' Calif. 92037 Change of Dr. & Mrs. Bertram Brown Address 7090 Maderira St. Goleta, Calif. 93107 Mrs, Betsy Dyer 1707 Chalcedony San Diego, Calif. 92109 Mrs. Ouida White 2912 Garrison San Diego, Calif. Miss Lucinda Rubio 555 Naples - Apt. 912 Chula Vista, Calif. 92011 - Page 6 SPIRULA By Charles The chambered shells of Spirula As they float upon the sea, | Are cast on a thousand beaches For anyone to see: But the animal that made this shell Was long a mystery ■ Linne’ called it Nautilus Spirula Which was not a very bad guess” Lamarck called it Spirula Peroni (though he’d first named it Fragili s ) i And thus, quite early, started A nomenclatoria'l mess. SPIRULA W. Johnson ’Twas the Dana Expedition That discovered Spirula’ s home - Far above the oozy bottom And below the great wave’s comb: For bathypelagic is the Spirula And there’s where it loves to roam It only lives in warmer seas At more than a thousand feet, Suspended, head -down in the water A position hard to beat. Doubtless, it is its chambered shell That aids it in this feat. Some said with that disk-like j Sucker, attached, it must surely grow. While the rudimentary fins would prove As a swimmer, it must have been slow. Then - the chromatophores would indicate That it lived in the mud, you know. And now they say that the ’sucking disk’ Is really a lamp instead - And perhaps its lighter color is due To its standing on its head! Can’t rest in the ocean’s bed. Verses above contributed by Neil M. Hepler who gave permission to Emma West for their use. Drawings were made by John Souder from photos by Sheldon Dobkin of Florida Atlantic University and a detail sketch by Neil M. Hepler. Drawing at top right sh shell cut to show chambers and siphuncle tube . Drawing at bottom right shows complete shell Page 7 . TECHNICAL ABBREVIATIONS i • » • • Compiled By Virginia Hanselman The following are abbreviations, words, and phrases that you may come across in your search to identify shells or while perusing some of your shell literature: aff. (affinis) - affiliation, meaning that although not identical with name mentioned, it appears to be genetically related to it. auctt. (auctores) - of authors. Used to refer to a name which has been used by certain authors in a way that differs from the concept of the original author, ca. (circa) - about* used with time, meaning an approximation, cf. (confero) similar to, to be compared with name mentioned, e.g. (exempli gratia) - for example. emend. - emendations* sometimes deliberate alteration in the spelling of a name. err. - error, ex - from. ex pisce - from fish (stomach thereof). fide - to entrust (to). ibid, (ibidem) - in the same place. ICZN - International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. i.e. (id est) - that is in litt. (In litteris) - in letters. in statu nascendi - increasing in stature. i.e.: "....taxa on the treshold between subspecies and real species - they are species'in statu nascendi1* ipse - himself. i.e.: "This is the true V. nuttalli CONRAD, *teste. Conrad ipse. ** (*see teste below) loc. cit. (locus citatus ) - cited before in same discussion, passage quoted. M - type fixed by monotypy. MS. - manuscript (in the manuscript of), mut. - mutation. nom. conserv. (nomen conservatum) - names which would have to be rejected by application of the Rules of Nomenclature except for saving them in their original or an altered spelling by action of the ICZN. nom. correct, (nomen correctum) - a name with an intentionally altered spelling of the sort required or allowed under the ICZN rules. nom. dub. (nomen dubium) - name of a species for which insufficient information was given to enable recognition of that species, (perhaps not figured, no type named, etc. ) nom. imperf. (nomen imperfectum) - a name which as originally publish- ed meets mandatory requirements but contains defects such as incorrect gender, incorrect; stem, or form of ending of a family-group name. nom. inviol. (nomen inviolatum) - inviolate names, which as originally published meet all mandatory requirements and are not subject to any sort of alteration (most generic and subgeneric names). ' Page 8 nom. negat. (nomen negatum ) - a name that constitutes invalid original spelling and although possibly meeting all other mandatory Rules, is not correctable to establish original authorship and date. A "denied name". nom. nov. (nomen novem) - a new name. n^m,. nud. (nomen nudem) - a name with no meaning, compromised * not meeting requirements of the Rules, - not correctable. Has no stature in nomenclature. nom. null, (nomen nullum) - a spelling error. nom. oblit. (nomen oblitum) an unrecorded name that has not been used by subsequent authors and therefore is rejected. (This idea was introduced by the ICZN several years ago but has not worked out well and has since been dropped) nom. perf. (nomen perfectum) -- a name which as it appears in original publication meets all requirements and needs no correction, but is legally alterable (as in changing the form of ending of a published class/order group name ) . nom. subst. (nomen substitution) - a replacement name published to take the place of an invalid name (equivalent to a new name. ) nom. transl. (nomen translation) - a name derived by a valid correction of a previously published name because of a transfer from one taxonomic category to another within the group to which it belongs. i.e. Subfamily STYLININAE d’Orbigny, 1951 (nom. transl. Edwards & Haime, iSq? (ex Stylinidae d’Orbigny, 1351 )« non - not of non in situ not in its natural place, nov. sp. (sometimes N.S.) new species ( spp . - OD - type species by original designation, op. cit. (opere cirato) - in the work cited, (opus citatum) - the work cited. pars ) partim ) - in cart species (plural) pend. pending. pro - for SD - type species by subsequent designation (when type species of a genus is not determinable from the original genus publication ) . sic - Thus* exactly reproduces the original, including any misspelling or error. s.l. - (sensu lato) - in the broad sense. SM - subsequent monotypy (when a genus as first described includes no mentioned species and thus lacks a type species, at a later date, when one or more species are assigned to it, if there is only one species assigned at this time, that species becomes type species by subsequent monotypy ) . sp. - as used after a generic name without a specific name, means that the species is not determined. spec. nov. (species nova) - new species. s.s. (sensu stricto) - in the strict (narrow) sense. ■ . Page 9 ‘ ’ teste - as witnessed by. (see ipse above) var. - variety, viz. (videlicet) - namely. ? question mark before a generic name - position questioned. before species name, -- uncertainty as to whether in that genus. () parenthesis - if the author’s name is in parentheses, it means that it is his species, but that the generic name has been changed from that in which he had placed it originally. References : Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (1) Mollusca 1 The Veliger, Vol. 8. Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary Volutes by Weaver & DuPont / VOLUME 11 1971 Issues 1-11 SAN DIEGO SHELL FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED of Natural History - Third Thursday CLUB 1968 - 7:30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford' Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia'* Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. II January 1971 No. 1 V' 'V »•/ x*x v*# -.e Ox vl/ \*x O. O/ sO Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox "l' X,^ X|\ X|l* X|X X|N X|\ X|\ XfX x(\ X|> X,X X,X X|X X|X X|\ X,\ X|S X|\ X|> Xj\ X|\ X|V X,X X|> X,X X|\ X|V X,X X|N XjX X|> X|\ X|X X|> X,X Xj\ X|\ X,x Xj\ X|X X|N X|N X|X X|X X|X X|X X,\ X|X X|X X|X Xj V X|\ X,» X(X Xjx X|N X|\ X|\ X|\ X|\ X|» X|X x,\ X|\ XjX XJX X,X X(N X|X X|X * Program : * * Generic and Specific Names in Muricacea and Buccinacea: * * Dr. George Radwin * * Christmas Party Slides: Dave Mulliner * * Publication Address: * * Virginia Hanselman, 5-31# Tulane St., San Diego, Ca. 92122 * Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox * 'x X(V X,X X|X X|» X|X X|V X|S X|\ X|N X|X X|% X|\ Xj-S X,N X,N X|V X,N X|\ X,X X,X X,V X,N X|\ X|\ x, V X|\ X,N X,X Xj-» X,\ X|\ X|\ X(N X|X X,S X,V X,X X(N X|\ X|\ X|S Xj> X|% xp. X|N X|> X|\ X|> X|\ X|\ X|N X|N X,N X|X X|\ XJV X|X X,X XjX X|X X|X XjX XjX X|X X|\ X,N X|\ SHELL PERSONALITIES OF JAPAN By Dr. Takeshi Okutani (Note: -- Today *s talk is neither a conventional malacological history of Japan nor an introduction on scientific activity in Japan*s mala- cology, but only' a' free speech on personalities of some Japanese mala- cologists and collectors.) Malacology or scientific and systematic collection of mollusks in Japan was initiated by Yoichiro HI RASE ( 1895-1925 ) . He was not. a scholar but his attitude to malacology was highly scientific in compari- son to any naturalists prior to him. He devoted himself to not only his own malacological study but also to making shell collecting a public interest. Along this line, he established a conchological museum in Kyoto in 1913 and it was operated by his own wealth until it came to the end in 1919 because of financial difficulties, at the same time, he published a monthly conchological journal which contained a good number of malacological papers of a high level picture cards and other publications on shells. The journal unfortunately ceased pub- lication only two years and four months after it started. His eldest son, Shintaro HIRASE followed in . his’ father* s footsteps. His book. Page 2 "A collection of Japanese shells with illustrations in natural color" (1934)- which was revised and enlarged by Isao TAKI in 1951 and better known as HIRASE ?s book, made up an essential base of today * s popularity of malacology in Japan- The HI RASEs had a very close contact with Henry P1LSBHY who described many Japanese species and gave hirasei to so many species ( e . g * PI enroto maria hygcrsoi^ Jap el ic-n hirasei, etc.), Cypraea hirasei was not described by* PlikiBRY, but "the first specimen vas discovered in a toy jewel box of HIRaSE 7 s daughter. In 1901, HIRASE hired a man as curator of his huge collection. His name was Tokubei KURODA. He worked on the settlement of the remain ing business after the collapse of HIRASE • s museum and moved to the Geological Department, University of Kyoto, He was assigned as librar- ian of the department, but he was given, by HIRASE, a shell collection which was useful for his own reference specimens until it was lost by a fire in 1931 ° He then decided not to have his "private" collection and has long devoted himself to identifying the specimens brought in by many scholars and amateurs. He has not only a keen eye on molluscan specimens but also a deep knowledge on bibliographies in the fields of malacology, paleontology and geology. With his diligent and faithful application the library of the department became one of the most com- plete libraries in this field in oapan. In 1921, when the grand cere- mony of accession for the Emperor HIROHITO was given, KURODA establish- ed the Malacological Society of Japan with 1$ other ma'lacologists and amateurs who were professors, school teachers, students, shrine priest, bonze etc. At the time of his olst birthday, Akibumi TERAMaCHI cele- brated KURODA by presenting to him a shell collection which is now the base of KURODA7 s private collection. He claims that there is no other person who looked at more shells than he had for these 70 years. This is not the only reason why he knows the shell best in Japan, He has been always very faithful, careful and thoughtful in seeing even mean specimens* His broad bibliographical knowledge and sharp insight make his identification very reliable and authoritative. Recently, he has concentrated on completing a monograph on the shell collection of the Emperor. Our Emperor has a broad interest in marine invertebrates. He seldom does beach collecting as he does net like to bother with a large personnel for guarding him- So that his collection is more or less offshore dredging stuff. The late Korokuro NAKAMIGAWA ever told us (he might be the only shell collector who could go to the sea with the Emperor) about the Emperor's enthusiasm in collecting shells. One of the attendants gave a warning to the Emperor that the sleeve of his white shirt would get muddy, as. he rushed to examine the dredged mater- ials brought aboard. The Emperor replied, "Who cares?", Akibumi TERAT1ACHI, according to KURODA, is an unusual talent in collecting shells. He was born in Kyoto in 1891 primarily intended to be an artist. But he started to collect shells as he had always been interested in nature. He was once supported and guided by Ryosuke KAWAMURA, but later, his collection from Okinawa and "Tosa" yielded* a remarkable contribution to the mclluscan fauna of Japanese waters. There may be nobody like TEFjvDACHI whose name was given to so many spectacular, rare shells (e.g. Porctrochus teramachii , Cypraea Page 3 t eramachii. Teramachia tibiaef ormis etc.). He was a great influence to shell lovers around hin. 6ne of TERAMACHI’s followers was Tetsuaki KIRA. He was primarily a priest, but he needed not to do any Buddhism service, as he succeeded only to the name and had no temple and no parishioners. He devoted his life mostly as a school teacher and school master. He made a magnificent effort to bestow favors on Japa- nese malacologists. For some time after the Uar, the publication of the "Venus", the Japanese Journal of Malacology, was not smoothly done because of economical and social reasons. KIRA then started to publish a mimeographed circular which later grew to be a mimeographed journal, "Yumehamaguri". He prepared the stencil paper by his own hand, he bound the hundreds of copies of the mimeographed journal by paper string and packed them to be mailed without having any help. It was ended by No. 100 at the time, when the "Venus” came back to its steady way. He also published a Japanese shell book in color, which is so famous as "KIRA?s book", containing 1270 species. The shells shown in the book were all from his private collection and readers admired the completeness and cleanness of his collection. KURODA, KIRA and some other malacologists convened informal monthly meetings at Kyoto. There are many more professional malacologists and amateur collectors around Osaka Kyoto districts (e.g. M. AZUMA, H. KAJIYAMA, N . KIKUCHI, F. SUGITANI, Iwao TAKE, etc. ). As the post-War chaos passed, the chair of curator of Inverte- brates. National Science Museum, Tokyo, was taken by Isao TAKI who was the notable chiton specialist. After his death in 1961, Tadashige HABE moved from Marine Biological Station, University of Kyushu. He spent his early days in KURODA* s office at University of Kyoto. It seems to us that his primary interest was land snails before he enter- ed the marine shell field. Upon the request of the publisher, he wrote another colored book of Japanese shells. This is known as "HABE.*s book” covering the species that were not contained in KIRA*s book. Now both of them cover almost two-thirds of Japanese known species. He has several fellow scientists under his division, one of which is Sadao KC3UGE. He is now doing very scholarly work on antomy and phylogeny of small sized gastropods. One of the biggest and finest collections in Japan may be Ryosuke KAWAMURA » s . Kin'ichi SAKURAI, who is Ph. D. of mineralogy (and a restaurant master) was long followed after KAWAMURA. His collection is now in his private museum and one of the best curated (with up-to- date names) collections. Supposedly, it will be within the biggest five. Before he built the museum, his cabinets were behind the counter desk of restaurant master. Whenever I visited him, our "shell" con- versation was interrupted by waitresses telling the guests* orders to him and then his yelling those items to the kitchen. Tokio SHIKAMA is a kind of rival of his. He is a notable paleontologist of. quadrop- ed animals. But, some time after the war, he abruptly became very aggressive in shell collecting and publishing malacological papers. His book "Selected Shells of the World in Natural Color. Vol. I" was completed with the very scholarly co-author, Masuoki H0RIK0SHI. H0RIK0SHI is a general marine biologist rather than a malacologist . He holds in his institution a huge collection of deep sea shells and seens very busy studying them. In the Tokyo district, there are more professional malcologists (K. OYAMA, etc.) and amateur collectors. RECOVERY - AMD DIVIDENDS Page 4 By Mola Michel A little over 26 years ago a Navy pilot had fuel trouble ever water about 12 miles S¥ of Pt. Loma. He ditched his plane on the water. The Wl'/II Grumman Hellcat sank and the pilot was rescued. But that was not the end of the story. At our meeting in Novem- ber we had Lockheed’s chief deep submergence pilot, Larry Shumaker, as a guest speaker. He is Pilot on Lockheed’s Deep Quest. On a dive in May 1970, 12 miles SW of Pt. Loma, in 3, LOO ft. of water, Larry came across the plane. He said that it looked like the pilot had just landed there and gone for a cup of coffee. The plane was in remark- able condition. The canopy was clear - it looked as though you could blimb in and fly it away. (It would be hard to believe how remarkably preserved the plane really was, if you had not seen the wonderful underwater pictures. ) On Oct. 8 1970, in a joint effort, the Navy’s Deep Submergence Group and- Lockheed Corporation recovered this aircraft as an exercise. It was a record-breaking and news-making feat. Larry told us of the trials of the recovery and the times they thought they’d lost it, with lines parting - -but after a time it was winched up and placed on a sling. Soon after it was aboard the Dry Dock USS, White Sands. Of course the most interesting thing to us shellers was what was living on - and in - the plane. Clinging to the underparts of the wings and other protected surfaces, were many transparent and fragile pectens, Delctopecten randolphi tillamookensis. Arnold. Found in the Cockpit, was a Cancellaria crawf ordiana. Dali. Flushed from the in- terior of the fuselage, was a Neptunea pribiloff ensis. Dali. Clinging to the outer surfaces, were specimens of a Collus species, some very small Acmaea and a small Trophon avalonensis. Dali. Other interesting things were taken - a criniod from the cockpit, anemones clinging to the fabric skin, a large crab from the inside of a wing. The pictures Larry showed us were very interesting. If you missed the program, you missed a good one! THE RADULA George E. Radwin No feature of significance in the taxonomy and identification of mollusks has confused and frustrated collectors as much as the radula. Few shell collectors deny its fundamental importance to molluscan feeding habits and relationships. Apparently, many people feel that the use of an internal, thus generally invisible structure in identi- fication is unfair. Clearly, taxonomic decisions requiring examina- tion of the radula are impossible to make for anyone but a trained scientist with a microscope. This division of labor is resented in some quarters because few people realize that the interpretation of the radula is at least as important as its mere extraction and mount- ing. Page 5 In the midst of this debate there is an understandable tendency for a structure never seen to lack reality. Thus a few shell collec- tors have informed me, perhaps in jest, that radulae are figments of certain scientists* overfertile imaginations. In an effort to squelch this unfortunate rumor I would like to explain the nature of this structure in some detail. The radula is one of the few features that is characteristic of "all’* mollusks. It is necessary, here, to immediately qualify "all", as most readers are aware that bivalves lack a well-defined head region and with this the radula has been lost, One of the only fea- tures to tie the Cephalopoda in with the mollusks is the possession of a radula. What is a radula? The answer is elusive, as it varies from group to group. To generalize one would have to describe it as a flexible cartilaginous ribbon, bearing tough chitino-silicoid "teeth" on it. The shape, number and arrangement of these teeth varies widely within the mollusca. The radular ribbon is positioned over a stiff cartilag- inous rod, the odontophore ( odonto-tooth? phore-bearer ) . At the upper- rear end of the radula, special cells (odontoblasts or tooth bodies) continually produce new teeth, and below-rear the worn, chipped teeth are discarded. The entire belt, connected to the proboscis (pharynx) by a complex array of muscles, makes up the buccal mass. These muscles cause the radula to move, belt-like, over the ccfontophore. Over the outer tip of the odontophore, the pressure caused by the rigidity of this structure causes the teeth, previously lying flat on their ribbon to become erect. This relatively small section of erect radular teeth is positioned at the opening of the proboscis and is the functional portion of the radula. The radula is a marvelously versatile organ. Its ability to adapt has enabled mollusks (particularly gastropods, the group in which the use of the radula is most prominent) to fill many different niches. Many primitive mollusks, such as the archaeogastropods and chitons, are grazers, whose radulae are suited to scraping algae from rocks or bits of sessile organisms such as sponges and ascidians from the sur- faces of colonies. Some unusual gastropods are filter-feeders. These animals unfurl mucus "plankton nets" which, when full are hauled in, using the radula as a windlass. Some parasitic gastropods lack radulae. Most of these are ectoparasitic (outside parasites). Many gastropod groups are typical vegetarians. The Strombidae and most of the Cypraeidae feed in this way. Algae, generally the erect, branching or filamentous types are cropped by the radula in a manner reminiscent of a cow cropping grass. A great many gastropods are carnivores (meat-eaters). This broad- ly inclusive terms does not suggest the variety of feeding patterns it encompasses. Certain superfamilies (Naticacea, Muricacea) feed in a predatory manner. Individual snails seek out living prey and use. the radula, as well as the accessory boring organ (ABO), a secretory structure, to produce a hole in the shell of the prey (bivalve, gastro- pod, barnacle). The radula is the agent of physical scraping 0:r rasp- ing and the secretion of the ABO causes a chemical or physical deter- ioration of the shell matrix. In the Buccinacea, many groups feed on carrion (dead and decaying animals and, less frequently, plants). Others feed on living flesh. These appear to discharge a narcotizing Page 6 material and (as for example, when preying on a bivalve) thus causing the adductor muscles to relax, which in turn allows the valves to gape . Within the cephalaspidean opisthobranchs, the Saccoglossa are gastropods with specialized single radular teeth that are well-adapted to pierce particular kinds of algal cells. These animals then drink the cell contents. Perhaps the most fantastic adaptation of a radula, short of its complete & permanent loss, as in the Pyramidellidae and the Eulimidae, is found within the Toxoglossa. This name refers to the type of radula found in the group. Contrary to popular assumption, toxo- does not refer to the toxic or poisonous capabilities of many of these animals. The Greek root toxo- refers to "arrow". According to some authorities, the radula in the Conidae, Terebridae and Turridae, has been lost in the course of evolution. The dart-like (arrow-like) !iteeth?l found in many present day toxoglossan species may thus be the outcome of more recent evolution and may not be homologous to radular teeth in other groups. The manner in which these animals attack their prey is un- doubtedly familiar to many of you. Recent work by Dr. Nybakken has shown that for each of the three types of prey in the Conidae (worms, Mollusks, and fish) a different tooth style is found. Thus Conus purpurascens. a confirmed fish-eater, has one sort of dart, C. imper- ialis. a mollusk-eater, has a second type of dart and C. calif ornicus, a worm-eater, has a third type. The nature of the toxin is, by the way, also specialized for the prey, making the eaters of fish (verte- brates) more dangerous -to man. A complete treatment of radular types and corresponding feeding habits would be very long but this brief sample should suggest the enormous versatility of the radula. Nigh unto fifty members attended our annual club Christmas party, held again in the Red Room at the C.P.O. Club at Miramar Naval Air Station, on Friday, December 11th. The room was beautifully decorated. On the tables, among the traditional holiday decorations were glittering seashells and seafans, the special touch of Helen and Ivan Thompson. After an enjoyable dinner, John Souder, as installing officer, briefly reviewed the beginning of our shell club. He called to our attention that the club would be celebrating its 10th Anniversary this coming year. (Another very good reason for a celebration). Several of the charter members of the club were present. Honored were the retiring officers, Carole Hertz, President, Nola Michel, Vice-president, Barbara Myers, Recording Secretary, Barbara Good, Corresponding Secretary, and Margaret Mulliner, Treasurer, for their devoted efforts and accomplishments this past year. John Souder served as Mentor-parliamentarian this past year. Page 7 Officers for the coming year will be Roland Taylor, President, Clifton Martin, Vice-president, Clifford Martin, Recording Secretary, Virginia Hanselman, Corresponding Secretary, Margaret Mulliner, Treasurer. There were bequtiful orchids of various hues for the ladies, boutennieres for the gentlemen. Shells in holiday wrappings were claimed by each member and guest from under the Christmas tree. An unexpected and happy surprise for the evening were the little gift boxes for everyone, each containing a souvenir and a greeting from thoughtful Ed Roworth. The ladies looked lovely, the gentlemen handsome, and it was fun, as our parties always are. It was a happy beginning to the holiday season and the close of a successful and enjoyable year for the club. ONE TRIP DOWN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA By Helen Thompson Foreword - The Gulf of California, The Sea of Cortez, has lured adventurers and pleasure seekers for many generations. Most often the Sea is calm with few waves and the gentlest of breakers but when a storm is in the making, it can become a place of danger and terror. \i. ««|* /|N One year, while we were vacationing in San Felipe, Mexico, we met a couple who had a large boat and became well enough acquainted to discuss plans for the coming year. I told them I had always wanted to go to San Luis Bay, way down below the Enchanted Islands and they said we would plan that trip for the next year. We thought perhaps it was idle talk but the next year we had a letter from them saying they were ready to go to the Islands and asking us to go with them. We had just returned from a trip to Manzanillo and Mazatlan and were tired but after all the planning we didn’t have the heart to say ’no’. So, we loaded the trailer with a week’s supplies and things for a long boat trip - and went back to San Felipe with them. They took their boat which was 55 feet long and we took our little boat. The next morning we were off for the Enchated Islands. We had to stop and gas up at the Sulphur mines, so waited for them to catch up since their boat only made 15 knots. Our little boat was much faster making 30 knots or more. When finally we saw them coming we waved and went on to Puertocitos. They arrived an hour or so later and we stopped for the night. There was absolutely nothing there - except for a lonely coyote and maybe a few rabbits. We put our sleeping bags on the sand and made a reaL good supper. Before we went to bed, we explored all around. Found an old wrecked airplane, lots of shells of all kinds on the beach. We left about 6:00 the next morning. We got a long way ahead of them and Ivan and I explored all the little islands that make up the group they call the Enchanted Islands. Some were rocky and covered with whale bones and dead shells. Others had sand places. One was just one big birds’ Page 8 nest - thousands of pelicans, thousands of seagulls. Their nests were just on the ground and when we cane near, they would fly at us like they were going to bite us. Some of the young pelicans were almost white, bigger than their mothers, all of them with their mouths open, waiting for food# The young, when quite small, have just a downy fuzz. That evening we finally arrived at San Luis Bay. We moored the big boat and used our boat to take the supplies to the island where we stayed. Every day we had to move our sleeping bags because the tides were coming up higher each night. Our friends had a night club so we picked up large venus eburnea to use as ash trays. We had empty five gallon cans that had held gas and water and used these to store the many beach shells we picked up - semiclassis centiquadrata. pink and black murex, many bivalves, many things I have forgotten - it has been 20 years. We stayed four nights. The Mexican guide told us to be ready at 6:00, so we were up and ready to go. Everything went well till we got to the place where the Islands make the Gulf narrower - where the oncoming tide meets the outgoing tide - and the waves were high. There was a large Mexican shrimp boat just starting through all those ‘waves. It would be completely covered with water but seemed to come up after a while and go on. Then our friends started through and their boat was just large enough to go through the waves but soon I lost sight of it. Ivan started through and our boat was short enough to go jcver the waves but the wind was so strong it blew the water all over us. I said to Ivan, "we can’t take any of this". As Ivan started to turn, our friends did likewise and we went back the 20 miles to San Luis Bay. After a consultation we decided to all stay the night on the big boat and lash all the empty cans to our boat. We made a cold supper of ham sandwiches, tomato juice and peaches, then bedded down to sleep. Mrs. M. slept on the first seat as she was shorter and the wheel didn?t bother her. Her husband slept, or tried to, on the next seat, Ivan and I put our sleeping bags on each side of the engine and the guide slept across the back of the boat. All night long I could feel the water hitting me - I couldn’t sleep and when I saw the light of the owner’s cigarette, I asked him why he didn’t go to sleep. He said he was afraid the anchor would break and we would drift on the rocks. When I asked what would happen if it did he said we would have to get in the little boat, start the engine and hold the big one off , the rocks. But morning came and we got off again at 6:00. After an hour and a half or more we were back at the same place and I was petrified because I knew we were in for some rough seas. Just as we stopped to gas up we saw the other boat smoking. Ivan screamed to "get the fire extinguisher", and as we screamed they raised the hood or canopy over the engine and it was on fire. When they closed the canopy, the fire stopped - but the guide had jumped overboard and swam to our boat. In Ivan’s haste to get to the other boat he killed the motor so he told the guide to grab the oar and row as fast as he could to the, other boat about 7 feet from us. Then, Mrs. M. had jumped but had caught her leg in the outboard motor rack and was dangling there, screaming for her husband to jump. But he would’ t. All our food and water - but for a small amount - was on the big boat. Ivan jumped on- to the other boat and found that a broken spring allowed the gas to be pumped on the hot engine. No real damage was done. Page 9 By the time we got the other boat fixed the water was calm and we fished or trolled all the way to Puertocito. But when we got there Mrs. M. was all in so we got off and made camp. As it was still day- light we started looking for shells. Found black murex, close in, pinks as the tide receded. We gathered quite a few, made a fire, cooked them and removed the animals. With morning we started for San Felipe. We got to the Sulphur mines as it was just beginning to get dark. Ivan told the others to keep on coming and we’d go on in and have dinner ready and a fire going - it was cold and windy. We waved goodly and started in. In a few minutes we could not even see the other beat. We didn’t have any lights so we had to be in port before it was too dark. It was on the first load he took up hill to the trailer and started the fire and got things going for dinner. It would be a long wait because we were more than twice as fast getting to port. As it was, the guide let them get stuck on a sand bar. They had him get out and push the boat to loosen it. Mrs. M. grabbed a bottle of whiskey and downed it. By the time they got to San Felipe she .was crying and moaning. Ivan got her up to tie trailer with the first load and when I got her inside she just kept up that crying. '’Don’t cry, it’s all over now” - "Leave me alone, 1*11 be alright. " They got- the big boat moored, ours ashore, the last jeep load stowed, with warm food and fire, everything turned out O.K. The people who watched our trailer told us if we had not shown up by morning they were coming to look for us.' The storm had blown down trees from El Centro all the way to San Felipe and they were afraid for us and our lives. But they, did not know us. Before we would have left our boat, we would have taken all the gas, all the water and food and could have got back two at a time in our little boat. I have all the faith in the world in Ivan. He and I both respect the ocean and never take any chances. We always have two motors, food and water. Coming back we saw whales and the porpoises were so cute, crossing over in front of us. The faster we went, the faster they went. At that time there were no names we could make out for the bays and coves - but it was fun and I’d do it again - but maybe by jeep - and go on to the Bay of Los Angeles. Anyone wanting to take that trip now will find many conveniences we did not have. BOOK NEWS Jules Hertz The Shell Club library has recently acquired the book Olive Shells of the World by Rowland F. Zeigler and Humbert C. Porreca. The title is somewhat of a misnomer since the book deals only with shells of the genus Oliva. It does not cover the other genera in the family Olividae such as the Olivella. Agaronia. and Ancilla. The book is a compilation of available data accompanied by 61 color plates showing the species and forms of the Oliva of the world. The authors recognize 57 species and 101 forms. The text includes Page 10 sections on the characteristics of the Oliva, fossil Oliva, feeding habits, breeding habits, collecting techniques, cleaning techniques, and classification. Black and white plates accompany these sections. The shell descriptions are good and as a general compilation, the book is highly valuable to the amateur collector. To the more scien- tifically inclined, the book may be found wanting in the quantity of new information added to the scientific literature. The most interesting sections of the book deal with the feeding and breeding habits of the Oliva . The work of Olsson and Crovo form the major part of the sections, and point out the great knowledge which can be obtained by an amateur (Mrs. L.E. Crovo) patiently and perceptively observing aquarium specimens. The book, Olive Shells of the World, was printed in the United State of America by Rochester Polychrome Press, Inc. Rochester, N.Y. Copyrighted in 1969, the book initially sold for $12.95. CYPRAEA JACKPOT l ! I By Norm Currin In ’'larch of 1970, along the coast south of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, I hit what was for me the Cypraea jackpot of all my collecting days. While diving at 20 - 25 feet I overturned one rock and there on the underside were three Cypraea arabicula. two C, albugincsa. one C. cervinetta, and one C. isabella mexicana. Seven cypraea, represent- ing four species - one a rare oneJ This was for me the greatest single-rock find of my shelling career. And as if this wasn't a sufficiently heady diet for one day, under the next rock - frosting on my cake I guess - I found three more C. albuginosa and another C. isabella-mexicana! THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED .Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday CLUB 1968 - 7:30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol II February 1971 X xly \U J# O/ O* J/ -»V X1* V1/ \l/ V' O/ O/ O/ >1/ X*y \lf >•/ O/ \U O# \>« Oy X*/ x*< xU xU xU Jy d, X*^ X 'l' '|X *|X >|X y,v y(» >JX y(x >|X yj\ ^|X /|X X|X yjX >|X y^x yjx y(\ *(X >,x ^|X y(x /p A|X >|X >|X yjX yjx y*|X /|X >|X y*|X y(x yp y(x yp yp >jX >|X yp y,x yjx yjx ^jX yp y,x >p y^x >|X >|X yp y * * No. 2. : % >[c sjs # i[: 5jc ^ s|< s[c # # 3{ea{c Program, February, 18 : * Diving For Shells Norm Currin * Publications Address: * * Mrs. Virginia Hanselman, 5$lS Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 92122* -U xly x*y Jy xly xly x*y Jy xly x*y sly xJy y '|X yp yp /p yp yp ^jx yp. yjx y,x yjx yjx yp yp yp yp y(x y|X yp yp y|X yjx yjX y,x yp yjx yp y^x yp yjx y,x yjx yp yp yp ^x y,x y,x yjx y|X y|x yp y^X yjx yp yp y|X yp yp yp y,x yp yp yp yjX y,x yp yp y(x yp y(x und responsible for almost all the stimulating effect. It now appears that sub-lethal doses of commercial detergent destroy this sesitivity. A, M. Mackie of the NERC Fisheries Biochemical Research Unit at Edin- burgh has found that exposure of the common whelk to detergent concen- trations as low as 5 micro-grams per liuer of water (under a hundred- millionth of an ounce per gallon) eliminates response to starfish glycosides for several days. This finding suggests that molluscs in "cleaned” coastal areas may be abnormally vulnerable to starfish attack, and, more generally, that detergent and other chemical pollut- ants can insidiously upset natural relationships in the coastal seas. From "Sea Secrets" Nov. -Dec. 1970. MINI MINUTES Dr. Radwin’s address and showing of slides by Dave Mulliner previously noted. Jules Hertz reported several additions to library. Nola Michel and Carole Hertz - cookies. Feb. NEW MEMBERS Jody Woolsey 1513 Armacost St., Apt. 5 Los Angeles, Calif. 90025 Virginia Lill 9320 Earl St., Apt. 10 La Mesa, Calif. 920/1 Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Zerull (Rita) 730 Eastburg Dr. Escondido, Calif. 92025 Mrs. Forrest Poorman 160 Sequoia Dr. Pasadena, Calif. 91105 Dr. Takashi Okutani Tokai-Regional Fisheries Research 5-5, Kachidoki, Chuo-Ku Lab. Tokyo, Japan NOTICE’. 1 1 To Corresponding Members: You must have dues paid by March 15, 1971 to receive April issue of Festivus. Send remittance to Mrs. Margaret Mulliner, 52^3 Vickie Dr., San Diego, Calif. 92109- payable to San Diego Shell Club, Inc. Also: Won’t you rlease submit any items of interest (to your smelly feller sheller s ) ? This is now your publication! . ■ SAN DIEGO SHELL ICUJB' FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - third Thrusday - 7:30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Kanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. II March 1971 No. 3 # # >[< sjs j(< j|s if sjc # if # if sje if $ s ’< sjc sjs 3jc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc s^ >1; sjcsjcsjcs’.csjc sjc sjc sjc sj; # sje sjc sfc sjc sjc sjc if if sjc if if if if sjc sjc sjc if sjs sjs sjc s.'c sjc sjs sjc sjc s^ sjc sjc 3|c if * Program, March 18: * * Fluorescence in Shells - Susan Bishop * * Special Notice: * * All annual dues must be paid by March 15, for your name to be * * included on the 1971 roster, hence on the Festivus mailing list.* * Remittance payable to San Diego Shell Club, Inc., sent to * * Margaret Mulliner, 5283 Vickie Dr., San Diego, Calif. 92109 * * (Dues schedule, last page). * * ALSO: * * Donations of shells for the May Auction should be made very soon* * in order to be properly packaged and catalogued. They may be * * turned in to any board member or brought to March meeting. * * Preferrence, quality, rather4 than quantity - complete data, * * Please? * sfc sjc s.'c s|c if if sjc if if s’.c sjc sjc sjc if sjc sjc sjc if sjc sjc sjc if sjc sjc if sjc sjc sjc it sjc sjc if if sjc sjc if sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjc sjcsjc sjc sjc if sjc s^ if if 3j? if sjc sjc if sjc sjc s£ sjc sjc NOTES ON A MEXICAN SHELL COLLECTING TRIP By Norm Currin Collectors : Bill Woods Norm Currin Peanuts (Norm’s dog not much good at collecting but a great guardian of our equipment while we dived. ) Transportation : Bill’s 1965 Chevelle with back seat replaced by plywood compartments containing a six weeks’ supply of canned and packaged food:; atop the car was secured a large box containing diving a.. 1 camping gear? the trunk was loaded with miscellaneous gear and equipment, including two sets of tanks for scuba diving, and an 18- in. 1 hand dredge. Shelter : A 6 by 8 foot Coleman Olympic tent simple to erect i uo barely adequate in size for two men a nd a dog. Page 2 Areas Collected: Down the Mexican We st Coast from Altata to Mazatlan, to Novillero, to Puerta Vallarta, to Manzanillo, - thence, back up to Metanchen (San Bias) and Guaymas, Departed : Sunday Nov. 29, 1970, at 5:30 A.M. Crossed the border at Calexico. Drove until just after dark, stopping two miles south of Santa Ana, Sonora, to camp. Set up our tent 150 feet in from the road and had just finished dinner when out of the black night a train bear- ing down on us revealed that we were camped a few feet from a railroad track] Momentary feelings of panic, believe me. Wasted Effort: Next day drove west from Obregon, Sonora, to investigate shelling at Huivulai and Playa Guadalupe. Neither worth the trouble. Altata. Sinaloa: Deo. 1 and 2. Long expanses of sandy beaches with some muddy areas. Collected Nassarius luteostoma. Modulus cate- nulatus. Eupleura muricif ormis. Natica chemnitzil. OlTvella. and assorted bivalves. Mazatlan. Sinaloa: Dec. 3. Scuba dived off Lighthouse Point. As we started down to dive a group of workmen set off a series of dynamite blasts among the rocks, one huge chunk of granite just miss- ing Bill. Dived for L5 minutes. I took one Aspella myrakeenae. an attractive orange Clathrodrillia sp«. and a large live Malea ringens which was knocked out of my hand by a huge wave as I climbed out of the water. I searched for fifteen minutes but could find no trace of it. Then as Bill came out he lost a flipper, and we were kept from ’* the area for an hour while they blasted. When we finally got back in** to the water it took half an hour of searching to find it. Got air for our tanks at AGA Mex on Zaragosa Street. Novillero. Nayarit: Dec. U and 5. We took the car across a strange little cable-guided ferry to reach this spot. Not much in live shells here, but lots of dead stuff scattered along the beach most of it bivalves. No diving here as the water was rough and dirty. Miles and miles of beach, north and south. Puerto Vallarta. Jalisco: Dec. 6-15* Camped and dived and shore collected at numerous places in this vicinity, up and down the coast from P.V. Found the water cool enough to warrant wearing wet suit jacket and hood. Most of our collecting here was by diving skin and scuba. My greatest find was a live-taken Typhis (Cinclidotyphis) myrae. Du Shane 1969 the first live speciman ever found. Also took several Cypraea isabella-mexicana. Found Cypraea cervinetta. albuginosa, arabicu'la, Trivia radians , sanguinolenta t pacifica. Jennaria~pusfulata; took three beautiful hairy Cymatium vestitum, and several unusually large Cymatium gibbosum. Also large Bursa caelata. Found Malea ringens intertida’llv. Took Persicula phrygia and imbri^ cata* Typhis fayae° Aspella obeliscus. erosa, and pyramidalis; a large frigonostoma breve0 several species of Engina 0 many different species oF small bo minute shells (Mangelia^ Clatnurella, etc.) which I have not yet identified? found two striking orange-striped specimens of Astraea olivacea ; and of course a choice speciman or two of many of the shells more common to this area. Our days were devoted almost entirely to shells. Up at dawn to walk the shore; then a day of div- ing sometimes eight hours in the water; next a hasty dinner, after which we would look over each others takings for the day; then the evening would be devoted to cleaning and putting away shells. One day a herd of whales moved in on our collecting area just after we left the water. At Sayulita the natives staged a religious celebration one night and fired off fireworks and rockets hourly, keeping us awake and my pooch in a state of panic all night long. My overall opinion of Page 3 this area for collectors is that it's great if you dive but doesn't offer much if you don’t, although we found a few choice things along the shorelines at low tide. We spent a total of eleven days here before moving on south. In Bill's car we didn’t dare try the coast road so vie spent a night in Guadalajara enroute Cuastecomate. Bahia Cuastecomate, Jalisco: Dec. 16 to 23 , Set up our tent under a palm thatched paiapa roof on the Hotel Ei Dorado beach. For 20 pesos we had water, electricity, and bathroom privileges. Our collecting here was exclusively skin and scuba diving. As no air was available I -developed a system I call "Combination diving" and found it to be an effective means of stretching your air. Basically, it consisted of skindiving while swimming and turning rocks, using the snorkel for breathing. Then if a turned rock locked interesting I would pop the regulator mouthpiece into my mouth and breathe from the tanks while I looked for shells beneath the rock, then to one surface to replace the regulator with the snorkel and to continue skinning. It may sound complicated but it actually was very effective and cer- tainly stretched my air supply. It wouldn't be practical in deep water, but up to fifteen feet I recommend it. Our collecting here produced a Conus diadema by me and a Conus vittatus by Bill. We eacn found a Lvria barnesi. I found a beautiful A so el la myrakeenae and a pair of Anachis adelinae , also a pair of large Typhis fayae. We collected several species of Cal I io stoma , many kinds of Anachis and Crassispira, tiny adult specimens ci C plumb qUa haem a stoma and the equal-sized Columbeila lucasana, and many different species of small things. We also took side trips to Tenecatita (found a pair of pure white Typhis fayae) and to Malaque (which seems to be always quite rough). '~We~ each took several Muricopsis jaliscoensis in this area, as well as Phyllocona scalarif ormisT" and' X~ found a g"ood crab specimen of Murex'iella lapa. Manzanillo,, fCouima °. Dec/ 24 to 26. We moved on down south of Punt a MTarrt i ago and set’ up our tent in a space at the Sunset Gardens Trailer Park. My wet suit was badly tern and I had neglected to pack a can of rubber repair cement. Fortunately we were able to contact Laura and Carl Shy and they had a can, so repairs were made and I could go back to wearing my suit diving without it was awfully cold. We felt sort of lonely and out of it on Christmas Eve until a gorgeous little blonde came swinging through the camp and invited us to a party at her trailer. It was a great party and late that night after I returned to camp and was laboriously trying to tie the chitons I had collected that afternoon, good old Bill took over for me and I repaired to my sleeping bag, happy because it WAS a good party and it WAS good of Bill to tie my chitons when I couldn't even see them. Most of Christmas Day we spent in the water, collecting some nice Muricantha oxyacantha. Mo rum tubercularum,, Trivia pacifica, and numer- ous species of AnacKis, Mitre 11 a, Crassispira. and Asp el la . The day before, as I left the beach, I had turned a small chunk of dead coral well up on the beach beneath it was a beautiful rich dark Cypraea cervinetta. On my return to the beach the first thing I did was to" turn uhe same chunk of coral an identical Cypraea cervinetta wa3 under it! We tried to get air for our tanks irimanzanilTo "but were not successful. I talked with the Commandante at the naval station there and he assured me that he would gladly fill my tanks but their compressor v/as in Acapulco and nothing else is available south of Puerto Vallarta. Tie day after Christmas we headed back to Guadala- jara, on to Puerto Vallarta for two days, and then up to Santa Cruz. „ „ . Page 4 Santa Cruz, Navarit: Dec. 29. Had a poor tide this day so our only hope for collecting lay in skindiving. The water was very rough and murky and the rocks literally covered with long-spined sea urchins. I got out beyond the surf line without getting pin-cushioned, then found the water so dirty it was impossible to shell. Spent half an hour and could see nothing, so I headed back in again miracu- lously avoiding the urchins and we gave up and headed north for the San Bias area. Matanchen, Nayarit : Dec. 29 to Jan. 2, 1971. Registered at the Hotel running cold water (runs in -but drains out very slowly) and - we were to find out - rats! Low tide at sunset, so we headed for the beach with our buckets. As I followed the tide down I found good color varieties of Oliva undatella. Olivella morrisoni, Olivella zonal is, Pitar lupinaria, P. alternatus, P. roseus, bopax transversus, Terebra variegata, T, armillata, and crab specimens of Cominelia'~sub- rostrata. Then at maximum low" tide a small sand spit was uncovered-"" For just a few seconds just long enough for a few choice bivalves to pop up out of the sand and into my bucket. In that brief interval I picked up three three-inch Adrana sp., a large Mactrellona exoleta, and a Tellina purpurea! Next day! got several Agaronia testacea.' Turritella leucostoma, Hastula luctuosa, a beautiful brown and white striped Eupleura muricif ormis, Trachicardium procerum, and (new to me) a pair oF'NortTiia northiae. "Next day we rented "a small rowboat to try out our dredge. No oarlocks so we had to paddle and you can’t pull a dredge by paddling, we found out. A mooring post in the middle of the bay solved our problem. We simply dropped the dredge a hundred feet from the post then paddled to the post while playing out the dredge. It worked, and by radiating out in all directions from the post we were able to pretty well cover the ocean floor for a hundred foot radius. We took Dentalium sp. galore, Bifurcium bicanaliculatum, Epitonium , Agaronia testacea. TTlivella. Ruthia mazatlanica! TerebraV" ' Olivella'. and Ana chi s. Then we found our boat to be gooct collecting grounds, for crawling around in the bilgewater were four species of tiny Anachis. several of Mitrella, and several other tiny shells which we have not yet identified. We assume these shells came from the fish nets which had been in the boat when we rented it. We were bothered by rats in our hotel room, chewing through the plastic container into P Peanut* s dogfood. Then New Years morning, after the quietest New Years Eve I’ve ever experienced, we were awakened to a splashing sound coming from the bathroom. I got my flashlight and found a large rat jumping around inside the toilet bowl. It was too big to flush down the drain, and besides, that seemed sort of cruel for it looked like a nice healthy clean jungle rat. Since I had some bad cuts on my hands and hence a good excuse. Bill had to don his heaviest glove and go after the animal. The rat made no attempt to bite, and Bill re- leased it outside where it spent several minutes regaining its com- posure before it disappeared either into the jungle or back to someone else’s room. Guaymas, Sonora: Jan. 2 to 4. Arrived right in the middle of a cold spell down to 39 the first night, 35 the second. That’s cold for Guaymas, and for us San Diegans. A wild windstorm struck at mid- night, collapsing trailer awnings and scattering lawn furniture our tent held fast, tho I feared for a while it wouldn’t. It was much too cold for diving so we just walked the beaches, even though the tides were very poor. And despite the bad tides we did quite well with our collecting. Got Modulus catenulatus. M. disculus. M. cerodes Page 5 (crab). Morula . ferrugino sa , Fusinus ambustus , Knefastia olivace a , Eupleura muriclx'ormis. "Xgaronia testacea. 'ColumBeHa aureomexicana. Strombina maculosa, Anachis coronata. Conus ximines. C. Ximines "" mahogoni, Oliva spicata , M e longena patul a , Polinices bifasciatus , R. uber, ’ a*’ very Targe ^_^?^sianus, we each took a live' Sinum d'ebile I which has an operculum tKat i's very difficult to find )~5t rombu s gracilior, Pecten vogdesi. and while Bill found Conus virgatus and C. regularis, I found a Cassis centiquadrata and a large Laevicardium e'Tatum. For dinner on the fourth we ate “our last can oT~ staples, our car insurance ran out on the fifth, and the cold was getting to us, so we decided to head for home. We had tried to keep our tent warm by leaving a light bulb on inside a tin can it had helped I’m sure, but a warm dog inside my sleeping bag had helped more. The motel book for Mexico had promised us heat at our motel in Santa Ana, but there was none and it was colder than at Guaymas. Next day we crossed the border into Calexico. The border guards said it was too cold to check our gear so we zipped right through I would have hated to unwrap all those shells in all that cold. And so we headed on home, to a somewhat warmer San Diego, and to hours and days of unwrapping and cleaning and identifying the many shells our trip produced. (Slides were shown of the beautiful places visited and a fine display of the superb specimens collected was also exhibited - C.A.M.). "S A Y 0 N A R A" From Dr. T. Okutani GOOD-BYE, EVERYBODY! (And the keys to the species of Janthina ) I am leaving this country by February 13th. On this occasion, I like to extend my sincere thanks to all San Diego Shell Club members for their hospitality and warm hearts showed me during my stay at San Diego. You cannot imagine how I enjoyed in attending meetings every month since Betty brought me there one evening and introduced me to you all. The great "okazuw (with rice) party and X-mas dinner party were the most enjoyable and never-f orgettable memories of my life. Many thanks are due to those who invited me personally to their houses to entertain me with not only showing their collections but also special dinners and food. I wish to leave this small note on Janthina here on the pages of friendly FESTIVUS because I have an impression that the most of collectors hold a good number of this beautiful violet snails in their collections under so many different names. I like to call your attention that Janthina contains only five valid species, that all show the world-wide distribution because of their pelagic drifting life. The keys to the species were already given by Laursen (1953, Dana Report 3&, p. 15 ) in his excellent monograph of this genus. But, I feel that his keys are too mucy simplified, that a more detailed and practical one is needed. So, I did it as follows: Key to Genus Janthina (T. Okutani ) Page 6 1. Shell trochoid, low to moderately high spired* base purple and clearly demarcated by the sharp peripherial keel; vivaparous so that egg capsules are never found underneath the float (bubble raft) - -- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- J.^ janthina Shell globose, no sharp keel on the periphery* oviparous, so that sometimes egg cases were laid underneath the float (bubble raft) --------------- — --------2 2. Growth lines show raised, regular ridges that give the shell rough surface? shell dark purplish throughout, lustre dull ---------- j, exigua Growth lines not raised, so that the shell surface is smooth or only delicately striated, usually with strong lustre - - - 3 3. Shell deep purplish except well-defined white line just below the suture! anal fasciole distinct; usually : umbilicated ------------------- j. umbilicata Shell pale purpulish, gradually darkened basally, no white line below the suture -------------------- 4 4. Anal fasciole in lower position, so that it is seen only on the body whorl; columellar lip weakly curved but never twisted - - - - j. prolongata Anal fasciole in high position, so that it is seen not only on the body whorl, but also other upper whorls; columellar lip slightly twisted ------------------ J. pallida The major synonyms (fide Laursen) of each species are shown below. If you find that your specimens were identified as any of these in parenthesis, you need to correct your label! Janthina janthina (Linne, 1758): Syn. aff inis, africana. alaba, salt eat a. LTcolor. bitannica. casta, carpenteri . coeruleata. communis, costae, depressa. fibula, f ragilis. grandis. involuta. orbignvi . penicephala. planispirata. roseola, rotundata. smithiae. stulata. trochoidea. violacea. vulgaris. J. exigua Lamarck, 1816: Syn. bifida, capreolata. incisa . nitida. striata, vinsoni . J. umbilicata d’Orbigny, I84O: Syn. megastoma. J. prolongata Blainville, 1822: Syn. decollata. elongata. globosa. iricolor. nana . nitens. pavraudeaui. splendens. J. Pallida Thompson, 1341: Syn. latea . patula. rosea, striolata. In connection with this, brownish "violet” snail, Recluzia. also has very many names, such as bensoni. montrouzieri etc., but is a single world-wide species, R. rollandiana Petit. BOOK NEWS Page 7 By Jules Hertz A recent addition to the Shell Club library is the small, hard- covered book. Marine Shells of Southern Africa, by D. H. Kennelly, Hon. Conchologist of the East London Museum. This book contains 1+6 excell- ent black and white (plus several color) plates of the more common shells of the Southern African region. The book is geared for the amateur collector. The descriptions are adequate, with the most in- teresting information being the locality data. Many of the shells from South Africa are also found in the Indo-Pacif ic, and therefore the descriptions of these shells duplicate those already available in several of the library1 s other books. A book covering the marine mollusks of the Southern African region has long been needed, and it . is hoped that this book will act as a catalyst toward the writing of a more complete work in the near future.' In the ’interim*, this book will be quite valuable to those of us who exchange with collectors in Southern Africa. We have received this past month a beautiful book donated by Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Thomas of Morro Bay, California. This soft covered book entitled, Hybridization in the Eastern Pacific Abalones (HaliotisjL was written by B. Ownes, J.H. McLean, and R.J. Meyer. A review of this book is scheduled for our next issue. Interest in the Shell Club library has increased markedly in recent months. With this in mind, it is requested that members return books that have been on loan for more than two months. AQUARIUM OBSERVATION • By Carole M. Hertz Our tank contains a ferocious hermit crab which patrols the area in its Calliostoma gloriosum shell. Friend crab climbs on all other inhabitants in the tank, pokes at them and in them and is ever on the prowl. Yesterday Crab got its comeuppance. It had stuck its leg in one too many bodies. A tiny Donax gouldi reacted to the invasion and clamped tight imprisoning Crab’s leg between its two valves. Crab appeared furious. It clanked along with its new shell foot apparently trying to shake it off, grab it off with its claws or knock it off by banging it on the shell of Bursa calif ornica, which seemed oblivious to the happening. Crab suffered this indignity for more than ten minutes before escaping from the grip of the Donax. This is surely subjective but it seemed to me that on its release. Crab retreated to a corner of the tank to minister to its wounded leg. THE PELICANS * LAMENT fTwas only yesteryear we flew strong and keen and free. In long and undulating files Winging our hungry way at dawn Toward distant feeding grounds. Or, joyous coasting with the utmost ease And occasional beating wings. Close above the ceaseless, rolling waves Or even *neath the breaker’s giant curl. What zest in life indeed. And then - when hovering aloft With eager downward look. Our sudden awkward crashing dive Which ended in a resounding splash That should have caused a broken neck. But lo - we emerged triumphant and unscathed To rest awhile on ocean’s placid breast And fully enjoy a well earned meal. But that of course was yesteryear. For now - how sad to say. Those earlier scenes will be no more. They are fading fast away As all we pelicans depart this life. And bitter memories alone remain. No more we’ll bring the happy hours To those who watch from shore and pier. And love to see we feathered folk Live out our destined ways. For, shame to say, ’tis those who should Our staunch protectors be. Oft* fail their duty to perform And carelessly destroy instead. So one by one our countless hosts On land and sea and air, Will go and not come back again - Unhappy loss that all must share. And thus a priceless privilege is lost Because of mans’ oft’ selfish deeds. Whose interference spoiled our eggs. Took away from us our precious young And caused this requiem that we sing. Edwin C. Roworth January 22, 1971 SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. II April 1971 No, 4 V1' V' V1/ vl, ><« A O, J, x*^ V/vO O, O/ J/ *'» O, O/ \l/ xJL. J, x*> ^ xl^ X*, O/ vl/ x>» x», X*/ xl, J, xV x'/ x^x'/ J, x>,xl# x*, O/ «J»\V O, V' ^x1# xt, x*# xC x', ^|X ^|X #|\ ^,X *,x /,V «>|X *|X «|X ^|X ,|X *|X*(x ,x ^,x yp. #,% *,x ^|» >|X >,x ^ /,x »(\ *|X 4|x ^ ^fX ^,x ^x >|X *,x <»,x ^,x ^,x /|xi|\ »,x ^,x /[V Ap »|> ',x #jx *|X Jjx *|X ^|X ^,x >,X ^X r,x ’’■'Program, April 15 s *The Very Small and Microscopic Shells of Our Coast - Bertram C. Draper, *of the Conchological Club of Southern California. * * * ^NOTICE: * |rWe are still soliciting your donations of good shells (with data) for * ’■the Shell Auction May, 22. Please give them to any board member or * -bring to April meeting so they may be packaged and catalogued. * ^Publications Address: * •‘Virginia Hanselman, 5#1$ Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 92122 * ={s5i«3{c9^ s,‘s3{< »;« 3{< s;< sjs sjc 3^ s{e sje ajolcs^sjc sfolssjc ijcajs ajc 3^ »;c »Jc sjs 5^ sjc s{< s.'c ajc K FLUORESCENCE IN MOLLUSCAN SHELLS By Susan Bishop This topic, like many which require interdisciplinary cooperation in the sciences, has not received the amount of attention from research workers that it seems to warrant. The first work on the subject was published during the last century but since then only a few papers in this field have appeared and these concentrate mainly on the occurrence of fluorescence in chosen species of molluscs. One paper which attempts to determine the systematic range of one type of fluorescence among the mollusca was written by A. Comfort in 1948. The phenomenon of fluorescence in daylight is a familiar sight to most people in such modern man-made articles as brilliant ’day-glo* posters, warning signs, and even certain clothes such as the bright red or orange jackets sometimes worn by roadworkers. The pigments and dyes used to produce these startling and sometimes unpleasantly dazzl- ing effects are also man-made. As yet I have been unable to find evidence that anv animal a nr rlants nvhihit, similar colours due to •5c ■>$• page 2 In the case of ordinary pigments, light consisting of a variety of wavelengths falls on the pigment and some of the light energy is absorbed. That which is reflected is seen as the colour of the pig- ment. The remaining light energy may be dissipated as heat, or alter- natively as in the cases under consideration, it may be emitted as light of a different wavelength, in which case the pigment is said to fluoresce. Many parts of animals and plants do show strong fluorescence in ultra-violet light,, This is a wavelength (or colour) of light which is invisible to humans as it lies beyond the violet of the visible spectrum. Nevertheless it is visible to any insects and, in some cases, it is more important in controlling their behavior than those wavelengths of light that we term ’visible’. ’Black lights’, which are often purchased for use at parties of for testing mineral samples, emit ultra-violet light strongly but are so designed that the amount of visible light emitted is very small. These are suitable for check- ing shells for fluorescence. Sun-ray lamps are also strong ultra- violet emitters, but the visible light also produced by these lamps makes them unsuitable for use in such a study. Ultra violet lamps should be considered potentially dangerous since long exposure of the skin to the light causes severe burning (as in sun-burn). This is particularily so in the case of the eyes which can be permanently damaged by looking directly at a strong ultra-violet source. This danger is best avoided by wearing ordinary glasses or goggles which cut out nearly all of the ultra-violet light. Use of a U.V. lamp in a small closed room for several hours should also be avoided, as the lamp causes the formation of small quantities of ozone and oxides of nitrogen which are poisonous gases. Of the numerous different chemical substances occurring as pig- ments of shells, many show no fluorescence and few have been studied in any great detail. Work on the pigments of Pteria. Clanculus, and a few other species has been carried out in which pigments showing bright red fluorescence in U.V. light have been isolated from the .. shells and identified as belonging to a group of chemicals known as porphyrius. These substances are produced by animals and plants only, (i.e. are not found in rocks except where there are fossil remains.) Shells which show red fluorescence on U.V. light are usually assumed to contain porphyrin. The identification of the pigment as a porphyrin in a particular species cannot be certain without an examina- tion using physical and chemical analytical methods involving the des- truction of specimens. When a porphyrin ia present in a shell in considerable concentra- tion it is visible as a dull reddish brown or purplish colouration in normal lighting. It sometimes happens that the amount of porphyrin present is too small to show up and the shell appears almost colourless The same shell however may fluoresce relatively brightly in U.V. light. Because of the presence of other pigments in the shell, the dis- tribution of the fluorescent areas may or may not correspond to any colour pattern which may be present. In some cases the fluorescence is confined to certain structural areas of the shell (e.g. the operc or collumellar callus). page 3 There is much individual variation within most species as to the degree of fluorescence present, and it is important to study a long series of specimens of a species before deciding that no fluorescent pigment occurs there. In Comfort’s paper on the systematic range of shell porphyrins he suggests from his studies that these pigments are widespread in the Archaeogastropods, occur fairly commonly in tectibranch Qpistobranchs. and also in an isolated group of Mesogastropods including Erato. Trivia. *Velutina and a few Cypraea. He gives no examples of Neogas- tropods. Although I have yet to examine any large number of specimens, a quick examination of some Neogastropods suggests that red fluores- ence occurs in some species of Oliva . Conus and Harpa. at least. The local shells showing the best fluorescence are Erato and Trivia. Very young orange specimens of Haliotis rufescens also showed some fluorescence, but very little could bo "found in other groups, including the pelecypods. Comfort gives such genera as Pteris. Pinna . Placuna and Ida liens in his list of positive results and it is also possible that scree" Veneridae fluoresce. Very little work has been done using live animals and it would be most interesting to see how many of the molluscan animals fluoresce and how much of this can be attributed to the presence of porphyrin. * similar to Lamellaria. i * • Recommend ed reading Ik M. Fon and G. Vevers, (I960), The Nature of Animal Colours, oidgwick and Jackson Ltd., London. A well written introduction to the subject. A. Comfort, (1948)* Acid Soluble Pigments of Shells. L. The Distri- bution of Porphyrin Fluorescence in Molluscan Shells. Biochemical Journal, 44> 111c A. Comfort, (1951), The Pigmentation of Molluscan Shells. Biological Reviews, 26, 2$5» (Susan Bishop is a young biology graduate from Cambridge, England. She and her husband, Martin, came to the San Diego area for a year that began last August. Mr. Bishop had decided to spend the middle year of a three-year university fellowship working in the Salk Institute at La Jolla. «** Mrs. Bishop’s interest in shells began when she was a small girl. I'hile here, she has used every bpportuaity to collebt and with her husband has made shelling trips to many California beaches and down into Mexico. They will return to Cambridge in the late summer for Mr. Bishop’s last year. Susan, herself, plans to teach in her field, biology. Happy .Landings and a rewarding future! - Ed. ) page 4 FROM OUR MAN IN ECUADOR ** WITH THE AMERIPAGOS EXPEDITION (from the letters and cards of Dave Mulliner to Peg. ) Dave reports, "We’ve had a very pleasant and eventful trip so far...." First stop for the group was Guayaquil, Ecuador. They clear ed customs in five minutes. Didn’t even have to open a bag. They sampled South American hospitality via an acquaintance they met on the plane. At the home of an Ecuadorian Naval Commander respondsible for escorting American tuna boats into port, they were offered asylum for their gear while they visited Peru. The manager of the airport arrang ed for them to tour the city of Guayaquil. Due to storms, the river was covered with floating islands of water hyacinths. It was pre- Lenten carnival time in the city, and kids with ash-covered faces threw water balloons at everyone. Our travelers were waterbombed de- spite keeping the car windows closed. After two days in Guayaquil, the group headed for Lima, Peru. A friend of Bill Old’s took them on a tour of the beach and city and showed them his shell collection. They then went 50 miles up the coast from Lima and did their first shelling. They collected mostly Chitons, limpets and Acanthina. From there four of them went to Cuzco and visted the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, "'high on a mountain top surrounded on three sides by a raging river. The ruins are fantastic. Huge granite blocks cut to fit without mortar". They viewed the ruins "through a warm gentle rain for three hours". Since all arrangements made in the States for shipment of gear had quickly evaporated on arrival in Guayaquil, the other members re- turned to make new plans. They spent three days in Guayaquil clearing customs and making arrangements for shipment by cement boat. : .The last word Peg had, the plane was to leave at 8:30 AM and the flight was still being delayed at 11:00 AM...... A COLLECTOR OF RARE SHELLS, WITH NOTES ON IT’S REMARKABLE FAMILY By Cliftor; L. Martin To many of us one of the more interesting molluscan families is the Xenophoridae. To those who saw their first specimen of Xenophora as I did, without any previous knowledge of it’s existence, the feel- ing caused is one of complete amazement, almost of disbelief. With my first view of Xenophora there was also a desire to learn more about the family it represented. To this end we made every effort to obtain as many species as possible and while our collection of the shells of this family is not large we do have examples of all of the different genera. The family Xenophoridae is found in warm waters throughout the world and although it is a rather small one, as molluscan families go, it’s worldwide dispersal is, perhaps, a clue to it’s vast geological age as well as to it’s ambulatory nature. It was living world-wide and highly differentiated at the beginning of the Cenozoic, in fact. page 5 specimens of Xenophora are found in deposits of the Cretaceous epoch throughout the world. All of this indicates a geological age of very great magnitude. A superb model of Xenophora robusta Verrill in our collection, which was made by our good friend and fellow member, Helmut Meier, shows clearly that the animal is very well equipped for moving about. All of the shells of this family prefer rather deep water and while a few have been found in depths of ten to twenty fathoms almost all prefer depths in excess of forty fathoms and some have bean trawl- ed in depths of nearly five hundred fathoms. A study of this family will show that there are several different types or genera involved. First, and perhaps better known to most collectors, is genus Xenophora with it?s more or less uniform covering of accreted shells, shell, fragments, small pebbles etc. Another type may have only a very sparsely arranged number of attached shells, bits of coral or other matter from the ocean floor. This type is frequently found without any adherent matter whatever. Tugurium longleyi (Bartsch), from the Caribbean area, is a good example of this "type,. Tugurium giganteum (Schepman), from Japanese waters and southward to Indonesia, usually has shells and shell fragments attached only to the upper angle of the keel. As the shell grows these appear in a neat row just above the suture, giving the appearance of a very decorative coil when viewed from above. Species of genus Onustus are, more often than not, completely bare of accreted matter and if any is present it is usually in the form of very small and very thin shell fragments near the apex. From an esthetic standpoint the most beautiful shell of the family is, perhaps, Stellaria solaria. it?s fine sculpture and beauti- ful arrangement of spine-like protruberances so uniformly spaced at the keel gives it a very distinctive appearance. In a box of shells we received from South Africa recently there was an extremely unusual specimen of Xenophora pallidula (Reeve). It is unusual because of the rarity of the shells it has accreted. It is thought to be unique in being the only known specimen with a Lyria ^uekptti (E, A. Smith) and a Volutocorbis gilchristi (Sowerby III ) both attached to it. Strangely enough, both of these extremely rare volutes are in excellent condition and do not appear to have been dead very long. Other shells attached to this unusual specimen are Phalium craticulatum (Euthyme), two specimens of Gemmula gilchristi (Sowerby) and an unidentified turrid species. This specimen was trawled off the north coast of Natal, Republic of South Africa, June 1967, in a depth of about one hundred eighty fathoms. Of special interest to shell collectors is the fact that Xenophora pallidula has not always been found in South African waters but has made it f s 'appearance there rather recently. It is better known to most collectors as coming from the waters off Japan and Taiwan. Ac- cording to D. H. Kennelly, Conchologist of the East London Museum, of South Africa, Xenophora pallidula was first found off the Natal coast about I960. Since that time it has been helping the old-timer of the area, Xenophora corrugata (Reeve), supply collectors with some very rare shells, a few of which have never been collected in any other way. page 6 NIGHT DIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES By Joe Bibbey I am afraid this article will not contribute rAUCh to water safety or conservation, but I will attempt to tell it the way the usual dive was accomplished. I have done night diving periodically in my life, but never found it particularly rewarding until I became interested in the animals in the sand. The rock and corral-dwelling animals are much easier to find in the daytime, when they are hiding in lairs and the diver expects to find them in, and not running about all over. My first 1# months in the P.I. I had found about 15 miters and like amounts of other sand dwellers by fanning sand, etc. I then be- came interested in Mitra and Terebra, so began a hunt for a good diving partner. I luckily found one who had a boat and we proceeded to dive two times a week for the next six months. This netted us over a hun- dred types of mitras, and around seventy terebras, plus many other shells we had never seen in the daytime. It took about two months of exploring to decide upon two nice offshore sand areas that weren’t too far and provided sand, in depths from six to eighty feet. The deeper you go the less you find, but the little you find in the deeper water is of course more desirable. On a typical night we would use three sets of twin 72s s and never go over 35 This gave us about seven good hours in the water. Our biggest problem was a light that didn’t leak water. We tried out about four types before we found out that U.S. Divers made one for 12 Dollars that didn’t leak. Every night on the way out we would decide to stay together and obey all the rules but somehow this never came to pass. When you step off the boat you always imagine a 50 ? whale is waiting with open jaws but a few moments later you are on the bottom and have found your first shells. This always leads to one more, 4 feet ahead of you - and on the tenth shell you take a check for your diving partener and discover that he is nowhere around. An uneasy feeling develops, but this is dispelled by a nice shell and anyway you can always get together back on the boat in a couple of hours. The little meeting on the boat gave us a chance to have a smoke and sand- wich and to sort through the catch to make sure we hadn’t captured any imperfect shells. We worked over our two favorite sand areas once a week for the next four months and, except for a few old standbys, never found the same kind of shells two trips in a row. One night the bed had hund- reds of Cassis cornuta on it. We decided to come back the next day and get some. My next find of Cassis on that bed, from then ’til now, is zero. Another night there must have been thousands (reallyJ) of Strombus aurisdianae and bulla. We took several of each species. They have a peculiar habit - they travel in pairs, made up of one S. Bulla and one S. aurisdianae. The most singularly beautiful shell I have ever found was a Conus episcopalis. Traveling at rather high speed over a sand bed, it look- ed like a brilliant black and white Christmas tree (to me, anyway). The Volutes have very large colorful animals that are breathtaking when you see one, but they are nothing compared to the episcopalis. page 7 Beach combing one day, I found a quite beat-up mitra. I told my- self "I have to find a live one of these." A few nights later we went directly offshore from my find and proceeded into the water of a previously unproductive area. When I reached the bottom, directly under the boat in twelve feet of water I found my Mitra, gracefully gliding across the sand. After a trip to the surface to show off my find, my friend and I diligently combed the area then, and for at least three nights but we never found another one. I didn’t know the name of the shell then and I don’t know it now. I will describe my shell catch from the best night I ever had. No other night did I ever get more than half this much. These were all desirable take-home shells as far as I was concerned. It was also one of our last dives before leaving the P. I., so we hadn’t done our areas any real damage, at least previous to this night. I found such a full excellent bag of shells that I counted them. Results? Mitra (32 . species), Terebra (27 species), 20 (plus) other shells comprised of Strombus, Naticas, Volutes, Cones, Tritons, Turrids, Sundials, Semi- cassis, Dentalium, etc. I also had in this catch 7 Mitra and 1 Terebra that were brand new to my collection. So far I haven’t mentioned sharks in the article, as I had not seen one during this period at night. One time we continued diving • until sunrise. At this time I surfaced and was swimming toward the boat when I observed a huge Marlin catch and eat old Charlie Tuna. I estimate the tuna at about four feet long. And at a distance of about seventy-five feet from me the tuna left the water. The Marlin caught him in the air, biting him in two, taking the forward half with him. In about a minute (or less) he came back and got the other half. If a shark is faster and/or tougher than a Marlin then he must be a fear- some thing. I have never seen a shark do anything but sleep or swim away. I probably shouldn’t have told you this suory first as it leaves me nothing else to tell. This story was about the most fabulous period of time in my life. (As a shell collector) BOOK NEWS By Jules Hertz As noted last month, a new publication, "Hybridization in the Eastern Pacific Abalones ( Haliotis ) , " has been received. 'Written by Buzz Owen, James H. McLean, and Richard J. Meyer, this soft-covered book was published in January 1971 as a Bulletin of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural Histroy (Sciences Number 9)* This book is printed on paper of excellent quality and has exceptionally good photo- graphs. The first page consists of a beautiful color print of a Haliotis ruf escens x Kamt schatkana assimilis from the Lawrence Thomas collection. Hybridization in West Coast Haliotis has been suspected for years, but until this publication there was insufficient confirmation. With the exception of HaJmjqMijs cracherodii. each Southern Californian species of Haliotis was found to "have hybridized' with at least two other species. There are now twelve recognized hybrids. Evidence of hybridization is presented from 1) studies of shell and soft parts, 2) immunological studies, and 3) laboratory breeding experiments. page g The epipodium of each species of Haliotis found in California has completely different morphology. Exceptionally fine pictures show the epipodia of the different hybridizing species as well as that of different hybrid specimens. Many of these are epipodia of living animals. The results of laboratory breeding experiments are being publish^! '.separately, but one hybridization experiment of H. corrugata and H. ruf escens is detailed. Tables of frequency for naturally occuring hybridization are presented. This Bulletin is a must for collectors of Haliotis and is of gefteral interest to all collectors of molluscs. THE LOST. BUT NOT FOUND DEPARTMENT HELP! ’. The Historian’s Bock is missing. It’s a black looseleaf binder containing photographs, clippings etc. of the history of the Club. It was last at the February meeting on the back table of the auditorium* If anyone has any information on this book please call - 277-6259. COLLECTING IN SAN FELIPE By Carole M. Hertz During the low tides in February, Jules, the girls and I spent several lovely days in San Felipe together with Virginia and George Hanselman and Tom Rice. On the morning of February 25, at Campo Uno, Jules discovered a ’’bumpy tegula" we had never seen or collected before. We collected several during the morning tide and a few more the same evening. We showed them to Joyce Gemmell, the Hanselmans and Tom Rice but none could identify the species. The following day we all searched for and collected some additional specimens. They were interspersed with Tegula f alipensis on rocks, on sponge, under rocks and on small stones at the low tide level. Since we still couldn’t identify them with anything from that area* Joyce, Jules and I decided we’d send some specimens to Dr. James McLean for identification. And we had great fun creating names for our "new species"!! Soon after arriving home, we did send some to him and found that we had collected Tegula rubrof lammulata . Dr. McLean said that it is known from Puerto Penasco and soutn to Panama but that he didn’t know of it in San Felipe. He felt that the muddy water might keep many species out of San Felipe but that perhaps some larvae of T. rubrof lammulata had established a colony there. It will be interesting to see if the colony becomes a permanent addition to the San Felipe area. MINI MINUTES President announces: New name tags will be issued to members not having them after publication -of the new roster. - annual. Meeting of Western Society of Malacologist at Asilomar, June 16-19* Elizabeth Baker volunteered a ditto to print new Horary lists. Cookies for April meeting - Rose D’Attilio, John, Souder. Shell drawing won by Elizabeth Baker. SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol . II May 1971 No. 5 -!' * i' * # * >!< >!= ;!< >Je # >!« =1= * sjs i'fi # * >!? =Jc ;[< i\i # ;|c # * s;« ;[< J,1; * ;Jc # sjcsjc * ;|; s|; sjc jJc ;[< :[c ;)< ;|c ;Jc s|: s|; * SHELL AUCTION, May 22 * * Home of Dr. George Radwin, A3 hi Rodrigo Dr. * * Map and Instructions, back page * * Publications Address: * * Virginia Hanselman, 5^13 Tulane St., San Diego, Calif. 92122 * i\z ;!< ;J< ;|c ij; }\t s|: >[c sjc J,1; ;,'c :[c sjc s.’c ;|c ;[c sj; >J{ sj; jjc sj< i[< ;[s sjs >,'t i\i i\c ;Jc jjc 5;; sjc j|c :J; sj« "MINUTE SHELLS" Presented by Bertram C. Draper There are not many shell collectors who concentrate on the minute shells but when they do, they are very enthusiastic and dedicated students of these very special shells. Mr. Bertram C. Draper is just such a collector. He presented slides and information on specimens in his own collection to the San Diego Shell Club, April 15, in the Audi- torium of the Museum of Natural History. Mr. Draper became interested in the tiny shells several years ago when his son brought home a bag of broken shells and coarse sand- grunge. Seeing that some of the "sand" particles were definitely w hole shells, he placed them under a magnifying glass and discovered an exciting new area of beauty in form and color. Since that time, though he collected the larger shells, he has gradually come to spec- ialize in the minute shells. Collecting areas are accessible to almost anyone since they are, for the most part, shoreline sites* the underside of rocks - tide pools, particularly when starfish and sea urchins are present - rocky areas with algae and anemones (in the anemones, under the algae) - hold-fasts of algae and eel grass. Fresh hold-fasts of seaweed and eel prass, with gravel attached, may be carried - home in plastic bags. Page 2 Dried, the shell material may be sorted under a magnifying glass - the very fine sand, sifted - for specimens. A binocular microscope, 1-60 power, and a lighted magnifying glass are Mr. DraperTs "eyes" in sorting and identifying the shells. Using a 1970 penny as illustra- tion of comparative size, the zero is exactly 1 mm. in diameter. To identify his shells, Mr. Draper considers the following to be his best sources: Ida Oldroyd’s, Marine Shells of the West Coast of North America, K. Palmer?s Marine Molluscs Described by Carpenter (2 volumes, one of illustrations, the other, text)* Minutes of Concholog- ical Club of Southern California, Smithsonian Bulletins, Myra Keen 4 s two books - The Key and Seashells of Tropical West America and James McLean ?s, Marine Shells of Southern California. To mount and display his specimens, Mr. Draper uses flat plastic trays, placing double-faced scotch tape on the entire bottom inside to hold the shells and labels. For his photography, he uses a PENTAX mounted on a rack with an adjustable 1-30 macrolens. His way of lighting accentuates the sculp- ture and illuminates the delicate transparency (of these fragile shells) with a jeweled brilliance that seems to glow from within. Particularly beautiful in sculpture was Liotia Fenestrata, a pearly luster in the squared pits in its coil. A lovely, unidentified Tri- phora was deeply sculptured and glowed like a topaz. Tricolia Rubri- lineata. with a satin sheen, was very colorful with "red candy-cane stripes". It is easy to understand how these so-very-small shells fascinate - and ensnare collectors. (A collection of these minute shells was made years ago by a woman who was confined to a wheelchair. Edna Sweet spent many happy hours identifying the mounting the shells brought to her by friends. Her collection was given' to the San Diego Museum of Natural History and has since been broken apart and incorporated, in proper relationships, in the main Museum collection. Also - one of our earlier club members, unable to collect any shells himself, assembled an extensive collection of shells taken from kelp hold-fasts, brought home by his wife. With adequate magnification and light and the proper handling tools - and PATIENCE - anyone can assemble a collection of them - and these shells need no cleaning! ed.) When searching through grunge many small juveniles of larger shells are found along with the minutes. The first specimen slide showed 3 juveniles and 3 adults that are easily confused - the juveni- les being a Ceratostoma, an Amphissa and an Ocenebra - the minute adults, a Clathromangelia, a Nassarina and a Mitromorpha.. There are over forty families on the west coast that include minute shells, normally under 12 mm, and totaling over 600 species. Mr. Draper has over L 00 species in his trays. About thirty families were represented in his slides. Shown were; Sinezona Rimuloides of Scissurellidae in the same super family as abalones. Page 3 Fissurellidae, Punctuella Cooper! and Megatebennus Bimaculatus. Acmaeidae, Acmaea Rosacea. Notoacmea Triangularis, under rocks, low tide, N. Paleacea. N. Depicta. on eel grass stems, San Pedro to So. Baja Calif. - Collisella. asmi. lives on black tegula. Family Trochidae, Halistylus Pupoides. Solariella Paramabilis. S, Nuda. Lirularia Rhodia. L. Acuti Costata. L. Parcipicta. L. Lirulata Liotidae, Liotia Fenestrata; Skeneidae, Parviturbo Britolae* Turbiniidae, Homalopoma.Fene stratum. H, Lurid a. H. Bacula. all found on rocks in tidal zone. Family Phasianellidae, Tricolia Substriata. T. Lurida, Northern species from Neah Bay, Wash., 1. Pulloides, T . Rub r iTi n e a~t a . Lacunidae, Lacuna Fasciata. Family Rissoidae, Amphithalmus inclusis, Nannoteretispiera Kelseyj, Barleeia californica , ATvanTa compact a , A. "aequf sc ulpta , ’ A_. inclusis, and A. tennis. Rissonia bakeri. R. coronadoensis. R. californica, R. kelseyi . Assimineidae, Assiminea californica. Vitrinellidae, Vitrinella berryi, Teinostoma supravellatum. Truncatellidae, Truncatella californica. Family Caecidae, Caecum dalli, C. californica. Sub genus, Micranellum, species, Crebricinctum, Tarbulum occidentale, F. orcutti. Family Vermitidae, Sp. Petaloconchus, Dendropoma, Vermiculum annellum. Family Cerithiidae, Bittium attenuatum, B. purpureum, B. munitum, B. interfossa, B. asperum. Family Cerithiopsidae, Cerithiopsis cosmia, C. alcima, C. ped- roana, C. oxys, Alaba cataliensis, Metaxia diadema, placed in synonomy with convexa. Seila~~mbnte reyen sis, ST as similata/ ' Diastoma fastiligata, D. stearnsi, DT sleveni . Triphoridae, has backward whorls, Triphora montereyensis and 2 beautiful unidentified Triphora were shown, all deeply sculptured. Family Epitoniidae represented by Qpalia Spongiosa. Eulimidae were Balcis rutila and A unidentified. They are found in kelp hold-fasts. — . Eratoidae, spec, of Erato columbella. Columbellidae, Aesopus chrysalloides. A. mvrmecoon. Nassarina penicilata. Mitrella "carinata. M. gausapata , M. tuberosa. M. aurant^ca. aTl from Catalina Islands. Page 4 Marginellidae, Volvarina taeniolatn, Kogomea polita. Cystiscus iewettii. C. polituius. Turridae, Clathurella canfieldi. Mangelia hexagona. Clathroman- gelia interfossa. C. f uscoligata. Kurtzia arteaga. Daphnella bartschi. Oenopota pribilova. Mitr omorpha carpenteri. M. aspera. M. gracilior. Acteonidae, Acteon punctocaelata. A. traskii. Acteocina harpa. A. culcitella. Cylichna diegensis. Voluvslla cylindrica. Pyramidellidae, Iselica fenestrata. Odosnomia laxa. 0. clathratu- la, Peristichia pedroana. Turbonilla nuttingi. T, tenuicula. T. castanea. Ellobiidae, Pedipes unisulcatus, found in splash zone. Siphonariidae, Williami peltoides under rocks, low tide. IN MEMO RI AM Dr. Bertram Porter Brov/n. Died April 21, 1971, in Goleta, California. Dr. Brown -was a well known Los Angeles physician until his retirement about six years ago. A Brief Historical Review of the Genus SINUM Roding. 179^^ and a Description of the Location of the Operculum During a recent shell collecting trip in Mexico Norm Currin and I each collected a specimen of Sin urn debile (Gould, 1853/1852). Al- though there was no sign of an operculum we decided to preserve the animals since Keen (Sea Shells of Tropical West America. 1958) indicated that the genus Sinum possessed a small operculum. My interest in the subject grew when I learned that a number of prominent collectors were unaware of the location of the Sinum operculum. Worse yet, many others did not know that an operculum existed. The location of this well hidden operculum will be discussed at the conclusion of the article. For the present an explanation of the probable causes of this confusion may be of interest. Abbott (Seashells of North America. 1968) contributes to the con- fusion when he states that "Sinum has none /an operculum/. n Macpherson and Gabriel (Marine Molluscs of Victoria. 1962) state that in the , ."•enus Ectosinum Iredale, 1931, the "operculum /is/ absent." Habe_ (Shells of the We stern Pacific in Color. 1964) disagrees, relegating Ectosinum to subgeneric ranking and describing the operculum as "... thin and horny". Page 5 Untangling the relationships between Sinum, Ectosinum, Pervisinum, Helix, etc. will not be attempted here. It should suffice to say that most authors (including Oldroyd, Morris, Rogers, etc. ) have correctly stated that the genus Sinum possesses an operculum. This confusion can be traced to the efforts of early authors. Beach specimens of Sinum evidently prevailed, as evidenced by the fact that Dr. George Radwin labored for thirty minutes in his library be- fore finding a satisfactory description of the animai. Without an intact animal for study early workers placed Sinum in Haliotidae, Calyptraeidae, Aplysiidae (Dolabella) and even more farfetched families. Early synonyms include Sigaretus Lamarck, 1799, Cryptostomus and Cryptostoma Blainville, 1818 and Catinus H. and A. Adams, 1853 * Until recently numerous authors have disregarded Sinum in favor of Sigaretus. The genus Sinum, however, was first described by Roding in 1798 in a .<-• catalog published by Bolten. This explains why Oldroyd ( The Marine Shells of the West Coast of North America. 1927) mistakenly cited Bolten as the author of Sinum. An unfortunate misprint (Sigaretus Lamarck, 1789) by Smith (World-Wide Sea Shells, 19A0) doesnft help the layman decide priorty. At this point a brief discussion of the Sinum operculum and its location is appropriate. Olsson and Harbison ( Pliocene Mollusca of Southern Florida, 1953) described the operculum as “...corneous, smaller than the aperture, paucispiral with the basal border subros- trate." The animal itself appears to be a lump of fat, featureless compared to many other gastropods and nearly enveloping the shell. When the animal is alive the operculum is not visible. The shell is easily removed from the animal by cooking it in water for a brief period and then lifting the shell off. With the anterior end of the animal pointing toward you, pull back the rear flap of flesh covering the visceral mass. The small operculum is on the left rear side of the visceral cavity. (see illustration for location) . Operculum Outline of shell \ : i * ',t t\e s;« sjs # >!o;« >|e sjc sjc sjc % # sjc sjc # t’fi s[c sjcsjt sjo.'c sjcsjs >!cs*< sjs sjs # sjc sj: »}c :|c ijs >[: # >;« jJcjIs 5^ sjojc sjs # sjs * PLEASE NOTES Meeting, June, 2 A * * PROGRAMS SHELL COLLECTING IN THE GALAPAGOS - David Mulliner * * PUBLICATIONS ADDRESS: Virginia Hanselman 581# Tulane St. $ * San Diego, Calif. 92122 *!< >!< sjc # >|c i|< ;[< sje # sje i|c sjs s|{ >;? 5,'; ?;< a}c sic >;< sjc # SHELL COLLECTING IN SOUTHERN SPAIN By Phillip V/. Clover During my 2 years in Spain I have collected from Huelva - the famous port where many sixteenth century ships left to explore the New World - to Valencia well into the Mediterranean Sea. As we live near Cadiz most of the shells I have found are from this area. One can only drive so far to catch a low tide. Skin diving is quite cold here and visibility is never over 10-20 feet, so most collecting is done on reefs at low tide. Southern Spain does have some of the finest clear weather I have seen anywhere in the world and most of the reefs are void of people except near towns and during the summer tourist season. *0ne can walk by 3000 years of history in Cadiz and even find shells on the walls of a sunken Phoenician city in this area. So regardless of what shells are found, an outing to the beaches and reefs is always enjoyed. Usually we collect only 10-20 different species in any one area. Playa De Costilla, in Rota Bay five miles across from Cadiz, seems to be an exception. This bay is blessed (??) with all the townfs garbage and while I would hate to swim here, the shells seem to love it. About 500 yards offshore is a very large reef that is only ex- posed during the lowest .5 tides, a normal low tide being 2. 0-3.0 feet. Page 2 On one recent collecting trip at Playa De Costilla I found 51 different species as no real low tides had uncovered this reef in three months. It seemed that half the tom’s population realized this also and were out on the reef looking for species of bivalves they could eat. Close to shore, in mud banks, they dig Pholas dactylus Linn. The collector soon looks like the mud bank, as itvs messy work. Out towards the reef, in gravel/mud/weed banks, are dug Cardium edules Linn., Mactra sugosz Chem., Lutraria elliptica Lam., and Tapes decussatus Linn. TTTese bivalves are collected by the bucket full and sold in th'e local markets. On the reef itself I find most of the rocks turned over for me as the Spainards are looking for squid ana sea urchins. As the .5 tides run in a 3-day cycle, it’s hopeless to turn them back as they will just be turned each day and maybe 50% end up in their original positions. Since no one else was looking for sm&ll specimen shells it was a real field day for me and some of the more interesting species found were: Calliostoma zizphinum Linn., Columbella rustica Linn., Conus mediterraneus Linn., Cypraea pyrum Gm el . , Chiton olivaceus Spen., Fusus rostratus Oliv., Fissurella graeca Linn., Mit ra -benus Lam Murex blainvillei Pay., Mur ex trunculus Linn., Nassarlus reticulata Linn., Natica vittata Gmel., Ocenebra edwardsi Payr., and Qcenebra erinacea Payr. Another form, of shell collecting here in Spain is meeting the fishing boats as they return from trawling off the fishing ground s- "La Caballa'* S.W. of Cadiz city in 20-10 fathoms. As the fisherman pull their nets up on the pier, I often pick out Cymbium olla Linn., Murex brandaris Linn., Halia priamus Gmel., and Cassis saburon Brug. Some years ago they used to collect Cypraea acnatidea Sow. in their nets also, but the style of nets and trawling methods have changed and the achatidea is no longer collected, sad to say, since it’s very popular with collectors. AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS By Carole M. Hertz On April IS of this year I collected two Cypraea spadicea which we put in one of our two one gallon aquaria. Both shells were approx- imatel]r the same size, found on the same day in different areas of the ietty in San Diego. Both shells had slight defects which I hadn’t noticed on collecting them, but for which I was later thankful since it made it easy to tell them apart. Almost immediately after placing them in the tank, the one cowry went to an end of the tank and remain- ed in one small area. I noticed that the foot of this animal was much larger than the other’s and spread out in a more or less heart- shaped pattern, different from any other C. spadicea we’d observed before. By April 23, we observed particles between the foot of the cowry and the glass. The amount of particles seemed to change and the position of the particles under the foot differed from time to time. Sometimes none were visible and other times we could see up to six. Our assumption was that these were egg capsules. We had read that the cowry will sit on her eggs to protect them after they are laid in rock crevices Cowry on glass i . Page 3 (Abbott in SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA and Burg-ess in THE LIVING COWRIES.). If this is so, we were getting a most unusual view of these eggs while they were developing. Eggs as they appeared through our magnifying glass. / Cowry on glass) with eggs in ; ,fclutch,J .* :tt j • 4 I h:.\ X / y \ / - O' y \ j w .. ' ¥ A \ On the morning of the sixteenth of May, we counted at least eight "clumps' of eggs near the anterior end of the foot, in a "clutch" shaped area. The cowry was still on the same small section of glass - We called Dave Mull in er and asked (demanded) him to please come up and see if he could get some pictures of this. (Doctors may not make Sunday house calls but our photographer did, and he was here within an hour). The position of the eggs had changed again by that time and only a few were visible. Dave got some excellent shots which he will show at a future Club meeting. By the 23rd of May the animal’s foot seemed smaller, though still larger than that of the other cowry, and no eggs had been noted for four days. (During this whole period we have been watching for veligers but have seen none. It is more than likely that conditions in our very small tank are not suitable). On the 24;fch, the animal left the small area of glass and now has settled for the second day on the adjacent panel. The foot appears "normal" in size and shape and no eggs are in evidence. Though we have not seen any veligers throughout, we feel that we have been treated to a rare glimpse of Nature. BOOKS NEWS By Jules Hertz After considerable searching, the Shell Club library has obtained a complete collection of S. Stillman Berry’s Leaflets in Malacology. These leaflets cover all mollusks: salt water, fresh water and land. They are of particular interest to local collectors since they contain the original descriptions of many of the shells found in Southern California, San Felipe, Baja Calif, and Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexicoc It is quite eye opening to find that some of the shells fairly common in San Felipe were not described until the 1950’s. For those of us who are relatively new collectors, it is a good indicator of how rapidly Mexico is developing. In general,, the descriptions are excellent. However, there is a tendency to sub-divide. The general lack of sketches or photographs of the shells imposes some difficulties on the amateur collector. The Leaflets include articles by Dr, Berry, Dr. Dwight Taylor, Dr. Burce Halstead, Dr. Joshua Baily Jr., Ralph Arnold, "John Fitch and Allyn Smith. The Leaflets will be placed in a soft covered binder and will be available in the library at the June meeting. AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS By Suzanne Hertz (aged 9h) We have two Cantharus macrospira in our tanks. We found them at San Felipe and put one in each tank. They both had eggs on them, since it was mating season. The Cantharus macrospira 7 s eggs are always on the backs of their shells. ' It has been about two months since we took them and now it looks like there are baby Cantharus. The babies walk around the walls of the tank. They don?’t move very fast. They7 re about three milli- meters long. I have counted two so far. (How about the family that writes together? Ed.) THE SHELL AUCTION Our annual shell auction seems to grow progressively better each year - the attendance is larger, shells are of better quality and a greater sales total is realized through the bidding. This year the auction was held at the home of Dr. George Radwin. There was time before bidding began to socialize, preview the shells and enjoy a pot luck dinner. Auctioneers we re Dr. Radwin and Norman Currin and bidders includ- ed members from out of town and guests from as far away as Texas. Among notable specimens offered was a case of three Delectopecten randolohi tillamookensis. Arnold. These were taken by divers in 3.400 feet of water from a WWII Grauman Hellcat, ditched more than 26 years ago. The bidding on these was very lively. We must thank the generous donors who made the auction possible. The shells, in many cases, were outstandingly beautiful - all were of high quality and a desirability that brought very good prices. A FIND Page 5 By Nola Michel I want to report a finding] I found Oxynoe panamensis Pilsbry and Olsson 1943 on Dec. 27, ’70, in Bocochibampo bay, Ouaymas, Son. Mex. - which is a range extension, I7ve been told. I had quite a time finding a name to put on this little "critter1*, as most of my fellow shellers, with much more experience than I, hadnTt the foggiest notion what he was. It looked like a bubble (kind of) but had no sunken spire. Was very small, between 5 and 7 mm. - has a pearly white shell with a very thin periostracum. There is no operculum. The animal is beautiful. It is olive-green with an overlaid pattern of gold and dark brown. The tiny shell lies partially exposed in the middle of its very elongate body. The length of the shell was only about one sixth the length of the animal. The animals were plentiful where I found them, so thinking them common, I took only enough for my own needs. They were located near the bases of rocks in mud. We found them on a stretch of rock}/- beach over a distance of about 300 ft. When we neared a sewage outfall we found them no more - and they were not found on the other side of the outfall. I understand that the veligers of this family are long-lived pelagic creatures, explaining an abundance in an area at one time and none, at another. Water currents carry the next generation to a new location. The genus Oxynoe Rafinesque 1$14, is in the family Philinidae (Keen, TWA, p. 49B) or Oxynoidae (Thiele, p. 411). Lobiger is in this same family. HONORS Our younger member, John (Mike) Myers, has again distinguished himself. He received third place in the Senior Division, Biological, at the California Science Fair held in Los Angeles in the Space Museum. He competed for the second time with his science study on a new system of classification and identification of the class, Amphineura. This exhibit received first prize in the Zoological Division at the Junior Science Fair in San Diego. THE FRIENDLY SEA Page 6 By Edwin C. Roworth Oh the joy of life beside the sea Carefree as the winds that blow Lazily stretched on a sunny beach Talking to those we know. Also the beauty of friendships Its secrets we may not tell But just to feel the soft warm sand And to know that all is well. We see the glory of the dashing waves Blue -green or sunset gold One may hear the story they seem to tell But the half has not been told. We ponder the mystery of the infinite deep What breadth and depth and bulk Where countless waves forever roll 0;er many a battered hulk. V/e think of the tide* its rise, its fall How majestic is its force But though we ponder and study it all V/e cannot fathom its source. Great billows crash and surges beat When wild winds blow amain But even the storms are quickly past And wefre out on the shore again. V/e spend our days on the city streets In school and office and mart But our spirits long for a wide sea beach Close to friend Nature’s heart. TTis a life to live where the breakers toss And the salt spray dashes free For *tis there true happiness can be found Ever for You and Me. NEW MEMBERS Sphon, Gale (CM) L.A. County Museum of Natural History 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, Calif. 90007 Bender, James F. 2540 Glenwood Port Arthur, Texas 7764-0 . . SAN DIEGO SHELL FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED of Natural History - Third Thursday CLUB 1968 - 7:30 P.Mc President; Roland Taylor Vice President; Clifton Martin Recording Secretary; Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary; Virginia Hanselman Treasurer; Margaret Mulliner Editor; Blanche Brewer Vol II July 1971 No. 7 i1' y** y* ^ V' >**'K*f s'# s*/ s'# si# s'# s'# si# O# s'# s'# s'# s'# si# s'# x'# s'# s'# s'«s'# s'# s'#s'# s'# s'# si# s'# si# s'# s'# si# si# s'# s'# s'#s'# si# s'# si# si# s'# s'#s'# s', s' /|' l' 'I' #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #*|X #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #,S #|S #|S #|S #,S #,X .#JX #|\ #|X #|X #|S #|S »|S ^|X #|S ^|*S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S #|S ^,X #|S ^|X »J» ^,X »,X #|S #|N »|S #|X #|X #|X #|S #;S # * PROGRAM JULY, 15: * "The Intritacalx, A Chalky Surface Layer of the Mollusk * * Shells" - Dr. George Radwin * * Publication Address: * * Virginia Hanselman, 5818 Tulane St., San Diego, Ca. 92122 * y# y# y# y# y#y# s'# y# '•# s'# s'# s'# s'# s'# s'# J#xl# s'# s'# x'#> s'# xl#. xl# J# xl# s'#x'# s'# si# s'# xl# s'# si# y# s'# s'# si# s'# s'# si# si# si# s'# s'# s'# x'^ xl# x'#sl# s'# sl#x'# x'#s'# s'# s'# s'# x'#s'# s'# s'# xl# X1# x'# X*# s'# s'# s'# s'# X*# *'1^ ■'l^ #|S #jS #|S #|S #|S #|X #|S *|X #jS #|S #|S c#|X #|S #-|X #|S #|S #|S #|S #|X #|S *|X #|S #|S »(S #(S #,» #|X #|X #,X #|X #,S #JS #|S #-|X #(S #|S *|X #|S *|X #|S #|X #|» #|S #|S #|S <#,X #|S #|S #,X #|X *|X #,s #,X #,X #>jX #|S #|S «»|X #|S ^|X #x REPORT ON THE AMERIPAGOS EXPEDITION By David Mulliner FOREWORD David Mulliner was the speaker at our June Meeting. He was a member of the Ameripagos Expedition to the Galapagos Islands (Feb 21 through March 29) — a group which included several members of the San Diego Shell Club. His introduction to the showing of his slides follows--ED, Tonight I want to take you on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. 650 miles west of Ecuador lies the Archipelago de Colone, volcanic islands rising steeply out of the sea and covering 20,000 square miles of area on the equator. The smaller islands and the lowlands of the larger ones are desert, lava, brush, and cactus. The highlands of the larger islands are damp with lush tropical growth. Volcanic activity started in the early Pleistocene and has continued to the present; the last lava flow was in 1968. Of the 15 major islands, 4 are as large as Catalina, and one is 80 miles across. Page 2 Steeped in lore, the islands were discovered in 1536 by the Bishop of Panama on an ill-fated, becalmed, drifting trip to Peru (Fray Tomas de Berlanga ) . Buccaneers sailed these waters and used the calm cliff -protected Buccaneer Cove of James Island. Whalers raided the tortoise colonies for fresh food on the high seas. Many settlers came with their domestic animals. Most found the islands rugged and the climate too harsh; and left leaving their animals behind to go wild. The wild goats stripped the vegetation - the pigs, dogs, and cats killed the young tortoises and sea turtles - the fur seals were killed almost to extinction and the feather hunters of the early 1900Ts almost eliminated the flamingos. Zoos throughout the world vied for endemic animals and birds. In 1&35, Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle visited San Cristobal and Floreana. Darwin noted (and I am quoting): "that the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings”. Spatial isolation, which through untold centuries had molded curious insular endemics out of traditional continental species, was the powerful discovery of Darwin in the Galapagos, and the basis for his "Origin of the Species” in 1859. In 1959, UNESCO formed the Charles Darwin foundation with a research station on Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island. The Ecuadorian Park Service and the Darwin Station are eliminating the wild domestic animals from the islands and protecting the endemic species. A tortoise rearing center has been set up with funds provided by the San Diego Zoological Society. Today, tourists may visit and see fur seals, flamingos, land and sea iguanas, and many other species which were headed for extinction just a few years ago. Among the many beautiful slides shown were scenes of Guayaquil, Ecuador and of Lima and Cuzco, Peru. Very interesting were the slides of the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. The slides of the Gala- pagos Islands showed plant and animal life as well as the terrain of those unusal islands. He showed many slides of the intertidal areas of all the islands visited and his slides of the molluscan life included both intertidal and deep water species. All of these showed the livipg animal. Other slides shown were of a living Cypraea spadicea. with eggs, in the aquarium of Jules and Carole Hertz and some pictures he took of the Club Auction. A REPORT ON THE W. S. M. MEETING By Clifton L. Martin The annual meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists was held at Asilomar, June 16-19, this year. Although the attendance was not as large as it was last year, since the meeting date occurred during the last week of the school term, it was a very successful meeting and greatly enjoyed by everyone. Page 3 Since our Club was officially designated as the host Club for this meeting it was our duty to supply coffee and doughnuts during coffee breaks and provide table decorations and favors for the banquet, Kay Webb did a beautiful job of preparing the favors and Mae Dean Richart missed an entire session of the meeting by staying in her room to clean and prepare the shells for table decorations. To Roland and Kay Taylor must go the credit for the successful completion of all other duties. They made the arrangements for everything and our Clubfs obligation as host was carried out so smoothly that there was nothing required from the rest of us, although we were standing by if needed. Incidentally, Roland exhibited at least two hidden talents during the meeting. First, I must mention the beautiful flower arrangements for the speaker9 s table at the banquet. They were his work entirely. Second and probably more interesting, is his skill at preparing a delectable concoction called a Margarita, about which I will tell in more detail later. Registration did not begin until 3 :00 P. M. of the first day so after registering we were free to renew old acquaintances and meet new ones until the dinner hour. After dinner the Conservation Session was held, with very informative talks by Dr. Eugene Coan, of the Sierra Club, San Francisco, and President of the W. S. M. , and by James T. Carlton, of the California Academy of Sciences. Later that evening we we re treated to a slide show of the Galapagos Expedition byTwila Bratcher. In the Chapel, where the regular sessions were held, Twila displayed the shells she received from the Expedition. To me the real prize among all of her shells is a magnificent, large Epitonium sp. which appears to be very similar to Stenorhytis pernobilis found in deep water off Florida and southward. Among other exhibits shown was a fine collection of Mur ex belong- ing to Virginia McClure of Beverley Hills. This was to help emphasize the Symposium on the Muricidae, a very important part of this yearns meeting. There was an excellent exhibit on the systematics of the family Turridae by Dr. James H. McLean, of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. His exhibit showed the systematics to be used in the new edition of "Sea Shells of Tropical West America”, by A. Myra Keen. Those having large collections of west American turrids will have several labels to change when the new edition is released. Another display case contained some of the proof pages, including color plates and a jacket, from the new edition. It will be much larger and thicker than before. Dr. Keen, in her report on it*s status, told us that it may, hopefully, be released by the end of Aug. The Symposium on the Muricidae was held on the second day of the meeting. It was under the chairmanship of Dr. William K. Emerson, of the American Museum of Natural History and papers were read by Dr. Myra Keen, Dr. George Radwin and Dr. Edmund Smith. Dr. Emily Vokes, of Tulane University, New Orleans, had prepared a paper but was unable to be there to present it since she was on an expedition to Brazil. Her paper was read by Anthony DTAttilio. » In the afternoon several papers were read on other molluscan families. They were "The Corbicula Storys Chapter Three'*, by Ralph Olen Fox, of the California Academy of Sciences, "Tropical Eastern Pacific Cancellaridae", by Dr. Donald Shasky, "West American Caecidae", by Mr. Garrell E. Long, of Arizona State University, “West Coast Chitons", by Glenn Burghardt and a sound tape and slides shown* by the Vokes, titled "What is a Fossil”. Page 4 The auction was held that evening with Glenn Burghardt acting as auctioneer,, Even with a smaller attendance this year the income from the auction was greater than it has ever been. To me went the dubious distinction of paying the highest price but since there was only one thing offered that I needed my total expenditure was much less than some of the other bidders. I got a plastic box containing 39 families 64 genera, 116 species, a total of 1 55 shells, all of minute to microscopic size. The box is systematically arranged and was prepared and donated by Bert Draper of the Conchological Club of Southern Calif Friday morning the Nudibranch Symposium was held. Several inter- esting papers were read and some very beautiful elides were shown of the living animals. In the afternoon a number of miscellaneous papers were presented, including a very interesting one on "Food Preferences of Conus in the Sea of Cortez", by Dr. James Nybakken and "Anomalous Records of Introduced Estuarine Mollusca of Calif ornia", by James T. Carlton. After a coffee break, Robert R. Talmage presented a paper titled, "Life in a Benthic Sponge". This was followed by another ver/ interesting paper, "What is Ischodium?". by Dr. Vida Kenk, of San Jose State College. This paper pertained to the mussel shells of this coast, both native and introduced species. Friday evening the banquet was held, with Dr. R. Tucker Abbott as speaker. It was here that our Club was highly commended by President Coan for our performance as host Club. Dr. Abbott gave a most inter- esting and amusing talk about some of his experiences with his books and other publications and about the Delaware Museum of Natural History. A film was presented by Dr. Abbott, starring Mickey Rooney and John E. du Pont, which showed some of the frustrations and diffi- culties Mr. du Pont encountered in trying to find a Voluta Perplicata while on an expedition to Australia. Dr, Abbott also told us that the revised edition of his book, American Seashells, will not be ready until next year but will be much larger, both in scope and format. It will be published in two volumes and the pages will be printed in double columns. Authros names and dates will be given and the entire work will be somewhat like an illustrated check list of American marine shells. The price is presently estimated to be about $36.00 for the two volumes. During the banquet an Award was presented to our friend 7Tony7 D7Attilio for his outstanding contribution to the study of Malacology over a long and continuing period of time. In the many years this award has been established it has been given to only a very few recipients. The Saturday morning session brought the meeting to a close. A paper by Dr. Rudolph Stohler, beautifully illustrated with slides, and titled, "Practical Ecology for the Shell Collector", was the highlight of this session. Now, to get back to those margaritas of Roland Taylor. All of us in the San Diego "delegation", including Kay Webb, Mae Dean Richart, Joyce Gemmell, Dr. George Radwin, 7 Tony 7 D*Attilio, my brother Clifford and I got into the very pleasant habit, at their invitation, of dropping in on the Taylors every evening before the start of the W. S. M. activities for our own San Diego Session. It was here that Roland 7 s talent was revealed to us. A most pleasant and relaxing climax to each day7s events. ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS Page 5 We need articles for our paper. This is YOUR paper, a vehicle in which to share your shelling experiences - whether or not you have seen something in your aquarium or in the field. We want to know about your latest trip, or if you have found a new way to clean some- thing— or even if you’ve goofed in some way. Maybe it would save one of us from the same goof. How did you become interested in shells? Only you know, unless you share your stor]/ with us. For those of you who are long distance corresponding members it may be the only way we can know you. (Although I have met some of our far-flung members in other far-off tide-pools. ) If you can write a letter to a friend, you can write for the Festivus. Please share your experiences with us, now and often?? Your article does not have to be typed, only legible* We have a good committee. Someone will type it for the printer and our competent editor will go over it for grammer and spelling, so if you’re like me and spell terribly, you have no worry. Please write. We need to hear from YOU. BOOK NOTES By Carole M. Hertz The Club is now exchanging publications with Molluscan Digest, published monthly and edited by Steven J. Long and Jack Brookshire. The editors aim to aid researchers in malacology and list their primary objectives in their first issue. ”1. To provide a complete list of all molluscan researchers, their interest areas and their current addresses, ..( continuously updating ) 2. To provide complete, accurate bibliographic citations for all papers published concerning mollusks. 3. To provide space for workers to contact large numbers of their co-workers with requests for information, papers or specimens, or to offer the same items to other workers. A. To provide a forum for informal discussion of malacological ideas and problems.” This writer has found the Molluscan Digest a most informative publication. Besides its listing of Current Citations and news of New Publications, the Current Events and Readers Forum provide useful information for the professional and amateur. The library has Vol 1, Nos. 1-6 in a turquoise binder. Each month’s issue will be included as it arrives. Also in the library at this writing is Tom Rice’s List 65- Shells of the Eastern Pacific, issued August 1, 1970 and donated to the library by Tony D’Attilio. Although this is basically a price list, those interested in Eastern Pacific shells will find it enjoyable as a compilation of species of the area. (Gives the collector an idea of how many he’s missing in his collection!) Susan and Martin Bishop have generously donated to the library, Norman Tebble’s, British Bivalve Seashells. This is an excellent little book for the bivalve enthusiast and will be reviewed in greater detail in our next issue — when our regular librarian returns to his i oh V AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS By Barbara Myers Page 6 "What is so rare as a day in June" when you look in your . acquarium and find that the crumby looking Bursa californica you 'have had for I l/2 years has grown a new body whorl (in a Bursa this means that more than half the shell is new) and it is not only twice as big, but is now the main attraction in your "sea world". Actually it was February when I first noticed this phenomenon taking place and at that time the whorl was about one-third completed. The Bursa was collected in Sept. 1969 at Punta Banda, B.C. It lived quite peacefully with the rest of the inhabitants of the acquarium until the day I put in a purple sea urchin. Within minutes the Bursa appeared with its long elephant-like snout searching back and forth. It located the urchin and devoured same, notwithstanding the spines which it appeared to enjoy as much as the rest of the animal. With its new body whorl completed this month (June), it now measures 65 mm compared to ^3 mm when collected. Compared with the dingy white of the upper whorls the new growth is a lovely light tan with five narrow dark brown stripes. The aperature is now a delicate pink. MINI MINUTES New name tags will be issued to new members. Any member losing a tag will be expected to pay a fee of one dollar for replacement. Barbara Good volunteered to arrange for cookies for coffee breaks for remainder of year. Shells left from the auction will be used for the shell drawing. (Jules Hertz won the drawing) . THE FESTI7US SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7 00 P.M. 'Annual Dues: Single Membership, $3.00 - Family., $4.00. Corresponding Membership, $2.50 - Overseas Mailing, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 5283 Vickie Di San Diego, Ca. 92109- Publications Address: Virginia Hanselman, 5818 Tulane St., San Diego, Ca. 92122 President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. II August 1971 No. 8 5,'s # if # £ sjesjc # if if if i,df if if if if sjc if if it if >|? s{j if # if if sj; if ;J; if if if if sj«jc # if i|< if if sjc if if if # if # 9fss{< if a{e sjs if ififi,' * PROGRAM, August, 19 * * Armchair Collecting - Anthony D'Attilio * THE INTRITACALX An Undescribed Shell Layer in Mollusks By Anthony DfAttilio and George E. Radwin In the course of work on the taxonomy and evolution of muricid gastropods, we have noted a peculiar feature of the shell surface. It differs from the underlying shell in being flat white in color, much softer, and, in many cases, with intricate sculpture which may not correspond to that of the underlying shell. For this surface layer we have coined the term intritacalx. a name which reflects some of the unique features of this structure: intrita - crumbly, calx - chalk. A great deal of work has been done on the deposition and mineral- ogy of molluscan shells (Bggild, 1930: Clark fit Wheeler, 1922; Travis, Francois, Bonar & Glimcher, 1967: Taylor fit Kennedy, 19&9; Kennedy, Taylor fit Hall, 1969). In none of these papers, nor in any pertinent secondary references on the subject have we found any comment which might indicate an awareness of this surface layer. A few of the malacologists who have studied the muricidae and were aware of this structure have made only cursory mention of a peculiar color, texture, or microsculpture (Harry, 1969; Keen, 1958; Kuroda, Pgg 0 2 1953 r McLean and Emerson, 1970* Vokes, 1970). Some authors have commented that species of Aspella were "generally worn-looking but had bright underlying color patterns". They apparently did not realize that the specimens in question had the intritacalx partially worn away, and that the bright color pattern was in the underlying shell. Other workers were under the misapprehension that the white, limy coating was an extraneous encrustation or deposit, or due to deteriora- tion of the shell from, weathering. Although the intritacalx occurs most frequently in the Muricidae, it is also present in other gastro- pod and bivalve groups. The differences between the intritacalx and underlying shell suggested that its chemical or physical nature might differ from typi- cal molluscan shell matter. Results of X-ray diffraction tests showed that chemically, the intritacalx is made up of calcium carbonate (CaC03), essentially indistinguishable from the typical molluscan shell. Physically, the intritacalx is composed of varying proportions of aragonite and calcite, the two crystalline forms of calcium car- bonate found in mollusk shells. The relative amount of aragonite and calcite in the intritacalx of a given shell is in the same proportion as that of the underlying shell. The hardness of molluscan shells is principally dependent on the presence and amount of organic binding material, termed conchiolin. Presumably, the softness of the intrita- calx is due to a sparsity of conchiolin (Travis & Gonsalves, 1969). We have studied the intritacalx in four families of gastropods (Muricidae, Bursidae, Cancellariidae, Turritellidae ) and two families of bivalves (Mactridae, Pholadidae). In most instances it is deposit- ed in the form of simple axial growth striae, differing from the underlying shell only in hardness and color. Where the intritacalx is deposited in axial lamellae, it is not only softer than the under- lying shell but also may not correspond to the shell sculpture under- lying it. The most unusual form taken by the intritacalx is found in the genera Aspella. Typhisopsis. Tripterotyphis and related groups and in the Bursidae. In these groups it is deposited in intricate pat- terns which are either much exaggerated reflections of the sculpture of the shell beneath it or are completely unrelated to it. The pat- terns are commonly reticulate, as in Dermomurex and Bursa, but other, more complex patterns are found in other groups (eg. Aspella. Typhigyppsis ) . In Typhisopsis coronata (Broderip), the intritacalx is laid down as growth striae. In the most recently deposited section, the layer is continuous and uninterrupted. At a slightly earlier point in the growth of the shell, shortly behind the outer apertural lip, roughly semicircular depressions are found. These are most deeply imprinted opposite to the direction of growth and are found sparsely ..... „ and randomly scattered over the surface. The density of these features increases towards the earlier whorls until, on the third or fourth whorl previous to this, the entire surface is covered with these depressions. The pattern may occur throughout the genus but sufficient material has not been available to investigate this possi- bility. In Tripterotyphis lowei Pilsbry the intritacalx is deposited in the form of numerous scalloped or frilled laminae covering the entire shell surface. The embayments in the scalloped edges are raised from Page 3 from the surface and the projections are appressed to the shell. There are also comparatively large pits in a single row, aligned with each varix, imparting the appearance of a coarsely stitched seam to the postvarical area. Another, more intricate type of intritacalx is found in the Panamic Aspella sp. (cf. A. pyramidalis Broderip) and in several other species of Aspella , Under low magnification there appears to be a pattern of exceedingly fine axial grooves. Under higher magnifica- tion (100X) the grooves can be seen to be lined with pits which appear as tunnel openings. These openings seem to penetrate the intritacalx at a shallow angle. The tunnels do not extend as far as the next ^xial groove in the direction of growth. In Gracilimurex bakeri (Hertlein & Strong) and Takia inermis (Sowerby) the intritacalx is laid down as axial growth striae with broad, shallow, v/ide-spaced spiral depressions crossing them. A specimen with a partially eroded surface shows that the intritacalx erodes more noticeably in these depressed areas. When viewed cross- sectionally it is apparent that the intritacalx is undermined with tunnels following the spiral or axial sculpture. The intritacalx be- tween the spiral furrows is continuous from its outer surface to the shell below and thus erosion in this region is not as quickly evident. A simpler form of intritacalx is found in the genera Calotrophon and Favartia. The chalky surface here is deposited in the form of lamellae, best developed in the shoulder region. The surface is un- related to the sculptural elements of the underlying shell or is an exaggerated reflection of microscopic sculpture of the shell. The simplest form of intritacalx is found in Austrotrophon. Boreotrophon. Haxwellia. Poirieria. Turritella. Cancellaria and other genera. In all of these groups we have found the intritacalx occurr- ing as a series of simple growth striae following the periodic incre- ments of the underlying shell. In species in these and other groups we have, on many occasions found the intritacalx underneath a thin, yellow, parchment-like periostracum. We have found that the intritacalx is of potentially great taxo- nomic importance in the groups in which it occurs. This is particu- larly true in the genera Aspella. Dermomurex, Typhisopsis and ; : Tripterotyphis. In each of these groups the sculpture of the intri- tacalx is characteristic and constant. It is also of value at the species level, especially in Aspella. In this genus, species from widely separated geographical regions have often been confused and considered conspecific on the basis of worn shells. The distinctive details of the intritacalx of Aspella species are helpful in separat- ing these. On the basis of the foregoing we conclude that: 1) As the intritacalx is mineralologically similar or identical to the underlying shell, its softness is due probably to a sparsity of organic binding matter. 2) Since the shell is deposited by the mantle, it is not unreasonable to assume that the intritacalx is also laid down by the mantle. . Page k 3) We believe that the intritacalx is deposited synchronously with the underlying shell, an assumption strengthened by its deposition, in many cases, immediately under a periostracum. The intricacy of pattern and structure (as in those species whose intritacalx is undermined with tunnels) may prove of interest in de- . termining the possible functional morphology of this chalky surface layer. We would like to express our appreciation to Dr. Richard W. Berry, Dept, of Geology, San Diego State College for assistance in X-ray diffraction analysis and for other helpful suggestions. We also thank Mr. Arnold Ross, San Diego Museum of Natural History and Dr. William K. Emerson, the American Museum of Natural History for reading and criticizing drafts of this paper. THE PERPLICATOR At the WSM meeting a film was presented by Dr. Abbott, starring Mickey Rooney and John E. du Pont, which showed some of the frustra- tions and difficulties Mr. du Pont encoutered in trying to find a Voluta perplicata while on an expedition to Australia. The expedi- tion was not fruitful and there are still only three known specimens. A letter was received at Disney studios from Aggie Grey’s Curio Shop in Apia, Western Samoa. The following is the text of the letter. Aggies Hotel 31 January 1970 Docmentary Awards Committee Hollywood Cinema Academy Los Angeles, California, USA Dear Sirs? We understand that you were shown recently a film entitled THE SEARCH FOR THE PERPLICATER, in which some marine biologists and divers spent several months combing the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, seeking a certain shell of which there are only three known specimens in the world. Their search, unfortunately for them, did not add to the known number. This is to advise you that in our Gift and Curio Shop, we have eight gross of these perplicater shells in stock, selling for $1.75 apiece, (slightly higher in Canada), and that we will be glad to take orders by mail. We also sell canned plankton, electric eels of both 110 and 220 volts capacity, abalone-flavored yogurt. Coconut Cola, and the Polynesian edition of Readers Digest. With high esteem for the important work of your committee, and. assurances thafwe will be glad to serve you any time you are in the Apia area, I remain. Yours respectfully, Charles M. Aggie AQUARIUM OBSERVATION Nola Michel Page 5 I found something quite interesting in my aquarium the other day. First the circumstances. The aquarium is about 40 gal. and contains ~ some long-time residents — all had been there for months — no new ' specimens had been added. I had just cleaned said tank, rinsing all the long- resident sand with fresh water. I then returned the sand and residents to the tank with clean salt water obtained from the salt water spigot at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Less than two weeks later I observed live Caecum on the plexiglas sides of the tank. I 7 collected 9 three specimens and observed them closely, leaving at least three more specimens in the tank. I have not seen them lately — perhaps they are in the sand. Ooops, just looked in the tank, one is hanging on the surface tension of the water, near the side of the tank. Where did they come from? My guess would be the water. There are good illustrations of Caecum in the Golden Field Guide, Seashells of North America,, pg. 57. I found the animal in this specimen to be very white with the operculum almost black. The animal when extended from the shell was very active, flipping the whole shell as though it were a tail. NOTE ON THE OCCURENCE OF BITTIUM QUAD RI FI LA TUM (Carpenter l56i*) IN MISSION BAY Susan and Martin Bishop Bittium quadrif ilatum. a gastropod which has been recorded from San Pedro, California, to Santa Maria Bay in southern Baja California, was recorded from San Diego in 1555 by Orcutt. This species is still abundant in Mission Bay. We have found it in great numbers in some areas of the bay where the lack of strong water currents cause the bottom to be somewhat muddy, with growths of green algae (Enteromorpha and Ulva). This Bittium lives chiefly around low tide level and be- yond, partially buried in the sediment. It is not easily visible un- less a sample of sand is sieved, where upon densities of three to five per square foot of surface can be found. All sizes from adult to very young juveniles were observed in March 1971. The juveniles in particu- lar were also found crawling on the algae and ell grass. Many adults had clusters of small yellow stalked egg capsules attached to the shell*. The adult snails have a shell length of around 12mm. The visible parts of the animal are white, and the shell is dark brown with beaded sculp- ture. The specific name refers to the presence of four spiral cords per whorl which are visible on the earlier whorls. BOOK NOTES Page 6 By Carole M. Hertz BRITISH BIVALVE SEASHELLS by Norman Tebble is a most welcome addition to our Club library and a must for those interested in bivalves. Published in 1966 by the British Museum (Natural History), this com- pact book is of value to all collectors and provides the amateur with a short course in the Pelecypoda. The book is much more than a collection of pretty pictures (which it has — 12 plates, eight in color). This reviewer finds the text super- ior. It is concisely written and the information given seems complete including animal habitat, range and in some cases special references. The shell descriptions are easily understood and profusely illustrated with explanatory black and white drawings. A Key to the superfamilies (illustrated) is given as are Keys within the separate families. Our thanks go to our members, Susan and Martin Bishop both for bring- ing this book to our attention and for donating a copy to our library. Just received this month, A MANUAL FOR THE STUDY OF MEIOFAUNA, *by Neil C. Hulings and John S. Gray, Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Number 7$. 1971. * ”... coined by Mare in 1942 to describe metazoans (and f oraminif era ) too small to be retained on the 1mm sievos used by marine biologists. . V NEW MEMBERS Mr. & Mrs. L. R. Sullivan A 596 44th St. San Diego, California 92115 THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 700 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol II September 1971 No. 9 if if ;|t >;?;); j|c # if if if ### ij: if ij; if % if if s(; if if if if if if if if if if it if if j{; >,'c if & j{s if ^ ;;; ; * PROGRAM, September, 16 * RECENT SLIDES OF NUDIBRANCHS - David Mulliner * SLIDES OF WESTERN SOCIETY OF MALACOLOGIST'S MEETING-Clifton Martin5 vU * PUBLICATIONS ADDRESS: Virginia Hanselman, 5#1$ Tulane St. * San Diego, Calif. 92122 * if Sic sic if * sjc sjc sjc sjc s{: s{c ;Je if sjc if if sje sjc sjc if sjcsjc if if if sjc >J< sjc sjc ;|c sjc sjc sjc sic sjc sjc if if sit if sjcsjc if if if sjc if s£ if if if if sjc sjc sjcijc if. sjc sjc if if sjc if if sjcsjc sjc s,c ARMCHAIR COLLECTING For the past two years Mr. Anthony DfAttilio has been working with Dr. George Radwin, Curator of Marine Invertabrates, at the San Die^o Museum of Natural History - but for thirty-five years he has been collecting, studying, writing about - and depicting - shells. Mr. DfAttilio was the speaker at our August meeting, and, seated in an armchair (an appreciated bit of theater) he related many details of his experiences as an "armchair collector". Shell collecting, as a hobby - he told us - is a comparatively recent development. However, in England in the early seventeenth centry, people of wealth and leisure displayed shells as items of interest in their "curiosity cabinets". Then, as now, they tried to aquire as many and varied specimens as possible - but they were only "conversation pieces". Mr. D*Attiliofs collecting began . in 1936 with a box of shells sent to him by wife. Rose, from Florida. They were small shells and so interested him that he immediately joined her in Florida where he obtained many more before their return to New York, The only book about shells that was available at the time was Walter Webb*s Handbook for Shell Collectors. The American Museum of Natural History was several blocks from his home and he would go there Page 2 at every opportunity to look at the wonderful shell collection. He sometimes helped Miss Mack in the Museum’s Bookshop by labelling some of the shells she aquired for sale in the shop. In the meantime - over a period of years - through his purchases from dealers, he had become proficient in iudging the commercial value of shells (those in demand by collectors.} Early in 1939 Miss Mack asked him one day if he would like to help a dealer who was to bring over a large collection from Eangland. Mr.Martiri Erhman, the dealer, was a specialist in minerals but needed help to familiarize himself with shells. Introduced to Mr. Erhman, Mr. D’Attilio was told something about the Calvert Collection. That someting was enough to keep him in excited anticipation of the collection’s arrival. When the collection finally arrived Mr. Erhman tried, unsuccess- fully, to sell it to the city of Baltimore. The John Calvert who had brought the collection together was supposed to be related to Lord Baltimore. He was a mining engineer from Australia and had amassed a large fortune, a nice portion of which he had spent in acquiring shells. He had outfitted a yacht, the “Scout*5, for a shell collecting trip to the South Seas, and shells from this expedition, as well as a number of collections purchased at auctions, were in this enormous collection. The collection required seven van-loads to transport it to the International Building in Radio City, where it was 'stored in a sub- basement. Most of the shells, except those stored in cabinets, were packed in 300 large cases. When, after several attempts, Mr. Erhman failed to sell the collection as a whole, he decided to dispose of it piecemeal. This was when Mr. D’Attilio was asked to help. He con- sented to give his time and advice - and other necessary help - for the privilege of selecting shells for himself. Any collector would agree that he made a fine bargain. One could not call this “arm chair collecting” when considering all the work involved in handling this vast collection, as a succession of collectors picked the shells they 'wanted. Until 1942 Mr. D’Attilio assisted with the Calvert Collection following it to a new owner, still having the privilege of choosing shells for himself. Through other shell collectors Mr. D’Attilio made contacts with dealers across the world and after the war ended and trade channels were open, he began trading for shells.. Kinoshita and Terimachi, of Japan, and the late Pedro De Mesa of the Phillipines were on his trading list. It was, indeed, a trading list - he even traded shoes and clothing for shells. There came a time when just adding more shells to his collection was not enough. In I960, Dr. Wm. K. Emerson of the American Museum helped him in the scientific aspects of shells, and was especially helpful in the study undertaken by Mr. D’Attilio of the radula and shell characteristics of the Muricidae. Mr. Azuma, of Japan, was also helpful with this subject, exchanging views and information. Mr. D’Attilio spoke also of the help he has received, since coming to San Diego, from Dr. Dwigt Taylor of the Museum of Natural History. When this more serious work became his interest, he contacted deep- water divers of the armed forces in the Phillipines. One such diver, Joe Bibbey, obtained specimens for him. Page 3 In San Diego, he has worked with Dr. George Radwin on radluas. With a radula on a slide, he peers through a microscope and makes finely detailed drawings. Together, they have made a study of a hitherto unnoted physical detail of mollusks, chiefly in the Muricidae - named by them, the intritacalx. Mr* DfAttilio emphasized that all observations made by individ*- uals - and noted - are important. However inconsequential they may seem they add to the general knowledge and may even lead to new con- cepts. Slides of many of the shells he has acquired by trading were shown. A number of the shells was exhibited. B.B. XXXXXXXXX Anthony D’Attilio is an artist, in glass, of international re- putation. An outstanding example of his beautiful work may be seen in the Capitol Building at Washington, D.C. He enjoys, particularly, the execution of nature studies and has illustrated nature books for children. Ed. IN MEMO RI AM This last month we have lost two of our old and dear members, Dorothy Brown and Helen Thompson. Dorothy was a member of our Club for over six years and also j belonged to the Southern California Conchological Society. She I was a long time collector and loved the Sea of Cortez. ! We will all miss Helen1 s effervescence and generosity. She was a pioneer collector in Mexico and Florida and, with her ’ husband, an inveterate traveler. ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW COLLECTING AREA On Monday, August 30, an Ecological Reserve was dedicated at Goldfish Point in La Jolla. One and one half miles of shoreline are now protected from Goldfish Point to the boundary of U.C.S.D., 5>977 acres. There is no collecting of ANY kind, either shore or deep water The idea originated with two divers, James Stewart, chief diver for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Connie Limbaugh, the late diver-photographer who died in I960 in France while exploring an underwater cave. Dr. W.A. Nierenberg, who was chairman of the park committee said that now there can be hope that the abalone and lobster populations might make a comeback in the reserve- area. "PAN FRIED” Page 4 By John Phillips Probably one of the finest delicacies to come out of the sea is pan fried San Diego Scallop (Pecten diegensis Dali., 189&)* unfortun- ately, this is a gourmet's delight which very few individuals have sampled, and I sincerely wish that I could personally convey the-...- savory flavor of this mollusk to every food-loving individual in the world. I have the fortune (?) of being a six year veteran of the commercial abalone diving business, and I have spent coutless hours on the bottom of our Southern California waters in search of our tasty Haliotis and other desirable seashells, one of these being the elusive Pecten diegensis. Pecten diegensis has long been on the very rare, rare, or scarce list, and 1 will concur with the writings of any conchologist or mala* cologist who claims that this is one of the harder-to-obtain Southern California seashells* I searched long and hard before I found my first specimen in 105 feet of water off Coho Anchorage, which is located approximately 2 miles southeast of Point Concepcion Lighthouse.. I generally collect Pecten diegensis in depths varying between 45 (rarely) feet and 140 f’eetc however, the larger concentrations of this species seem to centralize themselves in the deeper waters over » £0 feet. Many people seem to have the feeling that Pectens can only be collected on sandy or silty bottoms ; this might hold true for many species of Pecten or Chlamys, but I find the diegensis living happily on a variety of bottom’s ( le~. silt or mud with rock rubble, course sand pockets in rock reef areas, very seldom in strictly sand or silt bottoms, and quite often I find them laying amongst large rocks or boulders with no sand or silt anywhere nearby). It seems to be a fairly gregarious species, in that I generally manage to locate more than one specimen at a time in the same, general area. I once collect- ed eight fully adult shells (3if up) in a ten foot radius, and I - suspect that there were probably more hiding beneath the silt or sand in the same spot. ' I have found that the best way to spot Pecten diegensis is to - swim very slowly approximately 10 or 15 feet off the ocean floor, water visibility permitting of course' the Scallops do not seem to spot a diver as quickly this way, whereas if you blunder along the bottom this clever mollusk will spot you nine times out of ten and wil] accordingly take the necessary precautions agains the would-be hands of the collector. Generally speaking, Pecten diegensis will be found partially or completely buried in the sand or silt, unless you are lucky enough to locate one that has swam onto a rock reef and is lying there fully unprotected. When they are comfortably nestled in the silt or sand they will then execute their only precaution against foes, which is camouflage; they are absolute masters at this, and even the trained eye of a seasoned veteran of Pecten collecting will more than often not distinguish the faintly visible silhouette of this shell as it lurks beneath the bottom. When the Pectens are at ease they slightly open the two valves and protrude their many eyes along the outer edge of the shell. I have no idea what they are looking for with all those lovely eyes, and it is indeed a very strange experience to catch a colony of Pecten diegensis ’’napping"; like so many grains of iridescent sand amongst all the other grains of sand on the ocean floor (this is how their eyes appear). Whenever the Pecten sense danger approaching his domain he immediately draws in his eyes, closes his shell tightly, and some- how causes a small trickle of silt or sand to settle along the outer, once-visible perimeters of his shell, thus sealing him off from the "outside” world and all its dangers. He has even managed to support and encourage the growth of a colony of Algae on the flattened, top valve of his shell, and this can very easily be mistaken for common bottom growth. Actually it gives him the appearance of a tiny, scallop-shaped "forest", standing out in relief against the drab- colored backdrop of a rock reef or a sandy/silty bottom. Once you, the diver, have learned to spot this little forest the rest is com- paratively easy, and you are well on your way to your very first meal of "pan-fried” San Diego Scallop. THE WEST COAST SHELL SHOW AND AUCTION AT SANTA BARBARA By Clifton L. Martin The Santa Barbara Malacological Society surely deserves the con- gratulations and support of all shell collectors living on the west coast for the outstanding quality of the West Coast Shell Show and Auction they present each year. As one who has not missed any of these fine events, since the first one in 1963, I can truthfully say that they get better with each passing year. This year’s show was held July 31st and August 1st and was the best of all. Besides getting to see a superb shell show and perhaps pick up a few specimens at the auction it is always good to meet again with friends in Santa Barbara and from elsewhere. This year four of us, including my sister Anna Morris, Elizabeth Baker, Clifford and I attended on the last day, since the auction is always held then and we hoped to get a few shells in the bidding. Although the trip to Santa Barbara and back may seem a bit long for one day it was very greatly enjoyed by all of us. To those who have not attended any of these events, the Veterans Memorial Building, where it is held, is on Cabrillo Boulevard facing the ocean. It is an ideal location. The shell show is held in the main hall of the building and the many exhibits are displayed on several rows of tables in the center of the hall. The outer perimeter of the hall is taken up with booths and displays of shell dealers. The auction is held in a smaller hall adjoining the main hall so both events may be in progress at the same time without either interfering with the other. There was an exceptionally high quality to all of the exhibits this year and many of the shells displayed were species I had never seen before. The Shell of the Show award was won by David Thomas for a superb specimen of Conus bengalensis Okutani. This was our first Page 6 view of this extremely rare and fine species which was recently des- scribed by Dr. Takashi Okutani. The shell is evidently closely re- lated to Conus gloriamaris but differs from it in several ways. There were two specimens of Conus bengalensis at the show, the other specimen being for sale in one of the booths. These two specimens averaged a bit larger than the specimens of Conus gloriamaris I have seen. The new species has a higher, more acute spire than Conus gloriamaris and is a bit more slender in form.. The color pattern is also different, being in zones of dark and light patterns rather than uniform as in Conus gloriamaris. Incidentally, the specimen that was * for sale could be purchased for $2500.00. The dealer who had it also had a superb, live collected specimen of the volute, Festilyria f estiva (Lamarck), one of the world* s rarest shells. Although we were unable to measure it this specimen appeared to be between four and five inches in length and was complete with operculum. Among the many fine displays was one by Lawrence Thomas, of Morrc Bay, showing some of the world* s rarest shells, as well as some of th? most beautiful. This display won the du Pont Trophy and contained such rarities as Entemnotrochus rumphii, Perotrochus teramachii. Conus gloriamaris, Cyprasa conSraria, Mur ex alabaster arid many others, all of "exceptionally fine quality. It would be impossible to describe all of the many exhibits but I must add that there was also a fine display of Conus by a Florida collector and an especially beautiful display of Cypraea by Betty Phillips, of Santa Barbara. Although we attended a part of the auction we did not get many shells. However, we got a nice specimen of Phalium wyvillei (Watson) and a few species of Conus which we did not have in our collection although none of them are extremely rare. From one of the dealers booths we were able to get a good, though dead collected, Altivasum flindersi, a shell we had been trying to get for several yearsl Also, a trip to Santa Barbara without visiting the establishment of Bob McMillen and John Philipps would be unthinkable, especially since their shop is only two blocks west of the Veterans Memorial Building and is always loaded with goodies. Altogether it was a very enjoyable occasion, made doubly so by all of the loot we brought home. BOOK NOTES Carole M. Herts The Club has just purchased a copy of Tom Riee*s new book, **Marine Shells of the Pacific Northwest ”, published by Ellison Indus- tries, Inc. and costing $2.50 This book covers the "the more common larger..** shell species from northern California to and including British Columbia, each shell illustrated in beautiful color. The color plates are the highlights of the book. Each shell is shown in at least two views and in cases Page 7 of variability such as in Mopalia ciliata. six color variations are illustrated. The photography is successful for all but the small shells which lack the definition necessary to aid in identification. The species are arranged by families from the primitive to the developed with a short descriptive text accompanying the plates noting range, habitat and distinguishing characteristics. This writer believes the book to be a most useful addition to our library and a valuable aid to those who collect along the Pacific Coast — certainly a bargain? NEW MEMBERS Mrs. Ruth Ob erg 2579 Arnott St. San Diego, Calif. 92110 276-6659 Wm. L. Wilie, Jr. I4O5 McFaddin Beaumont, Tex. 77701 CHANGE OF ADDRESS Martin and Susan Bishop fo Dr. Martin J. Bishop Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, CB2-3HU England COMING OCTOBER 9th our Mexician Fiesta at the hone of David Mulliner . THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 INCORPORATED 1968 useun of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M, President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES: Single membership, 3.00 • Family, v/;.00 - Corresponding membership, y2, 50 - Overseas mailing, A3. 50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 5283 Vickie Dr., San Diego, Calif. 92109. Vol . II October 1971 Mo. 10 ❖ ?!«!<: ;,'c sjs # jJc i\i :,'c ;J; s[s ;|t sjs sjs s’* 3js t\i ;,’s # t\t >’{ i|s ;J; ;Jc * ;,’s jJc s|; i\( sjs sjc i|c -Our Mexican Fiesta, at home of David and T'Iargaret Mulliner, Oct. 9 * 4!o Regular Meeting - * ^November Meeting - David Leighton will be speaker on Mari culture of * * Abalone - also, ELECTION OF OFFICERS . * ^Publications: Virginia Hanselman, 5813 Tulane St., San Diego, Ca. 92122 # ❖ ;|r # s|e ij; * s*t sj? ;Jc * ;J; ;Je * sjc ;|j ;|c * ;J; s.'c ;|s * * * * * ;;; ;|c ;|c ;Ji j{s * :|c sje ;J; 5j« ;;; s|s jjc * sje sjs * * ^ * * # * * ;,'c PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER, 16 David MullinerTs slide-showing of opistobranchs and nudibranchs - from the Galdpagos, the Gulf of California, the San Diego area and Pismo Beach - was received with keen, even vocal, appreciation. These exquisite but fragile creatures, in their living rainbow of color and multiple variety of form and size, are always fascinating slide sub jects. Many types were shown; from Berthellina engeli Gardiner. 1936. of vivid color (apricot to orange) but known as "The Blob"; to Tridachiella diomedea - (Bergh. 189A). gray to pale yellow, with a lovely jeweled frill running the length of its body in six folds, the ruffle repeated around its perimeter; to Pleurobranchus ( Pleurobranchus ) areolatus (Mo'rch. 1863 ). in many colors - resembling a millefleur paperweight - and adding a lace edge to its perimeter. (This illustrating wide variations. ) To many present, the "Bivalve gastropod", Berthelinia (Edenttellina ) chloris Dali, 1918, was of tremendous interest. This animal is a trim little creature - o to 9 mm of vivid green; seeming almost trans- parent, its little loosely-hinged shell saddling its back. It was photographed on its feeding ground, bright green Caulerpa racemosa. from which it gets its color. On the Ameripagos Expedition to the Galapagos, twenty-five species were taken, six of which were undescribed, so far as known. * Some specimens shown from this area were : Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Hang, 1323), Unbraculum. ovals ( Carp enter,.- lRte )T I^ETgKrA .shmrSrKi •{ (hMsnher Uly, Berthelinia. jBdentteUin^ ). gh^oris .J.aIl^-1.91^, Berthellina engeli (Gardiner, 1936). Pleurobranchu.s ( Pleurobranchus ) areolatus ("lo'rch, 1^63 ) and Chromodoris sedna (Marcus and Aarcus IQ67L From the Gulf of California, among others, were shown Denorodoris krebsii (Bergh, 1S79). Hypselodoris calif ornienses (Bergh,. ,18?j), Liendronotus nanus Aarcus and Marcus. 1967 and Chromodoris banksibanksi Farmer, I963 . From the San biego area were Flabellinoosis iodinea (Cooper, IOC 3 ), Hermisenda crassicornis (Eschscnoltz in Ptathka 1531). Diaulula s and ie -gens is (Cooper, 1863). Anisodoris nobilis HacFarland. 1906, and Tritonia festiva (Stearns. 1873). Pismo Beach was represented by Polycera atra TlacFarland. 1905. Dendro- notus frondosus (,\scanius. 17-7/ ). Precuthonia Divae Marcus. 1961 and Catriona aurantia (Alder and Hancock. 1312). "'r, Clifton martin showed slides of the V/estern Society of Malocolo- gistTs meeting at Asilomar, held June 16-19 this year. Tany well known personalities in the field of rialocology were present and photographed - at this always enjoyable and instructive annual con- vention. — ‘ He wish to make a correction: Last month’s issue carried a short article about a Completely Restricted collecting area, but entitled “Announcement of a Hew Collecting area". It should have read, "Announcement of a New Un-collecting ^rea". FEEDING HABITS IN PRDSO BRANCH GASTROPODS By Dr. George Radwin For those of us who "live to eat" instead of "eating to live" it is reassuring to hear that snails have, just as we have, made eating a "habit". Here, however, the resemblance generally ends. It is unlikely that there is any record of a gastropod overeating. This is probably just as well. as the mental picture of a snail dosing itself " with "peptobismol" is too ludicrous to accept. The ■ Gastropoda is a large group, diverse in the morphology, phy- siology and ecology of its representatives forms. As in most, large animal groups certain "standard" feeding habits are practiced by many of its forms. Aith the exception of unusually specialized types of feeding, most trends in feeding habits roughly follov; phyletic lines^ (i.e* can be correlated with relationships of the animal). Jithin the Prosobranchia these are generally thought to fall into three groups, the Archaeoastropoda ( Pleurotomariidae — Neritidae), the neso^astro- poda (Littorinidae - Ficidae) and the Neogastropoda (Muricidae — Conidae ) . Tost of the most primitive gastropods (Archaeogastropoda ) are grazers and browsers, scraping food from the substratum. In most cases this food consists of particles of fragments of plants, ^balones , % Page 3 crop macroscopic (i.e. visible to the naked eye) algae. Host trochids (Calliostoma, Tegula, etc.) and most true limpets (Acmaeidae) graze on mats of microscopic algae or on large kelp-like algal growths. Host, if not all of you have seen fronds of our "f eather-boa" kelp with holes "bored" in them. Indeed some appear to bear some relationships to swiss (albeit domestic variety) cheese. The feather-boa limpet, found only on this plant, lives its life on a "pure food" substrate, eating as it moves. A few of these primitive gastropods have turned to grazing on plant-like types of animals. Hembers of the Fissurellidae (keyhole) Limpets are known to graze on sponges. This is not simply a resting site as some people have contended. Sponge spicules found in these snails stomachs are sufficient evidence of feeding activity on sponges. a Many supposedly more "advanced " gastropod forms (Hesogastropoda ), still quite primitive compared to the group as a whole, have very generalized feeding, organs (radula, etc.) well-equipped to "sweep" or "comb" the bottom £o obtain detritus (non-living organic matter) as cheir food. Toward the middle of the mesogastropoda, however, certain groups have diverged from the traditional type of feeding and special- ized feeding styles have evolved 1 The /ermetidae, that group of strange snails whose shells, after a brief period of normal coiling literally "come unglued" have an in- genious method of feeding. The animal produces a fine net made of mucus strands. It unfurls the net and suspends it in the water current. After a suitable period of time the net is hauled in, using the radula as a toothed windlass, thus retrieving the non-living particles and tiny living organisms trapped in it. Snails in several groups have specialized in feeding on coelenter- ates. In the Spitoniidae, the ordinary radular (feeding) apparatus is divided in half, each half supplied with numerous, similar elongate hooks. The resemblance of this situation to a log-finishing apparatus, dual cutters, one on each side of the log -way, is difficult to avoid. Apparently, in some cases, the tentacle of the anemone, stinging cells not withstanding, are inserted between the two "buss-saws" and are quickly "finished." Another related group, the Janthinidae, or pelagic purple snails, have a similar feeding habit and apparatus. «t least the radular teeth are similar. The planktonic (free-floating) existence of members of this group dictates a slightly different coelenterate prey. In the mid-ocean, vast numbers of siphonophores (Portuguese man-o-war, by-the- wind-sailors, etc.) may be found, and around and on them we may find the purple snail eating his fill. Nearby, from an evolutionary standpoint, are a number of groups of gastropods whose members have carried the "chow-hound"' image to its logical extreme. These groups range in feeding habits from the Eulimi- dae (Balcis. Helanella, Eulima. Niso ) . ectoparasites v/ith no radula and an apparently suctorial feeding habit on other mollusks, to the Styli- feridae, whose members are partially to completely endoparasitic on echinoderms. Page A The family Entoconchidae comprises a number of worm-like or bag- like internal parasites of molluslcs v/hose only apparent tie to the mollusca is their passage in the course of their life cycle through a typical molluscan veliger larval stage. A somewhat smaller deviation from the "typical” mesogastropod detritus-feeding habit is found in the Capulidae. These epizoic animals are always found on bivalves and almost always in the region around the hinge-line. They are especially "fond"' of scallops, Limas and other relatives. In these species a moderate to large gap at one corner of the hinge-line allows some mucus to ooze out. It is on the mucus that the capulids feed. * The family Naticidae is the most primitive one in which the shell of the prey (bivalve, gastropod, etc.) is bored. Using a modified radula and an apparently weakly acidic salivary secretion, the shell of the prey is perforated and the flesh inside is rasped away. The Family Cypraeiaae has always been assumed to contain only herbivores. This notion is hard to dispose of. Apparently, the majority of the species in this group are still considered herbivores. Nevertehless, several reports, including one recently by Carole Hertz, indicating a carnivorous habit by Cypraea spadicea, have changed some people’s ideas on the uniformity of" potential prey for cowries. Some- what unexpectedly other forms, supposedly related to the cypraeids on the basis of shell morphology (Eratoidae, Amphiperatidae ) and called by many collectors "allied cypraea" are not vegetarians at all but seem to prefer "steak" (with or without potates). The amphiperatids (IJeosimnia, Volva, Cyphoma) seem to subsist on "soft corals." In the new "world these are small forms living on relatively small sea whips, sea fans, etc. and absorbing the pigmentation of the coral by ingest- ing and assimilating the calcareous spicules making up the semi-rigid stalk of these colonial coelenterates. In the old world several larger amphiperatids feed on immense, fleshy heads of alcyonarian ( (soft) corals, Ue have no direct evidence of the feeding habits of eastern Pacific eratoids but the type species of the genus Trivia (T. europaea ) is known to feed, in British waters, on colonial ascldians (related to sea squirts). Members of the Tonnidae are known to feed by boring on other shelled mollusks and utilize, in addition to the radula, a rather strongly acid secretion in measurable amounts. It is apparently primarily hydrochloric acid. The cassidid snails feed on sea urchins - what would appear to us to be a most undigestible source of dinner. The agility of these large, heavy snails is startling- and undoubtedly essential in avoiding or overriding the sea urchin’s spines while boring through its test (shell). The mode of feeding in muricid gastropods is probably no secret to any of you but for the few who may not have heard? The Tluricidae is another "boring" gastropod group which, in spite of this damning description contains some very interesting forms. In general, muricid gastropods feed by alternately applying the radula and an accessory boring organ (ABO) to the drill-site. The secretion of the ABO is Page 5 apparently one of those interesting chemicals, called a chelating agent that occupies certain sites on other molecules (such as calcium carbonate) thus weakening them structurally. (The radula then erodes this partially softened material. Nassariid and melongenid gastropods are scavengers using their radula to tear off chunks of decaying animal or plant matter. Buccinids are said to produce a paralytic chemical agent that causes bivalves and gastropods to relax and expose their bodies. A family closely related to the Muricidae and particularly the Thaididae is the Coralliophilidae ( Coralliophila. Latiaxis ) . Members of this group differ from the two above related groups in their lack of a radula. This is undoubtedly related to their close association with reef type corals. These animals apparently feed suctorially on these corals, although at least one eastern Pacific species is known to feed on colonial anemones. Very little is known about feeding in such families as Olividae, Harginellidae, Harpidae, Vasidae, Cancellariidae, Volutidae and Iiitridae. The assumption is that these sand dwellers are primarily worm- feeders . The Toxoglossate groups are also thought to be primarily vermi- vorous. In some exceptional cases other things are eaten (some cones feed on fishes and others on nollusks). As most of you know, toxoglo- ssate (arrow-tongue) forms secure their food by ‘-harpooning” them and thus injecting a paralytic poison. This list of feeding habits and food preferences does not express all that there is to say about prosobranch feeding. It does cover some of the more interesting modes of feeding. COLLECTING ON THE ROCKY SHORE IN ENGLAND By Susan and Tlartin Bishop Not many members of the San Diego Shell Club will ever have the chance to collect in England, but for those who may be tempted, here is some information. The finest areas for rocky shore collecting in Britain are Devon, Cornwall, Yales and Scotland, where the coastline is swept by the clean waters of the Atlantic. Those people who are accustomed to collecting in southern California or Vest Mexico may be disappointed by the smaller number of species present in these cooler waters, but nevertheless there are some very interesting and beautiful species to be found. On rocks in the splash zone crevices shelter the small winkle, Littorian neritoides. Further down, the ubiquitous Patella vul^ata a large limpet, makes its appearance with another winkle, L. littorea. This large -winkle is still relished as a delicacy at many seaside t own s . i/here there are barnacles or beds of Mytilus edulis. Nucella lapillus (which resembles Thais emarginata of the Southern California c oa st ) l s c onmon . Page 6 As one descends to the middle tide level two more winkles, L. saxatilis and the smooth flattened L. littoralis appear. The latter is extremely variable with respect to colour and may be white, lemon yellow, orange or dark brown, plain or banded with purple, and occasionally marked with intricate zigzag patterns. Hiding beneath brown algae two top shells are commonly found" Gibbula cineraria and umbilicalis, both yellowish-grey with purple mottlings. Patella" intermedia, a limpet with orange rays also lives in this zone. The lowest tidal zone of the big brown kelp is the territory of Calliostoma zizyphinum. a species which vies with C. annulatum of this coast in its superb colouration. The kelp also supports a small rounded limpet. Patina pellucida . This delicate shell is usually marked with two or more intense: blue rays. For those willing to search a little harder, in many areas the dainty Emarginula reticulata and Diodora apertura will be found under stones at low tide. Velutina velutina. Trivia artica and monarcha. ' and the elegant large wentletrap Clathrus clathrus may sometimes be found at low tide, as may Ocenebra erinacea, our only native inter- tidal muricid and the type of the genus. There are of course, many other species which occur on the rocky shore, especially minute and sublittoral species, but I hope this introduction may be helpful in .giving a general picture of the more common species and where they occur. Ed. note. Susan and Martin have returned to Cambridge, England after their year’s stay in San Diego. We’re looking forward to further interesting articles from England. SILVER LINING By Twila Bratcher * • V It could have been a miserable day or at least a very depressing one. We were stranded in a dinghy in the rain. The Ecudorian fishing boat, Cristo Rey, had left my diving buddy, Ellen Brennan, and myself (with a- diving hookah and an extra can of gasoline) in a small dinghy powered by one oar for sculling. We were to have several hours of diving at this location at James Bay, in the Galapagos Islands, before other members of the Ameripagos Expedition aboard the Cristo Rey picked us up before sundown. The hookah engine threw a rod during the first five minutes of diving, and after our struggle to start the motor before we realized the trouble, we were too tired to free dive. We sat in the boat, and it began to sprinkle. Then it poured. Even though we were almost on the equator it was not warm. Our wet suit jackets and jeans for '■ diving kept us from being too uncomfortable but we sat, huddled, try- ing not to think of the hours we must wait to be picked up. Sheer perpendicular cliffs eliminated the possiblity of even trying to scull to shore. Page 7 The rain came down like small silver lances hurled at the water, denting the surface as it struck. I said, "Look at the dimples the rain makes on the surface. Let's get in and see what it looks like underneath." We dropped overboard into water warmer than the rain and saw it had a completely different look from underneath. It was like a sheet of silvery satin dented by pellets which did not penetrate. I remembered having seen a picture of a fish in, the Indo-Pacific area with two sets of eyes... one for seeing above the surface and one underneath. I wondered what it would be like seeing both views at the same time. We found out- - by placing our heads on the side, breathing through the snorkle, and placing our face masks s;o that one eye was above the surface and one below. It was fascinating? Before entering the water we were watching three blue-footed bobbies on an outcropping of lava rock about three feet above the water. To our surprise they were facing into the rain, as was a peli- can a short distance away. All were hunched and somewhat bedraggled, reminding us of a group of humans, without umbrellas, waiting for a bus. We swam close enough to have touched them but they ignored us and remained hunched and peering into the rain for the bus that did hot come. A black heron with orange eyes - and legs so short it did not seem to belong to the heron family at all - landed on the. rocks a short distance away. It seemed oblivious of the rain, which by now had diminished in intensity. It industriously looked for small crus- taceans among the rocks. Swimming over to look at the heron took us into a shallow cove. Below, in about eight feet of water, a large tropical spiny lobster, more colorful than the California species, ambled so unconcernedly we were sure it knew we were wearing neither weight belt nor glees. We were glad we had left them in the dinghy because it was a pleasure to watch the big lobster moving in the open unafraid. From lobster watching we turned to fish watching. Following a beautiful golden fish - possibly a golden, grouper - took us near the perpendicular cliffs which we could approach betwen series of break- ers. There Ellen found two lovely specimens of Neorapana Grand is "... (Sowerby, L83 5) near the water line. That made the dive worthwhile. Not long afterward I drifted over to a large rock which rose above the surface. A bump on it turned out to be the largest Thais planospira (Lamarck, 1$22) any of us had ever seen. Who needs a weight belt and scuba equipment? When we looked up to see the Cristo Rey approaching, we could hardly believe so much time had flown. We had to swim like mad to reach the dinghy and haul in our anchor by the time the Cristo Rey arrived. Then we noticed the rain had stopped sometime earlier. It had been a lovely day? IN MEMO RI AM Page 8 (to those who have left us) TO YOU, our dear friends And wonderful companions Whose gracious presence And kindly understanding Throughout the years Enhanced the pleasure of our days; We say, with much sincerity. That you are being missed. By all of us who remain. As we cherish cheerful memories Of your now interrupted journey here. It is though our wish and prayer That sometime, somewhere, in a new. Happier and more care free life. We may meet again And have the true joy Of together treading golden strands. Or finding wondrous shells With undreamed of beauty and symmetry. And in renewing Our many fine friendships And so to YOU we do not say *?goodbye’? But just a hopeful ”Au Revoir.:? ■ ' . E.C. Roworth 9-29-71 BOOK NOTES By Jules Hertz The long awaited second edition of SEA SHELLS OF TROPICAL WEST AMERICA by Dr. A. Myra Keen with the assistance of Dr. James McLean became available early in September. It was published by Stanford University Press, and is priced at $29.50. The San Diego Shell Club Library has purchased a copy which is already in circulation. A review of this greatly expanded work is scheduled for the next issue of the Festivus. NEW MEMBERS Mr. Harold C. Kinney 2805 Bibb St. Shreveport, La. 71108 SAIPAN SHELL CLUB % Mrs. Larry Brundy Box 17 Capitol Hill Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950 '* / i * %v ? .->T - • . >r « ' . *Si *****& *»'Ai ■ \ ••• Jr • A ; ».:{ ^ - •»)> n jTl; ^ y <* *"Vy ^ran P.,04 U LI S***- f rU tvTT.G^^H • ***"7 Vo. £ . Oil ^WUUVICOut^ (V\kS*»v «{- Vi*^ .. V-U*4*«u ~ffri> **X -c (a><.oT N.M *c Cc>i4^^ Kl.M. moi'f SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7^30 P.M. President: Roland Taylor Vice President: Clifton Martin Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Virginia Hanselman Treasurer: Margaret Mulliner Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. II November 1971 No. 11 »•/ V' 'V »*/ '*/ x*x x’x \l. \*< O. »*/ »•/ O. >1. O/ O. O. O. \l^ O. \l/ v'<< v)/ xlx Ox xU O/ x*x nO xJx ^ >*» \l. Jx »■/ Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox X|X XjX X,x X|X X(\ ^ X|\ XjX X|S X|\ X,X XjX XjX X|X X,\ x,x XjX X,X X|X X|X XjX X,X X|\ X|X XjX X,X X|X x,x XjX XjX XjX X|X X|X XjX X| X X,X X|X X|X X|X XjX X| X XjX XjX XjX X|X xp. X|X XjX X|X X|X X|X X|X X|X X|X X,X X,X X|X X|X X|X X|X X jX XjS X|X X|X XjX XjX X|X X,X X| X X|X x,x * PRO GRAM, NOVEMBER IS: * * Mr. David Leighton will speak on Mariculture of Abalone in * * classroom, next to auditorium. * *The CHRISTMAS PARTY will be at C.P.O. Club, Miramar, Thursday, * * December 16. Dinner (steak or prime rib) will be $4.00 and * * reservations should be in by Dec. 10. Please state choice of * * food. Checks payable to San Diego Shell Club, 5283 Vickie Drive, * * San Diego, Calif. 92109 * * Ox *There will not be a December issue of the Festivus. Ox x'xOx x*x Ox x*x xlx Ox x*x x*x x'x X*X X*x xlx x*x x*x Ox xlx xlx Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox xlx Ox X*x x*x Ox x*x x*x x*x Ox Ox Ox xlx x*x x*x xlx xlx OxOx X*x X*x X*x Ox x*x xX xlx x*x Ox xlx Ox x*x x*x X ■'iX XjX X,X XJX XjX XjX X,X XjX XjX XjX X,X XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX X,X X,X XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX X,X XjV XjX X, X X,X X,x XJX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX X, X XjX X, X XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX XjX X "Helpful Hints on Colle cting and Cleaning Pteropurpura macropterus and Pteropurpura '/okesae" by John Phillips Island Specimens 320 We st Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, Calif. 93101 Having been a dyed-in-the-wool Murex lover for almost 15 years, I was naturally very keen on discovering the whereabouts of our local goodies when I began diving commercially off Santa Barbara about seven years ago. The following helpful hints apply only to personal observa- tions made by myself in the Santa Barbara and Point Concepcion areas. In short, you cannot always judge one by looking at the other, and my observations might prove faulty in other areas where Pteropurpura vokesae and Pteropurpura macropterus are prevalent. At the time that I began diving for California Murex. Pteropurpura vokesae and Pteropurpura macropterus were both very rare and seldom- seen species: I can well remember the day when I actually trembled with delight at the sight of a lovely set of these shells in the personal collection of a friend. I think that I probably set my mind to wonder- ing about where these dainty little creatures reside on that very day, and I set out on a search which took me almost two years to complete. Page 2 My search ended with that age-old conchological saying "Shells are where you find them!!". The orginator of that little statement forgot to add the fact that first one must discover the natural habitat of any given species, and in my case it took two years! Pteropurpura macropterus is not a very selective creature regard- ing the type of bottom that he likes to live on, and I have found him thriving in the following environments: hard rock bottom with lush growths of algae and kelp and intermittent outcroppings of boulders and rock ledges? smooth, hard rock bottom with absolutely no bottom growth or rock outcroppings. The specimens taken on this type of bottom are always very heavily coated with lime and are not desirable as specimen shells* silt bottom with large rock reefs or ledges and boulder rubble oiled up in front of the ledges. This type of bottom seems to house che really choice specimens, and. they will be found clinging to the J tops and sides of the boulders. Choice specimens may also be found partially buried in the silt edge where the sloping, backsides of each ledge meet the bottom. Heavily coated specimens may be found on the tops and vertical faces of the ledges, and I generally never even bother picking these up. It is very unusual to find Pteropurpura macro- pterus residing on the silt channels between the rock reefs or ledges, incidentally, I forgot to mention that these rock ledges are almost al- ways located on a parallel plane with the shoreline, and the distance between each ledge varies between 10 feet and 100 feet, usually depend- ent upon the depth of the water. They are located closer together in the deeper water, meaning 80 feet and up* this species may also be collected on a silt bottom with a covering, of small stones, and the shells will be found delicately perched on a piece of rubble approxi-' mately l/lOth his size. There are usually- very- choice, almost-uncoatea specimens; and last, this species may be found on large rock reefs which are surrounded by large expanses of course, white sand. The specimens taken here are generally very heavily coated with various types of marine growth, especially a very destructive purple-colored growth that has a bad habit of almost completely eating away the varices of Murex. Needless to say, these latter specimens are not in any way collectors items, and I simply leave them alone. Pteropurpura vokesae is a much more selective mollusk than his first cousin macropterus. and he chooses only several types of bottoms to live on, as follows: I have found this species to particularly fayor the silt channels or expanses between rock reefs or ledges, and they prefer to live in waters over 7Q feet (I found them to be quite evident in 140 ft.). They are occasionally collected in pairs or threesomes, but they seem to be prevalent as singles or "loners". They will occas- ionally be found nestled comfortable underneath a breeding colony o-f Pteropurpura macropterus on the boulder rubble that piles up in front of the rock ledges, sometimes with unidentified eggs in tow (the ques- tion might arise as to which species the eggs belong to, and I am baffl- ed over this one)? .this species may also be collected on silt bottoms with small, stone rubble, in company and seemingly in perfect harmony with its favorite cousin macropterus: this shell does not like large rock reefs or ledges, and the occasional specimens that are taken here are very heavily coated and are not specimen shells. Pteropurpura vokesae does not attract excess marine growth like Pteropurpura macropterus. and the encrustations do not seem to anchor themselves as readily on the vokesae as they do on the macropterus. If Page 3 there are heavy encrustations present on a specimen of vokesae. they are almost always very easy to remove and hardly ever leave any damage to the exterior surface of the shell. I have observed that the vokesae coats himself with a protective covering of silt and some sort of secre- tion from the mantle of the mollusk; this coating generally repels any serious growths of lime or other destructive marine encrustations, and it acts as a camoflauge also. I have also seen, on rare occasions, "lacropterus that were coated with this protective covering, but not nearly so often as the vokesae. Once the Murex are collected it is then time to go through the drudgery of removing the living mollusk and cleaning the shell for the cabinet. . There are numerous methods of doing this, but I will relate v own, personal method, which has worked in an almost foolproof fashi'c: lor myself and. my associates. First, I always individually scrub the surface of each shell with a soft-bristled toothbrush to remove the _oos.e dirt and "grunge!1 that attaches itself to almost every shell be- neath the sea (I do this on my boat immediately after surfacing from a dive). Excess amounts of mud or dirt will very quickly neutralize the potency of any cleaning agent that is being used, and it is a small chore to remove this material prior to taking the shells home for the final cleaning steps. After doing the above maneuver I always cull the load and take out the imperfect and broken specimens, which I personal- ly return to their respective environments on the bottom; I also, return all juvenile shells to their homes. Next, I take the 'collected speci- mens home (my home that is) and place them in boiling water for approx- imately five minutes; this kills the mollusk and enables its removal from the external skeleton, or shell. Removal of the mollusk can be accomplished by grasping the cooked material firmly with a sharp imple- ment and gently twisting the animal round and round in a clockwise manner until it comes out. In using the term "sharp implement" I could be talking about almost anything that could either grasp or be inserted into the cooked mollusk. After removing the mollusk I always save each operculum, as this is an important part of the shell. Once the animal and the operculum have been removed I then put the shells in straight ; pool chlorine bleach for varying lengths of time depending on the de- gree of coating. Murex may be left in chlorine bleach for almost any length of time without causing any noticeable .damage to the shell, but I find that a maximum soaking period of 2 4 hours will just about take care of anything clinging to the surface of the shells. After removal Horn the bleach thoroughly wash each shell with fresh water and then allow the shells to dry. Once the shells have completely dried the bleached coatings, having been undermined and saturated with chlorine, may be gently plucked away from the surface of the shell with knives, dental tools, ice picks, or anything that suits the desires of the shell cleaner. Now we have reached a very crucial stage in our cleaning operation, in that we are herewith presented with that horrible ques- tion, "Do I use acid on this one???" So many times this question has crossed my mind, and I have worked it out to the best of my ability via the sometimes-painful process of trial and error. I find that a very light, brushed-on dab of commercial -grade Muriatic Acid on the body whorl and varices of the smooth type Pteropurpura macropterus will bring out a spot of color that was absent before the brushing. Again, I leave the above procedure strictly up to the individual who owns the shell, as some folks might say that this is an unnatural, semi-artificial way of "coloring" the shell. I sometimes find the surface of the smooth type Pteropurpura macropterus to be lightly covered with a misty, whitish- Page 4 colored film after the preliminary cleaning stages, and the acid treatment or acid brushing ( not an acid bath ) removes this. I try not to use any acid on the spire and apex area, as it will ream out the sutures on the spire and give that particular area a very unhealthy, overcleaned appearance. I never use any acid on any Murex that have imbricated surfaces to their shells! this completely rules out Pteropurpura vokesae and most of the variations of Pteropurpura macro- pterus as being probable victims of the "dreaded acid treatment”. Actually, it is not all that bad, and some of my very finest, showpiece specimens of Pteropurpura macropterus were carefully treated with acid. Now we come to the final stage of our cleaning operation, which involves the replacement of natural oils in the surface of the shell which were removed during the boiling and bleaching steps of the cleaning process. Some collectors use^a strapge solution of glycerin and alcohol, some use Johnson 7 s Baby Oil, but I use light gauge Squibbs Mineral Oil. Thus far the only complaints that I have received regard:-'- ing this particular phase of the cleaning operation were a few loud cries of "greasy fingers”, which cannot be avoided unless one handles his or hers shells with gloves (that 7 s no fun!!). And finally, in closing out discussion of the cleaning procedure I will urge everyone to always replace the proper operculum with its proper mate. Now that I have excited every reader to the point of "frenzy”, I will further advise each and every able person to travel to your nearest local dive shop, rent some underwater diving equipment, select your diving spot, and last but not least, follow my instructions as outlined in this article and collect your own Pteropurpura macropterus and Pteropurpura vokesae. thus eliminating the illustrious "middle-man"; or, in this particular case, shell dealer. (In essence I have just slit my own throats7!). MEXICAN FIESTA Our Mexican Fiesta at the home of David and Margaret Mulliner in Pacific Beach was very much enjoyed by members and their guests. They came in costumes of-let us say-Mexican feeling but there were some authentic versions* a dark blue camisa, a hand-embroidered blusa with a long falda - both traditional folk styles, modern concepts were in drawn work with knotted fringes instead of hems - a blusa/and falda in soft lines and vibrant colors - sombreros, at not too accustomed angles - bright shirts, ponchos. There was the "Flowing Bowl" of a delicious punch. The "Pot Luck" food, when not authentically Mexican, was of that heritage and inspira- tor, all savory, muy sabrosa. The soft lights ranged on the top of the patio wall were very effective. Votive candles burned with a steady glow, set safely on sand inside paper bags. BOOK NEWS Page ' 5 By Jules Hertz SEASHELLS OF TROPICAL WEST AMERICA, Second Edition, by Dr. A. Myra Keen with the assistance of Dr. James H. McLean, Stanford University Press, 1971. To those of us who collect shells frequently south of the border. Dr. Keen?s first edition published in 195$ has been a bible. After a long day of enjoyable collecting, it was second nature to get out; "Keen" and pour over the descriptions and illustrations. Just as the first edition has been a standard for shells of the Panamic province for the past 13 years, the long awaited second edition is certain to • carry on this tradition for the next 20 years. • - The new edition has extended the coverage to northwestern Peru. Some 3,325 species are treated, many of which are microscopic and/or deepwater forms not treated in the earlier edition. Also included for the first time are descriptions of the shell-less mollusks. The book contains some 1,000 halftone and line illustrations, and 22 color plates. A new Introduction and a chapter on the Phylum Mollusca are welcome additions. . Major segments of the new edition are contributions of well known workers in the field of malacology, i.es Turridae and Archaeogastropo- da (up to the Neritacea), Dr. McLean; Terebridae, Twila (Mrs. Ford) Bratcher and Mr. Robert Burch? Polyplacophora, Mr. Spencer Thorpe; and Marginellidae, Dr. Coan and Mr. Barry Roth. In addition to treating almost twice the number of shells, the second edition has shown marked improvements over the first edition in several major a;reas. One area is in the improved reproductive quality of the halftone and line illustrations. This was one of the weak points of the earlier book, and often made for very frustrated collectors. New chapters on "Rejected and Indeterminate Species" and "Geographic Aids" are also valuable additions.- Improved descriptions and freer use of multiple pictorial views are also improvements. The quality of photography artd extent of shell description does not compare with’ other recent major books on malacology such as, THE LIVING COWRIES or THE LIVING VOLUTES. However such a comparison would be completely unfair since it would be an exorbitant and Herculean task to describe and picture more than''3x300 species in such detail. The color plates used in the earlier edition are included in the new book but for some unknown reason (perhaps their familiarity) look completely out of place. The twelve new color plates contain beautiful photographs of both shells and mollusks, v but their indiscriminate in- clusion in one section seems primarily decorative rather than scienti- fic which detracts from the book. The . Calliostoma in Plate XIII appears mislabeled. This writer found several other disturbing features to the new edition; i.e. (1) the section on chitons, although completely re- written, still leaves much to be desired — many of the halftones being undistinguishable, and (2) the inclusion of poor photographs or line illustrations on many deep water pelecypods without accompanying descriptions on shell features. Dr. Keen and the many contributors to this book are to be commend- ed for their achievement. It is a book well worth owning. ENCOUNTER Page 6 In our never ending quest for the elusive rare gem. for our collections, I am sure we have all become acquainted with the shy re- tiring octopus, whose first instinct on seeing man is, wisely, to hide, I have kept octopuses in acquaria and delight in watching their antics. However, although I frequently see them in the ocean, I rarely get a chance to observe them as they immediately slither into some nook or cranny and view me with an unfriendly, cold and suspicious eye. How strange therefore was the following incident that occured last week. I was shore collecting at Tourmaline Canyon in La Jolla and stand- ing in water just above my ankle transferring my watch from one wrist to the other, when I felt something brush against my ankle and wrap around it. Thinking it was a piece of kelp or seaweed, I merely wriggled my foot free absentmindedly, as I was concentrating on not dropping my watch in the water. I felt the sensation again and shook my foot a second time somewhat the way you would do if a fly landed on your leg, still not bothering to look down. My watch at last transferred, I prepared to move on when I again felt my ankle tenderly gripped and this time I finally did look down to disentangle myself. You guessed it! An octopus was lovingly carressing my sneaker with three of his arms. When he saw he had my attention, he gave me a rather disgusted look and reluctantly let go and began moving away. He was a fair size and I do not know what designs he had on my sneaker, but obviously he could not have mistaken it for a lady octopus or vice versa. At any rate, watch your sneaker, it may have a life of its own. Barbara W. Myers A FRIEND I tried to make a friend of a creature in the sea. But every time I see him, he acts afraid of me. I always greet him fondly ; I don’t disturb his den. But he just glares at me and says "Don’t come back again”. I’ve seen people try to grab him and hit him with a stick. They say they want to eat him; I hope he makes them sick. Small wonder when he sees me he swims away so fast. And he even inks the water with a furious blast. When I tried to tell him, ”I’m one of the good guys, don’t you see.’" "Very interesting, " he replied, "You all look the same to me ! " Barbara Myers (Oct. ’69) (Friends at last.’) A WEEKEND AT SAN ISIDRO, BAJA CALIFORNIA Page 7 Carole M. Hertz Last month the Mulliner and Hertz families took off in the Mulliner's Rolling Rancho and spent a weekend in Baja California on the Pacific at a beautiful spot just north of San Isidro and south of Punta Cabro. The rugged coastline there forms a series of small coves, partly protected from the heavy surf, with clean sandy beaches. The area was almost devoid of tourists, perhaps due to eighteen miles of roller coaster from the main highway to the coast. Our weather was perfect — warm and sunny. The water was beautiful and clear and surprisingly warm. Unfortunately there was very little rr the shell collector. We barely eked out an abalone dinner — Dave did find three great-grandpa Haliotis cracherodi which were delicious. Also seen through the snorkler's mask were some sharks. Dave's assurances that they were "the harmless kind” did little to assuage the fears of this coward. I was so busy shark watching and listening to my heart pound that I might have missed great treasure — had there been any We also did some shore collecting though we didn't have any true . low tides. But it was enjoyable just being out in the clear air and sloshing about in the tidepool areas. Following is a list of all the shells observed though most were not collected. Megatebennus bimaculatus - dead fissurella Volcano Col isella digitalis CoITsella scabra (Joli sella conus"" Coli sella strigatella Colisella asmi TNotoacmaea fenestrata rottia gigantea Calliostoma supraganosum - dead vLirularia succinta dorrisis norrlsi Tegula aureotincta Tegula fune brails Tegula gailina’""' Littorina planaxis Littorina scutulata Lpitonium tinctum - dead Upalia funiculata - dead Donax gouldii - dead Penitella conradi Mytilimeria nuttalli - dead Plinices recluzianus ^eratostoma nuttalli - dead Ocenebra gracillima - dead Acanthina spirata~ Acanthina punctulata Acanthina paucilirata TKaiT emerginata Macron lividus Amphissa versicolor - dead tblassarius perpinguis - dead Mitra idae CTlivella baetica - dead Olivella biplicata Conus californicus Cyanoplax hartwegii imttallina fluxa Mopalia muscosa btenoplax consTpcua Mytilus calif ornianus Mytilus edulis Rinnites multirugosus - dead Leptopecten latiauratus - dead Pododesmus cepio - dead iPseudochama exogyra - dead Diplodonta orbellus - dead Tivela stultorum - dead Prot othac a staminea VOLUME 111 1972 Issues 1-11 THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pisor Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES: Single membership, $53. 00^- Family, $l+. 00 - Corresponding membership, $52.50 - Overseas mailing, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St ., .San .Diego, Calif. 92109. Vcl. Ill January 1972 Mo. 1 '■*/■ 0/0/ »»/ O/ v'/O/ 0/0/0/ O/ O/ 0/0/ 0/0/ »*/Oz »•/ xfz O/ O/ x*z O/ O/ X1/ X*/ x«z x»/ O/ xl/xl/ X*/ x»z xl/ Of x«z x»z xl/x*/ O/ O/ xl/ 0/0/ xl/x>/ \'/ x*/ xl/ xl/ xl/ x'z O/ x'/ O/ x>/ O/ O/ x*/ x'z •'I'* ^l'* ^|X /|X /|S Z|X /,> /(X Z,x z,x /|X /,X /|X /,X /|X /(X /|X Z,X /,x /jX /(x/,x Z|X ZJX /,x Z|X /,X Z|X ZJX Z,X Z,X Z|X /|X /^ Z,x Z|X Z|X /|X /|X Z(X Z,X ZjX /,X Z|X /j X /(X /|X /(X /(X ZjX /,x /| X Z|X /(X Z,X /|S Z|X Z|X Z|X Z|X z,x /(X Z|X Z|X /,x ZjX /|X Z|X ZjX * PROGRAM, January 20. * 1 Identification of Nudibranchs (nudi-cuties, N.M.) David Mulliner * MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE NOW PAYABLE FOR 1972. * O/ xl/ O/ O/ xl/ xl/ xl/ X*/ xl/ x*/ xl/ xl/ xl/ x*/ xl/ xl/ xl/xl/ xl/ xl/ X*/ xJz 0/0/ xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/xl/ X*/ x*/xl/ X*/ xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/ X*/ xl/ xl/ x>/ x 1/ xl/ X*/ X*/ xl/ x*z X*/ X*/ xl/ xl/ xl/ X*/ x1/ xl/ X*Z xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/ -1/ X1/ xl/ O/ xl/ xl/ xl/ xl/ 'l' ■'l" »|' ^|X /|X /|X ZjX /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X /JX /(X /JX ZjX /|X /|X /,X /|X /JX /|X /|X ZjX /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X ZjX /JX /|X /|X /•jX /|X /,X Z(x /|X ZjX /|X /,X /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X /|X z,X Z,x /|X /| X /|X /|X /|X Z|X Z,X /JX Z,X /|X /|X /jX Z,x /,X /| X /|X MARICULTURE OF ABALONE By Dr. David Leighton Dr. David Leighton was our guest speaker the evening of November 18, his subject, the mariculture of abalone. He told us of his experiences while working with the California Marine Associtates for the past few years - of finding a feasible and profitable method of growing - or farming - abalones. There is another group in the San Francisco area doing similar work. Dr. Leighton, who is a charter member of our Club, explained that an adult female abalone may release as many as fifty million eggs in her lifetime, but for various reasons only about five per cent will ever live beyond the veliger stage. Thus, a protected environment, nutur- ing only abalones, can insure an increase - perhaps a very high one - in the percentage of survival of this eagerly sought sea animal. The California Marine Associates9 experimental plant is located about five miles north of Morro Bay at Pt. Estero. Movies were shown of the Estero operation and Dr. Leighton told of the many problems and diffi- culties involved in getting started with the work that has been car- ried out there. Page 2 Huge growing tanks have been constructed. They are a hundred feet square and twelve feet deep (the one shown, that is). Extending from two opposite framing walls are several dividing walls in an alternat- ing arrangement - the "rocks" for the clinging abalone. There is an open area in the center where the inflow of sea water, moving with the impetus of the pumps, swirls around the jutting walls, simulating the movement of waves. The sea water had to be pumped up about one hundred feet to the tanks. Several pumps were used before a satisfactory one was found. Before entering the tanks the water runs through large sand filters. This keeps out unwanted sea weed and other marine life. There are other large tanks in the hatchery building to hold the abalones for spawning. The hatching of the larvae was shown, also young abalones about six weeks old. As veligers they are quick-moving free swimmers. Also shown, in their final metamorphosis, were speci- mens from thumb-nail size to perhaps five- inches in. width - not quite steak size. Here it should be noted that the-Ester.o project is primar- ily a "seed" operation. Kelp must be harvested to feed the abalones while they are being held and this is abundantly available in the vast beds that sway in the water directly below the station. Many hybrids in beautiful color variations were shown. Dr. Leighton stated that several hybrid specimens have been found off the Palos Verdes coast of California. FROM THE MINUTES BY CLIFFORD A. MARTIN Following the talk by Dr. Leighton, David Mulliner showed slides of the Mexican Fiesta Party our Club had at his home in September. ?ur Our- President, Roland Taylor, and his wife Kay brought- two trays of ‘ the- shells they collected while in Ireland and Spain this summer. During the business section of the meeting Anthony DfAttilio presented Volumes 2, 3 and 4 of Notes of the New York Shell Club. Volume 1 had been loaned to the editor and was included in the gift. The slate of officers nominated by the Board was accepted unanimously. Officers elected we re: President, Clifton Martin, Vice President, John Michel, Recording Secretary, Clifford Martin, Corresponding Secretary, Jeanne Pisor, Treasurer, Kay Taylor. TWO NEWS ITEMS Anthony D’Attilio had a one-man art .exhibit at the San Diego Art Association’s Gallery in Balboa Park through the month of December. Art and Emma West and their shell business were featured in a full page story in the Chula Vista paper and on December 26 were presented on Personality Parade on Channel 8. By special request the story was repeated twice on December 28. CHRISTMAS PARTY Page 3 The San Diego Shell Club’s Christmas party was held at the Miramar Naval Air Station Chief Petty Officer’s Club on Thursday evening, December 16, 197-1. The club staff had festively decorated the U- shaped tables with bouquets and garlands of silver and red poinsettias and greenery, to which Kay and Roland Taylor added the appropriate molluscan touch of sequined sea shells. The evening started as a social hour, with costumed coctail waitresses taking orders for Christmas cheer. A delicious roast beef dinner was served and after dessert and coffee Dave Mulliner M„Cvd. officer installation ceremonies. Clifton Martin replaced Roland Taylor as President; John Michel took over Clifton Martin ’s 1971 position as Vice President ? Clifford Martin stayed on for another year as Recording Secretary: Kay Taylor replaced Margaret Mulliner as Treasurer; Jean Pisor replaced Virginia Kanselman as. Corresponding Secretary. Each party guest brought a packaged sea shell gift to be placed under the tree., and after installation everyone had a chance to select a gift from the assortment, Oohs and aahs from all quarters attested to the fact that many choice and beautiful shells exchanged hands. The party later moved out into the club ballroom for dancing to their orchestra. It was a grand evening for all and marked a fitting climax to a very successful club year. THUMBNAIL SKETCHES OF OUR NEW OFFICERS • By David Mulliner John Michel is our new Vice-President. John’s interest in shells began while diving in Guam with the research vessel, Trieste. John and Nola have collected in Hawaii, Kwajalein, the Gulf of California and locally. When he is in foreign ports he buys shells he cannot collect himself. Jeanne Pisor is Corresponding Secretary. Her interest in shells started with her marriage to Don in Florida. Don had started his collection in Tahiti in 1962. Jeanne and Don visited a shell shop in Florida for advice and books. Their pretty collection then became more serious and scientific. They joined the Astronaut Trail Shell Club and started trading for world-wide shells. In his work for the airline they have collected in the South Pacific and the Caribeen. They ..were members of the Santa Barbara Shell Club before moving to San Diego and joining the San Diego Shell Club. Jeanne and Don’s main shell interest is in Cyprea, Murex, Cones and Volutes. Kay Taylor is Treasurer. Kay and her husband, Roland, started collect- ing sea shells about six years ago. They began, as most collectors do, by picking up beach shells because they were pretty or had interesting shapes. While in Manzanillo, Mexico, the Taylors met Laura and Carl Shy who interested them in scientific collecting. They have collected along the Baja Peninsula, the west coast of Mexico (where they lived several years) and in Florida. They are building a world-wide collection - and' world-wide friends - by trading shells taken on collecting trips. Page 4 The President, Clifton Martin and his twin brother, Clifford Martin, who is Recording Secretary were presented in Thumbnail sketches in the January issue of the Festivus for 1971. CAYUCOS REVISITED. . .FOR THE SECOND TIME By Carole and Jules Hertz Undaunted by the Christmas rains, we set out for Morro Bay and envir- ons for a few days of relaxation, renewing acquaintances and collect- ing. It rained bountifully until our second day when it cleared just in time for low tide. After that it was glorious sunshine. We did some collecting in Morro Bay near the boat docks and some ob- serving in Morro Bay State Park but most of our collecting was at Cayucos. The area is a protected rocky outcropping, hosting a large variety of mollusks. We were fortunate in having fine low tides (from -1.1 to -l.S) during the afternoon hours. The rocks in the low tide zone were almost completely obscured by eel grass and kelp. Every rock and every tidepocl was a surprise until we were upon it or in it. We spent hours "combing" the eel grass and found some lovely new addit- ions to our collection. We kept a record of all the shells we observed and they are listed below. Those marked with an * are currently in our collection as a result of this trip. Haliotis cracherodi Haliotis rufescens Diodora aspera *Diodora arnoldi *M ega t eb ennu s b ima cul a t u s Fissurella volcano Acmaea mitra Colisella scabra Coli sella limatula Colisella ochracea Colisella asmi Notoacmaea insessa *Notoacmaea paleacea Lottia gigantea *Calliostoma canaliculatum (juv.) r Ca 1 1 i o st oma g emmul a turn *Callio stoma ligatum Tegula funebralis Tegula brunnea *Tegula pulligo (juv) Homalopoma luridum Tricolia pulloides * Lacuna sp. *Rissoild sp. Bittium eschrichti Epitonium indianorum? (dead) Ceratostoma nuttalli *Ocenebra circumtexta *Ocenebra lurida Ocenebra subangulata *Ocenebra punctulata Thais emarginata Amphissa versicolor Mitrella carinata Nassarius mendicus (dead) Nassarius perpinquis (dead) Olivelle biplicata (dead) Conus californicus *Clathuralla canfieldi (dead) Pseud omelatoma torosa *Odostomia sp. (dead) Mopalia muscosa Mopalia lignosa Mopalia ciliata Lepidozona cooperi Stenoplax heathiana Tonicella lineata Septifer bifurcatus (dead) Hinnites multirugosus (dead) *Pseudochama exogyra Gians sub quad rata (dead) Protcthaca staminea (dead) Hipponix antiquatus Crepidula adunca Crepidula perforans Crepidula nummaria Erato vi'tellina (dead) Diaulula sandiegensis Dendrodoris fulva Hermisenda crassicornis Hiatella arctica (dead) *Tellina bcdegehsis (dead). . Zirf ea "pilsbryi (dead) : Penitella penita *Mytilimeria nuttalli (dead) Anisodoris nobilis Triopha carpenteri (and one small red one Dave Mulliner Page' 5 is still looking up) ODDITIES By Jules Hertz Occasionally one discovers a shell freak or aberrant caused by early damage to the shell or animal. On our recent trip to Morro Bay, we r found a specimen of Acanthina punctulata (Sowerby, 1825) which had two teeth instead of the usual one. The shell appeared normal in all other respects except for a very localized defect. in the immediate area of the teeth. The cause of such a defect is unknown but could ha,ye been a result of falling rocks, rough waters or a nibbling fish. The Festivus invites other collectors to describe their freak shells. The New York Shell Club was organized in December 1949 by a mere hand- ful of persons interested in shells. Anthony D?Attilio was one of them. They had their meetings on Sunday afternoons in a meeting room at the Museum of Natural History - quite informal. They had speakers, plann- ed for field trips. It would be decided during the meeting what would go into the ’’notes” mailed to the members later. After the meeting it became the custom to go in' a group to a nearby restaurant, a custom finally so well established that they would find tables arranged for them in a ”U”. Anthony D’Attilio and Morris K. Jacobson felt the notes could be a learning medium and so began the articles about particular shells by Mr. D’Attilio illustrated with meticulous drawings - the records of field trips by various members in and around New York, but particularly by MKJ . Land snails were the main shells collected and they searched for them in parks, little wooded areas, moist rocky places - and near green- houses, whose proprietors welcomed the snail gatherers. There is an account by one member of a trip to San Diego and on down into Baja California in search of a particular land snail - not one word of the wealth of fauna in the Gulf. They made field trips to the beaches and up the Hudson. Rose D’Attilio said ’’they were adventures of discovery that carried them into the fresh air and the green countryside”. The children went along too. A BOOK REVIEW Page 6 Gradually shell gathering accounts by members in faraway places were in the Notes, the membership grew - Bill Old was President one year. Famous names in the shell world were on their membership list - and came to them as speakers. They had a long list of clubs with which they exchanged publications - there were stories about fabulous auctions. There is a recurring story every year about one member having "one more - but his last - auction", ^ltogehter the "NOTES" are very much like our own Festivus. Shell collectors just must have a lot in common. Your editor read two volumes with great enjoyment. ( B.B . ) P.S. When they had had their hundredth meeting they noted that Anthony D'Attilio had a perfect attendance record. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN COLLI SELLA SCABRA (GOULD 1846) AND COLLI SELLA CONUS (TEST 1945) Collisella scabra and C. conus are often found living in-' the sane areas at the same tidal level — rocks in the upper midtidal. From the ourside it is impossible to distinguish some specimens of conus (max. length 19mm.), from juvenile scabra (mas. length 34mm.) The two species are often confused in collections. However, conus interiors are always very glossy, usually with a central dark brown area, where- as scabra is never glossy inside, but dull and uneven. Please check your local material. A voung shell-collector named Jonas Found limpets a terrible onus. Till, abracadabra He found in some scabra He had conns as well, as a bonus l NEW MEMBERS Mrs. Harold C. Kenney 2 BO 5 Bibb St. Shreveport, La. 71108 Saipan Shell Club % Mrs. Larry Brundy Box 17 - Capitol Hill Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950 THE Property of NEtf-¥6RK "SHELL CLUB INC SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7 *30 P.M. President; Clifton Martin Vice President; John Michel Recording Secretary” Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pisor Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES: Single membership, $3.00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding membership, $2.50 - Overseas mailing, $3*50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Calif. 92109. Vol. Ill February 1972 No. 2 sjc i|; sj; >;c ;|c i|t >Jc >;< :|c ;|c ;|{ t\< ;,'c ;[s s\i ;|c s|; ;Jc ;[< jjs ;,'c % ;|c ;|c ;|c s|< ;;; ;,'c :|c Jje ;|c ;]c i',z ;Jc ;|c * PROGRAM: February 17. * * FILM - A DECADE OF DISCOVERY (in oceanographic research) * * 1972 membership dues are now payable. * i|; ;|s i\c >|< ;|c ;Jc ;|c i|c ;]« ;|s ;|c i[c sjc i,'; i|c ;]c sjt ;;c s|s s|js[< ;|c ;|c ;|c ;|c i\t ;[c ;|c 5|c j,'< ;|c ;|c >|c ;Jc i|c sjs ;|t >|c ijc :|c sjs IDENTIFY YOUR 0PI3TH0BRANCHS By David Mulliner Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropod. The veligers as they develop will undergo torsion, bringing the gills, anus, and mantle cavity to the front. The nervous system is twisted into a figure eight. The sub- class Prosobranchia will mature this way, while the subclass Opis- thobranchia will undergo detorsion, untwisting the nervous system and return toward bilateral symmetry. The opisthobranchs have a single auricle and one or no ctenidium, often with surface gills, and a strong tendency toward shell reduction. The identification of an opisthobranch can be started by placing the animal in the proper "Order” from a general list of characteristics. "Order Cephalaspidea". Opistobranchs with a ctenidium and usually with a shell, male genital groove open, with a cephalic shield, usually with a gastric shield for grinding. Example: bubble shells. "Order Anaspidea". Opisthobranchs with the shell poorly developed or missing, with well developed natatory parapodia, male genital groove open, with several gastric shields and a large radula with medium tooth, ctenidium and jaws, visceral hump attached along the foot. Example: Aplysia Page 2 "Order Sacoglassa". Jay/less, herbivorous opisthobranchs with rhino- phores, with one series of teeth in sac, male genital groove closed. Example: Styliger, Lobiger. "Order Nudibranchia". Opisthobranchs without a shell in adults, with visceral mass attached along the foot, without parapodia, with male genital groove closed over. Example: Dorids^ Eolids. "Order Notaspidea". Opisthobranchs with the shell usually internal, without parapodia or gastric shield, but with some chitinous spines, with a gill, male genital groove closed over, radula variable. Example: Pleuobranchia. Seventy species of Opisthobranchs were illustrated with 35 mm slides of the living animals. Brilliant colors are displayed in the cerata of many Eolids: these appendages contain the liver of the animal. The coelenterate feeding Eolids also translocate the stinging cells to cnidosacs in the cerata where they act as protection. The Dorids are flat with rhinophores projecting from the notum in front and secondary gills projecting near the posterior end. The variety of opisthobranchs seems almost endless. It seems amazing to the observer how many animals we have right on this coast. Much work needs to be done and published before we will begin to understand this group. Very little is published of the feeding, re- production, veliger development, growth rates, life cycles, and range of each species. ■ • NUDI BRANCH DICTIONARY BRANCHIA - secondary gills CERATA combination respiratory and digestive organs, located on back and sides of notum, sometimes contain protective devices. CTENIDIUM -gill comb. - part of respiratory system - (c is silent) NOTUM animal is in two sections, the foot and the upper portion which is the notum. PARAPODIA -protective flap, sometimes taking many forms and performing many functions. RHINOPHORES- chemo-tactile sensory organs, anterior placement. Page 3 Written in 1969 - By Barbara Myers Down to the tidepools at break of day. Scrambling and splashing on their way. Buckets and pails clinking and clattering. All of them excitedly chattering, Vhing with the ocean’s roar. Whatever are they looking for? Triopha carpenteri, Chioraera leonina, Laila cockerelli, a species of Cadiina, Aldisa sanguinea. Dialula sandiegensis, _ . Aglaja diomedea, Archidoris montereyensis, Hermisenda crassicornis, Dirona and Cratena Navanax inermis, Fi-ona and Tylodina.. Amid exultant shouts, this was what I hoard. To me it made no sense, not a single word. I came to the conclusion, •'they were strange indeed. They must be the i?Nudi!t people, a very special breed. (We are hoping to receive permission of Joan E. Steinberg, of the University of California, Berkeley, to publish her key to the more Common Opisthobranchia. If such permission is granted, we will publish it in our next issue). ISOLATION AND DIVERGENCE - • , Mae Dean Ri chart The subject of isolation and evolution covers a branch of zoogeography, the science concerned with the distribution of animals in terms of the mutual relation between organisms and their environment. It includes the effect of isolation on the' emergence of new species by means of development of divergent characteristics among animals that have be- come separate from earlier populations of the ancestral stock; characteristics so different that important evolutionary change takes place. As a general rule two animals are considered to be of the same species if they can and do interbreed. When two populations, originally of the same species, are geographically isolated and eventually develop different characteristics that preclude or inhibit interbreeding, each is considered to be a distinct species. Such divergent characteristics of evolutionary importance are generally changes in form and function of the body and its parts. Though in some cases, important changes may be primarily behavioral. Each isolated group will gradually develop characteristics that best enable them to cope with their differing environments. Those individuals best adapted to their envir- onment will probably live longer, remain healthier and have a larger number of offspring which inherit these favorable adaptations. Those individuals with fewest favorable adaptations will compete unsuccess- fully with the better adapted individuals, will not live a,s long, not remain as healthy and probably will produce fewer offspring. Over many thousands and millions of years the better adapted individuals in Page,r4 each population will completely supplant the more poorly adapted ones, eventually producing a similar but different characteristic in each population. At a given point in this process, when individuals from one population will not interbreed with their counterparts from the other population two distinct species are said to exist. Among mollusks, when important changes in form and function of the body and its parts take place they may be accompanied by changes in the shell : a change in the appearance of the shell may indicate important changes in the anatomy. As an example of change in behavior, one group may spawn at only one temperature and a second group only at another. A major influence in the development of divergent characteristics is the larval form of a given species. When the same or related species appear over great distances, it can be presumed that the animal has a pelagic form for an extended period. Almost all bivalves have these pelagic larval forms. Many gastropods do not. Some species are found in the shallow waters of many seas. Over a wide geographical range and over a long period of time they have not changed in shell form or conspicuously in internal characteristics. Within that wide range it is probable that environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity and turbidity vary only slightly. It is also proable that the species has a long-lived pelagic larval form. For example, Cymatium pileare Linnaeus is found from the Caribbean through the Indo-Pacif ic. In some cases species are distributed throughout a wide range but groups of individuals have drifted, as larvae, on ocean currents into environmental pockets where the local conditions vary greatly from the general conditions of the range. And to where they have become isolated from other populations of the species. Individuals with suitable characteristics have survived and become inbred. Eventually, over a period of many generations they may develop into a species dis- tinct from the parent species. Sometimes distinctive changes in the shell occur although the existence of important changes in anatomy or behavior cannot be verified. This leads to differences of opinion ' among the experts, regarding the existence of new species. Sometimes the shell difference is not at all regarded as evidence of a new species: for example when the difference is merely one of size; Mur ex cornucervus from the Northwest coast of Australia is much larger than the same species from the North east coast. A difference in color may be due to a difference in diet. Some species spend their entire lives .(not merely the larval stage) floating on the surface of the ocean, being carried by the currents. The wide distribution of these pelagic species and the small liklihood of their being isolated has inhibited the development of new or diver- gent characteristics, for example, Janthina janthina Linnaeus, 175$. Sne cause of isolation has been the occurrence of geological events in past ages which divided the populations of species. For example at one time there was one or more natural openings through the Isthmus of •' , . Page 5 Panama. When the opening (s) closed several million years ago new species developed from populations that were isolated on either side of the land “barrier;" example, Strombus gracilior Sowerby 1325 on the Pacific Coast and Strombus pugili s Linnaeus, 17$5> its Atlantic analogue. In contrast to divergence, there are cases of convergent evolution; Species with little or no evidence of anatomical relationship, with quite different ancestry, possibly living in the same habitat, have for reasons of survival developed some very similar characteristics, among molluscs this may take the form of similar shells, as for example in Conus nux of the Family Conidae, Superfamily Conicea. Suborde Toxoglossa and Paramentaria duponti of the Family Colubellidae. ( Pyrenidae ) . Superfamily Buccinacea. Suborder Stenoglossa. At this point I wish to thank Dr. Radwin for assistance with the fore.* going and to absolve him completely from any responsibilty for my conclusion. . • Allowing Emerson to have the last word; "The individuals at the octremes of divergence in one race of men are as unlike as the wolf to the lapdog. Yet each variety shades down inperceptibly into the next, and you cannot draw the line where a race begins or ends. Hence every writer makes a different count”. IN MEMO RI AM LEO GEORGE HERTLEIN, Curator of Geology, Emeritus, died ! on January 15 after a brief illness. Born in Pratt, Kansas in 1393, graduated from the University of Oregon in 1922, and obtained his graduate degrees from Stanford University (A.M., 1923; Ph.D., 1929 )<> He was employed at the Academy from 1925 until his retirement in 1970, at which time he was the senior member of the staff. Dr. Hertlein was universally esteemed among his scientific colleagues. He was author or coauthor of more than 150 scientific papers, many of them of monographic scope. After his retirement from the Academy, he was just as diligent in pursuing his lifelong scientific interests as before. His publications will testify to his ability and devotion i as a scientist. What his friends and associates will long remember are his friendliness, his quiet kindness, his will- i ingness to take time out from his busy schedule to help a . . colleague, a student, even the veriest amateur who had a question to ask. His work will go on, and there are many | young scientists who will gratefully remember his helpfulness another half-century in the future. ! Robert C. Miller Senior Scientist ... California Academy of Sciences January 13, 1972 Page 6 "Shell Diving for Sharks off Santa Barbara" by John Phillips Island Specimens 320 West Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, Calif., 93101 After 20 years of diving for rare shells at various spots around the globe, I can safely state that there is nothing in this world that can strike the bell of fear in my heart like the simple cry of "Shark", or the actual sight of one of these sleek killers underwater. I have personally had several very close calls with Tiger Sharks in the Philippines, so I think that I can vouch for that incomparable feeling of stark terror that can grip the very soul of an individual who is threatened by one of these dreaded fish. The following experience could and probably has happened to many of you readers. I write this tale for the well-being of any individual who does not share the par- ticular degree of respect that I have for all sharks. Draw your own conclusions, but at least take the time to read my story. My tale begins in -mid-July of 1971 at Santa Barbara, California. For a week the newspapers had carried a story about a commercial Abalone diver who was viciously attacked by a 12 foot Great White Shark at Purisima Point, . near Vandenberg Air Force Base at Lompoc, California. The above mentioned diver was picking Red Abalones ( Haliotis ruf escens ) from under low ledges in approximately 20 feet of water at the Surf Beach area of Purisima Point when he was suddenly grabbed by the top of his head by the shark and violently pulled off the ocean floor. Luckily, and probably by the grace of God, the diver never lost his head (either literally or figuratively speaking), and he thought fast enough to fend off the monster with his right hand. This man lived to tell his tale, and today he is once again diving for Abalone. His only reminders of this grim event are the scars that remain on his body and the haunting memory of that fateful day underwater. The above "front-page news" tended to set a somewhat gloomy mood.. in and around Santa Barbara, at least where divers were concerned. It was a slightly overcast day with light breeze from the northwest as my partner and myself headed out of Santa Barbara Harbor on a southerly course towards Carpinteria Reef, which is located between Santa Barbara and Ventura. I had a slight feeling of apprehension regarding diving at that spot because recently some halibut fishermen had netted a giant, 14 foot White Shark here. There were also two specimens of White Sharks netted in shallow water off Port Hueneme and Oxnard; these were over IB feet in length and weighed about 3000 pounds apiece. At any rate, we did not let the above thoughts plague our "burning desire" to search for shells, and we had high hopes of finding certain species of local shells in abundance at "Carp" Reef. My partner made a few /pot jumps at various positions on the' reef itself ,. inside the reef, and outside in deeper water. All jumps proved futile due to lack of visibility as a result of an over abundance of "red fide" or "salmon tide" in the area. These conditions are especially bad when the thought of sharks is in one 5 3 mind, especially white sharks; therefore, vre decided to move up the line towards Santa Barbara. I made a jump M 45 feet of water at Padaro Cliffs, between Summerland and Carpin- teria, and the visibility vias at least "workable" (6 feet or so). We Page 7 stayed there awhile and collected some lovely Pteropupura trialatus. Maxwellia gemma. Maxwellia santarosana. and Ocenebra fove Plata. After what we considered an ample dive in that particular area we pulled the anchor and headed back once again towards Santa Barbara. For some reason or another we decided to make an experimental dive at Ortega Hill, off. Summerland (about three miles south of Santa Barbara), as we had positive feelings about finding the "mother-led e" of some rare shell at this spot. We stopped the boat at the outside edge of the kelp in approximately 60 feet of water, and I donned' my diving gear, it being my turn to "explore”. I can well remember that I had a slight feeling of apprenhension as I headed down tovards. the bottom and into the pea-soup gloom of an excess amount of- Red- Tide. When I finally reached the bottom I had about 1 l/2 to 2 feet of visibility, and I thought to myself "What am I doing here??” C well. I was there, so I decided to poke around and sebk cut some hapless mollusks as they foraged about the bottom for food. When I dive for shells I take' with me one shell bag and one commercial Abalone prying bar (this latter implement I use for dislodging certain soaci.es of shells from rock reefs and also as a sort of ”.cane” for pulling myself along the bottom). When I work directly on the bottom I generally hook the measuring tyne of the Abalone bar on kelp hold- fasts or into the bottom itself and pull myself along, much in the fashion of a giant, lumbering St r embus shell. On this particular dive I was nonchalantly "hooking” myself along the bottom with my nose to the ground., and. I managed to grope out a few Pteropurpura macropterus and Fteropurpura vokesae. ' I glanced upward and saw a reef looming up out of the haze, and I prepared to hook my bar over the top and pull myself over it. Suddenly the ”reef” began to move slowly backwards and forward, and I came to a grinding halt. My first thought was that I had happened upon a lounging harbor seal, so I moved forward for a closer look. My heart literally stopped as I actually nudged my face mask against a few square feet of light-grey colored ”sand-paper” that swayed with the current. I back-pedaled with my swim fins and gave everything in front of me the old familiar "double-take", and it was at that particular point that I recognized the crescent-shaped tail of a huge shark within arms reach. With my very limited visibility I could not even begin to estimate the whole length of this fish, but judging by the girth of what I could see, I could definitely tell that it was a very large shark. I suppose that he saw me or at least sensed mv presence, because he suddenly whisked off into the gloom, leaving me alone in a state of semi-shock. Man, I was scared plenty, and I imagine that the loud, booming noise I heard was my feeble heart pound- ing. What to do? Well, there was no place to hide down there, so I turned around and began following my air hose back to the boat, which /ras approximately 300 feet away. Three times I saw the giant shark cruise past me in the haze just outside my range of vision. It was no more than a giant shadow, so I still cannot estimate his length. Needless to say, I would net be able to write this article if that fellow had captured me, so I will be completely content to end my tale by saying that I safely made the swim back to the boat, a trifle older .nu alot wiser. The moral to my story is a simple warning to the eheller not to dive in dirty water, especially if he or she has a weak heart!!.9 MINUTES - JANUARY 20 Page 8 Vice-president John Michel introduced David Mulliner, our speaker for the evening. Dave showed slides of all the members who were present at the annual Christmas party. He also showed many slides of nudi- branchs and opisthobranchs. Dave passed out papers to all present showing the Classification of Recent Molluscs of the sub-class Opisthobranchiata. He also explained the method he uses to photograph nudibranchs and algo where to look for them. Some are found in inter- tidal tide pools but many are found only in deep water. Some of the opisthobranchs have shells. Among those with shells are Acteon. Acteocina. Umbraculum. Aplysia. Tylodina and many others. Many of the nudibranchs shown are new to science and have not yet been named. uave displayed the latest publications on the nudibranchs along with several live specimens for the members to see. He also brought a microscope for viewing the smaller specimens and had a set-up of his photographic equipment to demonstrate how it is used. A note from the Western Society of Malacologists president, Beatrice Burch, was read requesting the active participation of our Club in the. annual meeting of the W.S.M. which will be held at Redlands University in June. Anthony D’Attilio brought two trays of shells from the Canal Zone which were donated to the Club. They were distributed by drawing numbers after the regular shell drawing was held. The membership voted to donate the sum of $50.00 to the Veliger this year to help defray the rising cost of publication. Emma West and Jeanne Pisor volunteered to bring cookies to our February meeting. Clifford A. Martin Recording secretary. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Don & Jeanne Pisor 10373 El Honcho PI. San Diego, Calif. 9212 A 279-9342 THE Property of- NEWJ&RtrmTi :lub inc. SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Natural History - Third Thursday - 7 '30 P.M. President* Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES: Single membership, $3.00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding membership, $2*50 - Overseas mailing, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Calif. 92109. Vol . Ill March 1972 No. 3 * ## # ❖ * sjf #>!<#* # * %% # * # # * 5,'« s’; # * # * :|c % # * * # * i|c ^ * # # sjs % ijc # ^ # =|c * PROGRAM: March 16 * * TINY TREASURES FROM SPONDYLUS WASHINGS - Bert Draper * i\n\i s*e s>« >|c sjs # sjs # * * i\< ;Jc i\< >\a\i * ;J; >;= # * * s*c * ;;<* * # ;|c ### sjs # >!< sjs sjcs{«Jc * >\t * * sjc ;|c ;J: * j[: ;|c ;|c * MINUTES, February 17 Vice-president John Michel presented the program for the evening - two films produced by the United States Navy, both of particular interest to shell collectors. The first film, ’’Decade of Discovery”, showed the deep sea submergence vessels presently used by the Navy. Their scientific usefulness was demonstrated as was their use in deep water recovery and exploration operations. Some of these vessels are capable of diving to extreme depths. The second film was about poisonous and venomous sea animals, many of which could be of great danger to the unwary shell collector. Of particular interest was a scene of a cone shell injecting it?s poison dart into a small fish and then eating the fish. The president announced that since our annual Club auction is tradition- ally held in May the members should start bringing in good specimen shells with accurate data at our regular meeting in March. Any member of the Board is authorized to accept these shell donations. Waneta Ames made the motion for the Club to purchase a copy of the new Australian shell book, a copy of which was shown by Art West, for our Club library. The motion was seconded and passed. Clifford A. Martin MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Attention all members. In order to receive your April issue your dues must be paid by the 20th of March. Dues rates and mailing address above.-- FRAMED BY THE PINK MUREX Page 2 Many years ago when they were dredging the Pacific outer channel to the Panama Canal, all the local shell dealers imported their pink murex from Panama.. For the 10 years after they stopped dredging, we were unable to get any quantity of the pink murex. Then a little old dried up Mexican appeared on the scene and offered to supply us with pink murex from Lower California at a reasonable figure. All of us gave him substantial orders, and he produced very good pink murex for about two years. They were shipped to us at Los Angeles Harbor,- and we were all very well satisfied. The3r came up on a Mexican steamer and were carried on deck because of the odor. One day, when the steamer was coming up the coast, the sailors on board were celebrating the fiesta of the Cinco de Mayo. They all be- came gloriously drunk. During the hilarity, they tore off all of the tags from the bags so that the skipper did not know which bags went to whom. He had a list stating that each customer was to receive a certain number of ba>?s. So, indiscriminately, he sent the right num- ber of bags to each customer. My allotment was 20 bags, which I re- ceived. I did not have time to clean them so I covered them with canvas and let them sit until I had time to prepare the five bathtubs of purex to clean them. Before I got around to cleaning them, customs officers appeared and made me dump each bag, and "they went over ’every shell very carefully but found nothing - fortunately. Then they wanted to know the name of the producer and the names of any other customers he supplied. They were very grateful but told me not to clean the shells until they gave me their permission, and they would give me no further information. In the meantime, the Long Beach shell dealer had put his murex into purex to clean them, and several little waxed leather pouches came out of the shells. They were filled with a brown paste. He took one to the drugstore and found it was crude opium and immediately reported it to customs. The customs officers came over to his place and in- spected the rest of the shells he had and found in the larger shells five more leather pouches tucked into the. shells with the operculum glued over the top. The old Mexican always came up in person to collect for the shells. I paid him and told him that the customs officers had been here and in- spected all the shells, and I asked him what it was all about. He said he did not know. I later found out that he went no further up the coast but went back into Mexico and disappeared. The Mexican authorities cooperated, with thetU.S. Customs, but they were never able to find the old Mexican. I was under surveillance for more than a year, and they inspected every shell I received. During this time they told me that the opium had been coming in from Mexico, but they could, not find the source until they discovered the supply inside the pink murex. For two years we were without pink murex. In the meantime I wrote many letters in Spanish to everybody I could think of in Lower Califor- nia to find out if there were any pink murex and who could produce them. There were no results. At the end of three years, I went into Lower California to find pink murex but met with a lot of opposition. All I had to do was mention pink murex and they would clam up and give me no information. I finally found some at El Cayote, and once again I got some Mexicans to produce pink murex, and they have been producing it ever since. For the first year every shell was inspected, but no- thing was ever found. And since then we have never had any difficulty. W.E. Naylor BOOK NEWS By Carole M. Hertz Page. 3 Now available for circulation in our library is Jean Andrews’ Sea Shells of the Texas Coast. University of Texas Press. This is a Club purchase and a most worthwhile one. Included in the main section of this book are over 360 beautiful black and white photographs, and many line drawings, which are excellent aids to identification. The descriptions, in outline 'form, are con- cise and include habitat, range, pertinent remarks and even (for this Non-Latin and Greek scholar) a brief explanation of the meanings be- hind the names of the shells. Besides the shell descriptions, the book has an interesting section dealing with the historical background of the Texas coast from the 1500s to the present, giving the reader a glimpse of the explorations., battles and tribal life of the past. This is followed by a chapter giving information on the physical aspects of the area-descriptions of the coastal waters, the flora and fauna and Indian artifacts found there. In part II of the book, in addition, to maps Of the areas discussed, there are short sections on beachcombing, with illustrations and ex- planations of items likely to be found by the inveterate !,picker-upper of treasures” both animate and inanimate from Renillas to Naval flares. Also to be found are recipes using local mollusks and fish and aquar- . ium and photographic pointers. Besides being a valuable book for those who collect in the Texas area, it is a book to be enjoyed "just for the reading. "* If you hadn’t planned on visiting the Texas coast, you might decide to change your plans.’ ..... Our library has also added several other publications in the last month which will be available for circulation at our March meeting. They are as follows" New York Shell Motes. Vol. V, Jan. 1970 - Dec. 1971 - as yet unbound. Of Sea Shore. Vol II, no. 4 - Winter 1971 An Upper Pleistocene Ma rine Fauna From Mission Bay. San Diego. Calif. by J. Philip Kern, Tom E. Stump and Robert J. Dowlen, Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History, Vol 16, no 15 . 29 Dec. 1971. The Systematic Position of Urosaloinx carolinensis Verrill. 1SS4 With Comments on the Genus Mohnia Friele, 1878 by George E. Radwin, Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History, Vol. 16, 12 Jan. 1972. Muricacean Supraspecif ic Taxonomy Based on the Shell and the Radula. by George E. Radwin and Anthony D’Attilio, reprinted from THE ECHO No. 4 1971. Donated to the library courtesy of the authors. American Malacological Union Newsletter. Winter 1972 Page 4 A reminder to our members. Enjoy and use the Club library. That is its reason for being. But remember that books are due the month following checkout. Please bring your books back promptly. Others may be waiting to read them! N APOLOGY Corrections to the January 1972 issue of the Festivus The article, "Distinguishing Between Colisella scabra and Colisella conus", lacked the names of the authors, Susan and Martin Bishop. Our apologies! "Mari culture of Abalone" was not written by the speaker. Dr. David Leighton, but was taken from the minutes of Clifford A. Martin. If you have not yet purchased your 1972 fishing license, remember that a valid license is required for any marine collecting. Cost is $4*00 this year. It may be purchased at any sporting goods or diving shop. A REMINDER TO CALIFORNIA COLLECTORS NEW MEMBERS Mr. & Mrs, Harold Bellmer 4630 W. Talmadge Dr. San Diego, Calif. 92116 234-5369 Mr. John E. Smith 10779-C Via Alberto V Id nlUcl U vj San Diego, Calif. 92120 Mr. & Mrs. Richard Schwarz 7623 Blue Lake Dr. San Diego, Calif. 92119 PHYLUM MOLLUSC A Page 5 SUBCLASS OPISTHOBRANCHIA In this group detorsion has occurred, bringing the anus and the ctenidium (if present) back to the right side or to the rear of the body, and ”untwi sting” the nervous system to the euthyneurous condi- tion. Opisthobranchs are hermaphroditic, exclusively marine, and show a marked tendency to reduce the shell, which is often completely buried in the mantle in the order Tectibranchia and absent in the order Nudibranchia, except in larval stages. The opisthobranchs are char- acterized by a striking variety of form, color, and habits, but are difficult to preserve satisfactorily. Positive identification is often a matter of some difficulty, and only the more common forms are in- cluded in the following key. Key to the More Common Opisthobranchia by Joan E. Steinberg University of California, Berkeley 1. Shell present or absent* a series of gills (representing a true ctenidium) present within a mantle cavity on right side or dor- sally^ a pair of enrolled or tubular rhinophores usually present anteriorly . .Order Tectibranchia 2 1. Shell absent; true ctenidium absent but body usually provided with dorsal processes and/or secondary gills (branchiae); anterior part of dorsum usually bears a pair of rhinophores; exceedingly diverse in color, form, and size Order Nudibranchia 5 1. Small, flattened, lacking shell; resembling a shell-less limpet; color dark brown with pattern of alternating dark and light patches on margin; sometimes considered a pulmonate, but more likely an offshoot of the Opisthobranchia . . .Oncidiella ( =Arctonchis ) sp. 2. Shell present and more or less exposed .3 2. Shell either absent or completely buried in mantle 4 3. Shell oblong with conical spire; spirally grooved; color white with revolving black lines Acteon punctocoelata 3. Shell thin, spire sunken, rather transparent, partly hidden by mantle Haminoea spp. 4. Small, bluish black; no conspicuous external flaps or tentacles; found burrowing in surface of sand flats Aglaja diomedea 4. Medium sized (2 in.); green with'black longitudinal striping; pointed posteriorly* tentacles and parapodial flaps not pronounced; characteristically found on broad-leaved eelgrass (Aostera) . . . ....... , Phyllaplysia taxlori 4. Large, sometimes reaching 15 in..; brownish to greenish; 2 large parapodial Xlaps more or less covering back; 2 cephalic tentacles, 2 rhinophores that stand up like ears (sea hare). . * Tethys californica 5. With a circlet of gill-like branchial plumes about anus on poster- ior dorsal surface; rhinophores present (fig. 120, a); other dorsal processes may be present or absent 6 5. Without a circlet of branchial plumes on posterior dorsal surface; anus often on right side of body; rhinophores usually present (fig. 120, b); other dorsal processes may be present or absent. ... 19 Page 6 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. 9. 9. 10. la. 11. 11. 12, 12, 13. Fig. 120, a, a typical dorid nudibranch; b, Hermissenda c-rassicornis. Branchial plumes fully retractile beneath the body surface; lack- ing elongate processes on dorsum: body ova], and somewhat flattened. Branchial plumes contractile but not retractile beneath the body surface;: usually with dorsal processes on body. ....... .14 Mouth opening porelike; body yellow with small contrasting white 'spots . , o o ............... . . Dendrodoris fulva Mouth 'opening a vertical slit or inverted T in shape; body yellow or not yellow, but without contrasting, white spots, .8 Color red; mature specimens typically less than 2 cm, in length 9 Color not red: mature specimens more than 2 .cm. in length , . .10 Two black spots on back, 1 in front of branchiae and 1 behind * rhinopbores ....... .Aldisa sanguinea No conspicuous black spots* often found on red sponges, which it matches closely in color .Rostanga puichra Dorsal surface velvety in appearance, without obvious tubercles Dorsal surface set with distinct tubercles. ..... 12 Dark brown or black rings on dorsum; ground color whitish to dark tan , Diaulula sandiegensis Seven to 10 lemon-yellow spots on each side of dorsum; ground color whitish* rhinophores dark ...... Cadlina f iavomaculata Color whitish; dorsum with low tubercles, each tippe^mth lemon- yellow; margin and foot edged with yellow . . . Cadlina marginata Color yellow to orange, with darkly pigmented areas ..... .13 Darkprgment both on dorsum and on tubercles; oral tentacles ear- shaped and grooved externally; branchial plumes dingy yellow. . . 1 ^ » .Archidoris montereyensis 13. 14. 14. 15. 15. 16. 16. 17. 17. 18. 18. 19. 19. 20. 20. 21. 21. 22. 22. 22. 23. 23. 24. _ Page 7 Dark pigment only on dorsum, not on the tubercles; oral tentacles fingerlike; . branchial plumes whitish .^nisodoris nobilis Body elliptical and flattened; numerous tapering dorsal processes in addition to branchiae; color vivid rose*pink. Hopkinsia rosacea Body elongate and sluglike, sometimes humped; usually with a frontal veil bearing short processes ............. .15 Body humped; striped longitudinally in black and gray, with yellow- ish spots; 4 pointed anterior processes. ...... Polycera atra Body not striped; usually with numerous dorsal processes ... .16 Body white; markings dark brown or orange. . 17 Body orange to brownish, with or without bluish spots. .... .18 Dorsal surface thickly set with short, blunt, white tubercles; usually with dark brown spots on body between tubercles. ..... ............ .... .Aegires albopunctatus 17. Middorsal region set with low white tubercles; dorsolateral margin set with club-shaped white processes tipped with orange, .... ......... ....... Laila cockerelli Dorsum and sides set with low orange tubercles; dorsolateral margins set with longer orange processes. . . . Triopha carpenteri Body orange to dark brown with bluish spots that may be inconspic- uous in young, making them appear uniformly orange; branchial plumes orange-red* dorsolateral processes entirely orange-red; usually found in tide pools ..... Triopha maculata Body yellowish-brown with or without bluish spots; branchial plumes whitish; dorsolateral processes tipped with orange-red; usually found in beds of floating kelp .Triopha grandis Dorsal processes absent 20 Dorsal processes present 21 Body oval, elongate, pointed behind; moderately large; mantle dark red or brown with fine longitudinal white lines; branchiae situated ventrally ........ . Armina ( = Pleurophyllidia) calif ornica Body elliptical, very flat, notched behind; usually about 1 cm. in length; branchiae located posteroventrally on either side of anus; occurs on and closely matches the bryozoan Membranipora on float- ing kelp. . . Corambe pacifica Dorsal processes' branched 22 Dorsal processes not branched 23 Dorsal processes consist of a number of separate. plumes set pattern of on 2 longitudinal dorsolateral small branchial a delicate cha 1 \y ridges , Ky white lines upon the more transparent dorsum. . ..... . . Duvaucelia (=Tritonia) festiva Dorsal processes large, stout, extensively branched; animals of large or moderate size and extremely soft; oral veil bears branch- ed processes; rhinophores retractile into sheaths which are branched at apex . .Dendronotus spp. Dorsal processes palmately branched; head bears 2 palmately branched frontal lobes; animal reddish to greenish-brown with irregular white spots* coloration closely resembles brown algae such as Laminaria on which it is frequently found ; average length about 2 cm. . ...... Hancockia californica Dorsal processes numerous, tapering and pointed Dorsal processes constricted at base (cluq-shaped or leaflike), sometimes easily detached 24 Dorsal processes few, expanded and leaflike; rhinophores absent; animal possesses curious extensible oral hood used in catching food; typically found in kelp beds. ....... .Melibe leonina 25 Page 8 24. Dorsal processes more numerous (but readily detached), inflated, tuberculate on inner surface, largest ones closest to median line; body translucent reddish-brown with white spots; head expanded into conspicuous undulating anterior 'veil. . . ; . . .Dirona picta 24. Dorsal processes club-shaped, not tuberculate, tipped with' white; dorsal surface of body greenish, flecked with brown and white; very small (less than 1 cm.), on Obelia and other hydroids . . . . . . . ...... 4* ; . .Eubranchus (= Galvina) olivacea 25. Body purple with rusty-red dorsal processes and rhinophores. . . . , Plabellina iodinea 25. Body whitish; dorsal processes in 4-5 distinct clusters, translu*- . cent gray with brown cores and suberminal orange rings; opalescent blue line runs down median line from oral tentacles, bifurcating 2-3 times to enclose orange areas (fig. 120, b). . . Hermi ssenda crassicomis 25- Body brownish to pinkish* dorsal processes slightly flattened, . grayish brown, tippec with white; not in distinct clusters but cover dorsolateral surfaces like a shaggy coat. Aeolidia papillosa List of Opisthobranchia (Classification of nudibranchs follows O’Donoghue, 1926) Order Tectibranchia Acteon punctocoelata (Carpenter, 1964) Aglaja diomedea (Bergh, 1894) *Llaminoea vesicula (Gould, > 1855 ) ' . Haminoea sp. . ’ *Navanax inermis (Cooper, 1862) Phyliaplysia taylori Dali, 1900 ♦Pleurobranchus californicus Dali, 1900 * • Tethys californica (Cooper, 1863) Order ' Nudibranchia ■ ■ • Section Sacoglossa : Tribe Holohepatica ( = . Doridacea ) (Liver in a single mass) . . Superfamily Z0N0BRANCHIATAE . . . *Duvaucelia exsulans (Bergh, 1894)- - Duvaucelia (= Tritonia) f estiva '(Steams, 18?3 ) • • *Duvaucelia tetraquetra (Pallas, 1788) Superfamily GRYPTOBRANCHIATAS (Branchiae retractile into :*•••■ . permanent pockets) Aldisa sanguinea (Cooper, 1862) . Anisodoris nobilis (Ma.cFarland, 1905) Archidoris mohtereyensis (Cooper, 1862) (One of the com- monest nudibranchs on this coast; often associated with the sponge Halichondria ) .. ' Cadlina f lavomaculata M.acFarland, 1905 Cadlina marginata MacFarland, 1905 Dendrodoris (= Doriopsis) fulva (MacFarland, 1905) Diaulula sandiegensis (Cooper, ,1862) ;:{Discodoris heathi MacFarland, 1905 ' •' ^Glossodoris (- Chromodoris) calif orniensis (Bergh, 1879) *G1 os sod oris (= Chromodoris) porterae (Cockerell, 1902) Rostanga pulchra MacFarland, 1905 ‘ ; Page 9 Superfamily PHANEROBRANCHIATAE (Branchiae not retractile into permanent pockets) *Acanthodoris brunnea MacFarland, 1905 *Acanthodoris columbina MacFarland, 1926 *Acanthodoris hudsoni MacFarland, 1905 *Acanthodoris lutea MacFarland, 1926 Aegires albopunctatus MacFarland, 1905 *Ancula pacifica MacFarland, 1905 Corambe pacifica MacFarland and O’Donoghue, 1929 Hopkinsia rosacea MacFarland, 1905 Laila cockerelli MacFarland, 1905 Polycera atra MacFarland, 1905 Triopha carpenteri (Stearns, 1873) *Triaphe catalinae (Cooper, 1863) Triopha grandis MacFarland, 1905 Triopha maculata MacFarland, 1905 Tribe Cladohepatica (= Aeolidiacea) (Liver divided and in : most families ramified) Aeolidia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1761) Armina (= Pleurophyllidia ) calif ornica (Bergh, 1862) (Modified for a burrowing life in sand; often obtain ed by dredging) *Dendronotus giganteus O’Donoghue, 1921 (One of the largest nudibranchs on this coast. Like others of this genus it is capable of swimming short distances by an undulating motion of the body. ) Dendronotus spp. ♦Dirona albolineata MacFarland, 1912 Dirona picta MacFarland in Cockerell and Eliot 1905 Eubranchus (= Galvina) olivacea (0?Donoghue, 1922) *Fiona pinnata (Eschscholtz, 1831) (On driftwood beard- ing gooseneck barnacle colonies; cerata bear branchial membranes) Flabellin a iodinea (Cooper, 1862) Hancockia californica MacFarland, 1923 Hermissenda crassicornis (Eschscholtz, 1831) (One of the commonest nudibranchs on this coast; occupies widely varying habitats, e.g., rocks, mud, wharf pilings ) *Janolus fuscus 0TDonoghue, 1924 (Resembles Hermissenda crassicornis but cerata extend in front of the rhinophores ) Melibe leonina (Gould, 1853) coglossa *Phyllobranchopsis enteromorphae Cockerell and Eliot, 1905. (Mouth parts modified for feeding on fluids of algae such as Enteromorpha, on which it is found ) Of questionable positions Oncidiella (= Arctonchis) sp. (Fairly common on stipes of laminarians, but inconspicuous. For other near- opisthobranchs see p. 263) Originally published by the University of California Press: reprinted by permission of The Regents of the University of California. Permission granted for a onetime use only in the San Diego Shell Club monthly, the Festivus, through David K. Mulliner. NEW YORK SHELL NBWES c/o MR. MORRIS K. JACOBSON 455 BEACH - 139 th ST. ROCKAWAY BEACH, N.Y. 11694 THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7 '30 P.M. President : Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pisor Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES: Single membership, $3*00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding membership, $2.50 - Overseas mailing, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Calif. 92109. Vol. Ill April 1972 No. 4 O# O. 'C o. O. \l. V1/ O. vU nC ^ Jy »•/ vO \l/ O/ xl/- sU 'C \C si/ s*/ v*/ »•/ s*/ s*/ sl/S*/ \l/ \l/ si/ \l/ si/ si/ s*/ si/ \*/ \l/ \l/ \l/ x|x '’i^ '1' »|' /^ ^|% /|S /|N /|S /|\ ^ .(* /’i** /|S /|S /|\ /(S /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S /,s /|S /(S -'j-S /,% /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S ^|X /|\ /|S /p* /(S /|S /|S /,s »-|% /|S /|S /pS /|» /■(>. /|S /|S /|S /|S /|\ ^|X /|S /,S «|S /,s * PROGRAM : April 20 * * Dr. George Radwin : The Anatomy of a Book * * (in which everything that could go wrong does). This will include * * a preview of the color plates from the new book * * NOTICE: UPCOMING SHELL AUCTION * * * * Most of you know the auction will be Friday May 19. home of Cliff * * and Waneta Ames. Problem: We have not received enough shells to * * support an auction. PLEASE, GET YOUR SHELL DONATIONS TO NEXT * * MEETING OR TO A MEMBER OF THE BOARD. Shells should be of good * * quality, with data. * TINY TREASURES FROM SP0NDYLUS Our March program, a ’SHELLECTURE ® titled. Tiny Treasures from Spon- dylus, was authored and presented by Mr. Bertram C. Draper of Los Angeles. (The lecture was taped and Mr. Draper operated the slide projector making added comments as the program progressed. ) For the past fifteen years Mr. Draper’s hobby has been the collecting of marine shells of the California West Coast and during most of that time he specialized in the collection of minute shells, shells ten millimeters or less in length. He also combined another hobby, photo- graphy, with his shell collecting, specializing in micro photographs, color, of small and minute shells. Page 2 Since 1970 he has extended the range of his study and collecting to include shells from the Gulf of California and the Panamic Province. Spondylus, of course, are Gulf and Panamic shells. As a background Mr. Draper told how he happened to have the opportunity to examine the scrapings from the Spondylus. In 1969 Mr. Ralph Ferguson, a wholesale dealer in shells, learned of an extensive bed of Spondylus princeps about half-way down the Gulf of California on the west side. Desiring to obtain a supply of these exotic shells Mr. Ferguson went to Santa Rosalia in Baja California, the nearest town to the location of the Spondylus beds. They are a short distance southeast of Santa Rosalia in a sheltered area between the Isla San Marcos and the shoreline in about forty feet of water. Mr. Ferguson arranged with commercial divers to gather 2000. They felt this would not thin the beds excessively as they were gathered as food by local divers who consider only the bodies disregarding the shells. Those gathered for Mr. Ferguson were brought to shore where the bodies were carefully removed, each complete shell tied together with strings, then individually wrapped in newspaper. They were then placed in storage to await Mr. Ferguson’s orders for shipment to Wilmington *..* where his business is located. Early in 1971 one of Mr. Draper’s fellow club members, (of the Concho- logical Club of Southern California) Miss Winifred Wagg, cleaned quite a few of the Spondylus for Mr. Ferguson. She gave some of the scrap- ings to Mr. Draper to examine and he was "amazed and delighted" with what he found. Mr. Draper then arranged to clean several hundred of the Spondylus himself and thus obtained several quarts of scrapings. From these scrapings, with subsequent siftings, Mr. Draper collected 175 species of small mollusks, many of which were represented in the beautiful slides. Mr. Draper also set up a display of color photographs, greatly enlarg- ’ ed, of the tiny treasures. Each specimen pictured was exhibited in a plastic box just below the color print so comparisons could be made. Mrs. Draper and Mrs. John Q. Burch accompanied Mr. Draper. - Ed. A CONVERSATION WITH CHARLENE NEEB by Carole M. Hertz Charlene Neeb was involved in ecology and enjoying the marine life in the San Diego area when many of us were still living elsewhere. Mission Bay was undeveloped, Del Mar had a pier (at about Sth St.) and you could walk along the beach from Torrey Pines to Del Mar. Charlene and her good friend Mrs. Florence Hobbs joined the San Diego Shell Club when it first started. They weren’t as interested in collecting then as they were in observing and they went on many outings together. At that time they believed that, "Anything alive had to be put back." Charlene has collected live shells and has a fine collec- tion but she’s collected conservatively. Page 3 Charlene told me that one of their most exciting times occured in 1959- Theyfd taken that walk to Del Mar and were on the beach near the pier. "The (Cypraea ) spadi cea were so thick we were picking them up and putt- ing them in our skirts - we wore dresses then - to put them back so the kids couldn’t get them. The kids were throwing them around." She added that the baby octopus were also "thick" that day and they were busily trying to save them too. On other occasions they found Bursa calif ornica and Kelletia in abundance in this area. Charlene found her first Pteropurpura trialata there -- at 5 A.M. after being out tidepooling since 2 A.M. It was the only one she ever found at that location. Mission Bay was quite different in 1959. Vacation Village wasn’t eve: an idea and that area was then called Tierra del Fuego. The Aequipjere en aequisulcatus were abundant then, darting around in the water. "They’d pop out and we’d put them back*" The Calliost oma tr^i_cpl_o_r were plentiful on the eel grass. One day Charlene collected five— her sum total — and two days later the dredging began. Charlene to] d me that after the dredging she collected some Aequipecten aequisulca- tus from Shelter Island and she planted them in the bay across from Tierra del Fuego - where Shamu’s house now sitsH Quivira Basin was also a great intertidal shell collecting spot then. In the early 1960's you could find, among other species, Calliostoma annul a turn, gloriosum and canali culatum and specimens of Pteropurpura t_ria_lat_a "that were exceptionally beautiful." I also heard about the time in 1962 that Charlene found a single specimen of Cerato stoma f oliata off Shelter Island. Would you believe Ccenebra interfossa in the washed in holdfasts in Pacific Beach at the foot of Loring~St . --or how about Maxwellia santarosana in waist deep water off Coast Blvd. in La Jolla? Then there is the fossil Epitonium chacei collected by Charlene before Harbor Island was dredged. But that’s another story. SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS by Jules Hertz Located close to the Pacific, it is quite understandable why many of the student projects in the San Diego Science Fairs are ocean related. Whenever possible, the Festivus will report on such projects dealing with molluscan life. In a recent school science fair, Carol Joyce Frankowski, an eighth grader reported on her experiment using paper chromatography to determine whether or not the dye of the local sea hare, Aplysia calif- ornica was composed of a single non-primary color. Her experiment consisted of manipulating the sea hare until the animal inked and collecting the purple dye in a clean test tube. The dye was left over-night and she reported the following results l "In this test the chromatography worked perfectly and I got the results; red, yellow, orange, and brown colors. I decided to leave Page 4 the filter paper in the dye and see if there would be any changes. I left it there for three more days. The red faded to rose and some salt from the salt water had caked on the filter paper at the top.” Although aware of the accepted statement that all colors are made up- of the primary colors, Carol was hoping to prove otherwise. AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS BY Barbara Good Generally speaking mollusks in the genus Cypraea are believed to be hervibQrous and to feed on algae. However, from my own observations I have learned that Cypraea spadicea can be a definite predator and also a scavenger. Early in 1971 I placed two Cypraea spadicea in my aquarium. At first they appeared to feed on the algae on the sides of the tank. However, one of them soon apparently became bored with this bland diet and went in search of more delectable fare. Norrisia norrisi was his first victim. (As observed in the aquarium, this poor snail seems to be preferred by many predators. ) After satisfying his hunger on the Norrisia, the Cypraea became inactive for a while. In the meantime the other Cypraea was not observed to be eating anything. In fact, he was inactive and apparently not in the best of health. One day at Mission Bay during a very low tide I found a good number of Leptopecten monotimeris washed ashore alive in seaweed. I took several of this attractive species home and placed them in the aquar- ium, where they soon attached themselves to the sides of the tank. The sight of these little Pectens awoke Cypraea number one from his lethargy (caused by a full stomach no doubt), and he immediately attacked the defenseless Pectens. In no time at all he had eaten almost every one - fortunately, not damaging the shells, so I was able to save them for my collection. Shortly after this the second Cypraea died one night (or possibly was merely near death). In the morning I found the other one feasting on him I After this I was very careful not to put anything in the aquar- ium that I was not willing to have serve as Cypraea food. I may be of interest to note, that when collected this Cypraea had the normal glossy shell of his species. However, when he died, almost a year later, the shell was dull and lusterless. This may have been caused by the fact that his mantle was retracted almost all of the time. Or possibly it was due to the water in the aquarium. Does anyone have any ideas on this question? CHECK LIST OF SHELLS FOUND IN SCRAPINGS FROM SPONDYLUS PRINCEPS TAKEN AT A DEPTH OF 40 FEET, SOUTHEAST OF SANTA ROSALIA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, 19^9- Prepared by B.C. Draper GASTROPODA 1. Agathotoma (Agathotoma) alcippe (Dali, 29- 1918)” 1 juv. - 4mm. K-lol6 2. Alaba interruptelineata Pilsbry 8c Lowe, 30* 1932 2 juv. - 1.5 8c 2.5 mm. K-56O 3« monseratensis Baker, Hertlein, 31* & Strong i 1930 1 adult - 1.8 mm. K-207 4. Alvinia tnmida (Carpenter, 1857) 32. 2 adult - 1.4 mm. k-211 5. Anticlimax (Subclimax) willetti Hert- lein 8c Strong, 1951 1-1.8 mm.K-419 33- 6. Attillosa carmen (Lowe, 1935) 7 Juv-. - 1.5 to 7 mm. K-1020 34. 7. Bale is gibba Defolin, 1867 K-721 6 - i.l to 1.9 mm. Probably adult. 35. 80 Bale is bastata (Sowerby, 1834) 1 very juv. - 0.7 ram. K-723 36. 9. Balcis recta (C.B. Adams, 1852) 6 juv. - 3*7 to 9.0 mm. K-735 10. Barleeia zeteki Strong 8c Hertlein, 37. 1939 adult - 2.6 mm. K-226 11. Calliostoma iridium Dali, 1896 38. 1 - juv. 5.8ramo™"?v^8l 12. Calliostoma mcleani Shasky & Campbell, 39 « 19^4 T juv. 4 1 to 2.8 mm. K-86 13. Calyptraea conica Broderip, 1834 40. 2 juv. - 3.5 mm. K-799 14. Calyptreaea mamillarj.s Broderip, 1834 4l. 1 juv. - 35 5 mrrf. K~8C'l 15. Calytraea subreflexa (Carpenter, 1856) 7 juv. - 2.5 to" 4. 6 mm. K-802 42. loides Carpenter, 1857 About 200 shells 43. - 1.5 to 6.5 mm. K-543 17. Cheilea cepacea (Broderip, 1834) 44. 1 juv. - 3) "inn iT K-8C6 18. Clathurella maryae McLean 8c Poorman, 45. 1971 Trr'5.'5~Zo~6o5 mm. K-1774 19. Crassispira (Crassispira) rustics (Sow- 46. erby , "iSjj^T 2 juv,) ~7° 5~mm7~R-l638 20. Crepidula aculeata (Gmelin, 1791) 47. 2 juv. - 3-0 to 4.5 mm. K-808 21. Crepidula striolata Menke, 1851 48. 1 juv. - 5*5 mm. K-820 22. Crepidula lingulata Gould, 1848 49. 10 juv. - 2 to 4 nim. K-817 23. Crucibulum spinosum (Sowerby, 1824) 50. 3 juv. 4 to 7 mm. K-826 24. Crucibulum (Dispotaea) subaetum (Berry, 51 „ 1955T 1 juvT - 4.3 'mm. Kl83l 25° Cymatium gibbosum (Broderip, 1833) 6 very juv. - 2.$ to 7.0 mm. K-96I 52. 26. Cypraea (Zonaria) annettae Dali, 1909 I juv. - 14“ mmT K-933 27. Daphne 11a bartschi Dali, 1919 53. II juv. - 2.2 to" 6.6 mm. K-1837 28. Daphnella retusa McLean & Poorman, 1971 54. 1 juv. - 9*2 mm. K-1840 Diodora inaequalis (Sowerby, 1835 ) 7 juv. - 1.2 to 7.0 mm. K-l8 Dicdora saturnalis (Carpenter, 1864) About 50 - 3 to 12 mm. K-23 El a phan t an e 1 lum carpenteri Bartsch, 1920 3 sdult - 1.8 to 2.2 mm. K-471 Elaphantanellum heptagonum (Carpenter, 1857) 6 - 1.8 to 2/3 mm . Probably adult. K-472 Engina jugosa (C.B. Adams. 1852) 4 juv. 4’ to 6.5 mm. K-1125 Episcynia medialis Keen, 1971 2 juv. - U*6 tcTl'.’5 mm. K-352 Erato columbella Menke, 1847 9 juv. to adult - 21.1 to 5° 2 mm. K-91Z Euliraqstraca bartschi Strong & Hert->- lein, 1937 2 adult - 1.6 to 2.0 mm. K-742 Eumetula bimarginata (C.B. Adams, 1852) 1 adult - 6.5 ram. K-552 Fusinus fredbakeri Lowe, 1935 1 juv. - 11 ram. aper. broken. K-1348 Granulina margaritula (Carpenter, 1857) 3 - 2 . 0 to 2.3 mm) ' K-1417 Heliacus mazatlanicus Pilsbry 8c lowe, 1932 11 juv. -*0.7' to 4.1 mm. K-430 Iselica fene strata (Carpenter, 1864) K-I896 About lHcf juv. to adult - 2 to 11 mm. Kurtzia_ granulatissima (Morch, i860) 2 nearly adult - 5 to 5*5 ram. K-l8l3 Lamell_aria inflate (C.B. Adams, 1852) i juv. - 3.7 mm. K-895 Leucozonia knorrii Reeve, 1847) 1 jUV e -' 12.5”mra". K-1337 Metaxia convexa (Carpenter, 1857) 1 - 4 mm. K-555 Microdaphne trichodes (Dali, 1919) 7 adult & juv. - 2.2 to 3-5 mm. K-1843 Mitrq_ (Strigatella) crenata Broderip, 1836' 1 juv. -~ 3-5 mm." K-I423 Mitrella dorma Baker, Hanna, & Strong, 1938"~'i juv. 3-7 mm. K-1235 Mitrella lalage Pilsbry 8c Lowe, 1932 3 juv. - 2.2 to 3-5 ram. K-1241 Nannodiella nana ( Dali, 1919) 1 adult - 4*. 3 ram. K-1778 Nassarina (anassarina) anitae Campbell-, 196i 5 nearly adult - 6 to 8.8 mm. K-1253 Nassarina ( S t e iron e pi on ) melanosticta (Pilsbry 8c Lowe, 1932) About 100 - juv. to adult - 2 to 4.8 mm. K-1251 Nassarius versicolor (C.B. Adams, 1852) 5 juv. - 2.0 to 7.2 mm. K-1314 Niso interrupts (Sowerby, 1834) 1 juv. - 3*9 ram. K-750 f * f • - • . ■ - — . ■ ' ■ ■ ■■ . ■ - •tT 4 ■ ' . £m*Q) tiL * t .1 - * € ' . * ' : • ■ 55» Odostomia (Chrysaliada) clathratula tC.B. Adams, 1852) 13-1°8 to 3-5 mm. K-1903 56. Odostomia (Chrysaliada) fasciata Carpenter, IS50 37-0.6 to 3® 6 mm. K-1919 57. Odostomia (Ividella) mendozae Baker, Hanna & Strong, 1928 8 - 1 to 3mm. K-1984 58. Odostomia (Chrysalida) Paupercula (C. b. Adams, 1 8*52 4 adult - 2 to 3° 2 mm. 92. Turbonilla (Pyrgiscus) halidoma Dali & Bartsch, 1909 1 juv. 5-2 mm. K-2127 93* Vermicularia frisbeyae McLean, 1970 8 juv. - 5 to 15 mm. K-447 94. Volvulella (Volvulella) cylindrica (Carpenter, 1864 ) 1 juv. - 3*5 mm. K-2250 95- Williamia peltoides (Carpenter, 1864) 3 juv. - 3 to 4.2 mm. K-2425 96. thru 104. Turbonilla sps. unidentifi- ed 11 juv. - 1.6 to 4 mm. 59. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 3l. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. K-1933 Odostomia (Hiralda) terebellum (C.B. Adams, 1852) •: ■ . •“£ *1 ■ . ' ■ . - s ' . • • - : . < t | * • 1 ■ . •• ’ , • ■ " . . ■ * • i ■ . -■ . ; - ' . . . : . . • • . . . ■v . •- S ' • V' ; . . 126. 127- 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135- 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 1 P 151. Ctena mexicana (Dali, 1901) 152. 3 valves, juv. to 6.5 mm. K-284 Cyclopecten catalinensis (Willett, 153. 1931)7 3 pr. very juv.' 0.5 to 3mm. K-185 154. Cyclopecten pernomus (Hertlein, 1935) 2 pr., 3 valves - 3 to 3*5 min. K-190 155- Cymatioa dubia Deshayes, 1856) I valve - 3.5 mm. K-303 156. Entodesma (Entodesma) inf latum (Con- rad",- 1837 1 pr. -"12.5 mm. K-744 Felaniella ( Zemysia ) sericata (Reeve, 157* I85O) 1 valve, juv. - 9 mm. K-295 Glycymeris (Tucetona) strigilata (Sower- by, 1833) 1 valve, juv. - 3 mm. 158. K-117 Gouldia californica Dali, 1917 159* Many valves - 2 to 5 mm. K-383 Hiatella arctica (Linnaeus, 1767 ) 160. 25 pr» juv. - 2 to 14 mm. K-697 Kellia suborbicularis (Montagu, 1803 161. II valves juv. - 1.5 to 4 mm. K-312 Laevicardium elatum (Sowerby, 1833) 162. 1 valve, juv. - 3. 5 mm. K-378 Leptopecten velero (Hertlein, 1935) 163- 2 pr. juv. 3 to"T mm. K-199 Laevicardium elenense (Sowerby, l84C)l64. 2 valves, juv. - 4 to 10 mm. K-379 Lima (Limaria) hemphilli Hertlein & I65. Strong, 1946 3 valves - 3 to 11 mm. K-217 166. Lima (Limatula) similaris Dali, 1908 i valve adult - 4 mm. K-218 I67. Lima (Lima) tetrica Gould, I85I 1 pr. juv. - 10.5 mm. K-214 Lioberus salvadoricus (Hertlein & 168. Strong, 1946) 1 pr. juv. - 4 mm. K-135 Lithpjohraga (Leiosolenus) spatiosa (Carpenter, 18553 3 pr. juv. - 5 mm. 169. K-142 Lucina (Parvilucina) approxirnata 170. (Dali, 19‘OlTT valves -"2 to~5 mm. K-274 Lucina (Pleurolucina) cancel laris 171. Philippi, l846~l valve Juv. - 2mm. K-276 172. Lucina (parvilucina) mazatlanica Carpenter, 1857 2 valves - 2 mm. K-274 Macoma^ ( Ps a mm a com a ) siliqua spectri Hertlein & Strong, 19^+9 1 valve, 173* juv. - 16.5 mm. K-567 Modiolus capax (Conrad, 1837) 1 valve, juv. - 11 mm. K-149 Mysella compressa (Dali, 1913) 174. 1 valve, juv. - 2.7 mm. K-327 Mysella urrbonata (Carpenter, 1857 1 pr. 7 valves, juv. - 2 to 3 mm. 175. K-330 Nemocardium pazianum (pall, 1916) 1 valve, juv. . 6.5 mm. k-375 Nucula (Nucula) exigua Sowerby, 1833 4 "valves , juv. - 1 to 3 mm. K-5 Nuculana (Saccella) elenensis (Sower- by, 3833) 1 valve, juv. - 4 mm. K-23 Pandora (Pandorella) granulata Dali, 1915 1 pr. adult"’- 8.7 min.' K-739 Papyridea mantaensis Olsson, 1961 19 valves, juv. - 1 to 5 mm. K-368 Perij)loma (Periploma) lenticulare Sowerby, 1834 1 valve, juv. -4.4 mm. K-752 Petrie o 1 a ( Petricola ) lucasanna Hertlein & Strong, 1948 1 valve, juv. - 5 mm. K-752 Pitar (Pitar ) perfragilis Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932 1 valve, juv. - 3 mm.Kr-.4C Plicatula inezana Durham, 1950 5 valves, juv. - 5 to 16 mm. K-207 Plicatula penicillata Carpenter, 1857 4 ’ valves , juv. - 8 to 11 mm. K-208 Podomesums (Tedina) pernoides (Gray, 1853) 2 valves, juv. 3 mm. K-228 Pseudochama corrugata (Broderip, 1835) 1 valve, juv. 12 mm. K-355 Pseudochama panamensis (Reeve, 1847) 7 valves, juv. - to 23 mm. K-358 Pteria sterna (Gould, I85I) 5 pr. juv. - 7 to 35 mm. K-l6l Semejfe verrucosa Morch , i860 9 valves , juv. - 3 to 6 mm. K-652 Sjpondylus princeps unicolor Sowerby, 1W 5 pr. very juv. - 3 to 7 mm.K-21 2 Tellidorella cristulata Berry, 1963 2 valves juv. to adult - 1.4 to 4.5 mm. K-236 Tellina (Angulus) amianta Dali, 1900 2 pr, 10 valves, juv. - 3 to 6 mm. K-508 Tellina (Angulus) recurvata Hertlein & Strong, 1949 1 pr. juv. - 4 mm. K-518 Trachycardium ( Phlogocardia ) belcheri (Broderip 8c Spwerby, TPj29) 1 valve, juv. - 4.8 mm. K-365 Transennella modesta (Sowerby, 1835) 1 valve, juv. - 4 mm. K-394 Trigonocardia (Americardia ) biangulata (Broderip 8c Sowerby, 1829) 2 valves, juv. - 3*7 mm. K-370 P0YPLAC0PH0RA Lepidozona elenensis (Sowerby, 1832) 13 juv. to adult - 2.5 to 7°5 mm.K-33 SCAPH0P0DA Siphonodentalium quadrif fissatum (Pil- sbry 8c Sharp, 1898 1 shell, apical portion only, - 2.5 mm. K-17 Cadulus sp. Broken off above aperture, appears to have two apical notches. 4 mm. Summary : Genera - 111 species - 175 ■ ■ - ' 1 " ■ * ' - '• ■ ■ • . . ; ■ ■ - • , • i ; . , '• ’ — * ' - - '• * ’ ■ ' ' ■ ; ‘ [ $ . ■ v. : : r ji .*? ? . - it?* i - ' '' ’• ' ■ ■ - -;n . ,i:: ri.-'.: - - ... • . . . . . *v . ■ . 1 . t i if n . - . ■ - • • . ' t SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB, INC. MEMBERSHIP LIST 1972 AMES, Clifford Sc Waneta 6447 Celia Vista Drive San Diego, Calif. 92115 533-2930 BAILY, Dr. Joshua (H) P.0 . Box 1391 La Jolla, Calif. 92037 BAKER, Elizabeth (Mrs. John) 1271 Missouri St. San Diego, Calif. 92109 272-6133 BELLMER, Lt. Col. Harold (June) 4o30 W. Talmadge Drive San Diego, Calif. 92116 234-5369 GEMMEL, Joyce (Mrs. William) Club de Pesca San Felipe, B.C., Mexico Frank (H, GOOD, pe, ) and Barbara 3142 Larga Court San Diego, Calif. 92110 222-5605 HANSELMAN, George Sc Virginia 5313 Tuiane St. San Diego, Calif. 92122 453-3019 HAIGH, Ernest S. (Marilyn) 3009 Dunbarton Ave. Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 HAYS, Dr. Ada Dorothy BENDER, james F. 33 Second Ave. 2540 Glenwood Drive Chula Vista, Calif. 92010 Port Arthur, Texas 77640 420-0612 BIBBEY, Joe HERTZ, Jules Sc Carole 490 Citrus Avenue 3333 Mt. Blackburn Ave. Imperial Beach, Calif. 92032 San Diego, Calif. 92111 423-5133 277-6259 BISHOP, Dr. Martin Sc Susan HOFFMAN, Alvin Sc Marie Sidney Sussex College Cambridge CB2-3HU, England BRATCHER, Twila (Mrs. Ford)' 3121 Mulholland Terrace Hollywood, Calif. 9OO46 BREWER, Norval Sc Blanche 3614 Roselawn Avenue San Diego, Calif. 92105 232-0143 BURCH, Rose (Mrs. John Q. ) 1300 Mayfield Rd., Apt. 611 Seal Beach, Calif. 90740 596-7737 CHACE, Emery Sc Elsie (H) 24205 Eshelman Ave. Lomita, Calif. 90717 CLOVER, Phillip (Joyce) 3727 N. Equation Road, #30 Pomona, Calif. 91767 ISLAND SPECIMENS (Robert McMiUin) 320 W. Cabrillo( John Phillips) Santa Barbara, Calif. 93101 JOHNSON, Shirley M. I6O65 - 4th Ave., N.W. Puyallup, Washinton 93371 KINNEY, Harold 2305 Bibb Shreveport, La. 71103 LUNDIN, Dr. Robert F. Associate Professor of Geology Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona, 35231 M&0QUIN, Hazelle B. (Mrs.) 437 Douglas St. Box #33, * Div. 32, USNA COMMSTA Salt Lake City, Utah 34102 F.P.O. New York, N.Y. 09540 MARTIN, Clifford Sc Clifton CURRIN, Norman 5431 Via Alcazar San Diego, Calif. 92111 273-3331 D’ATTILIO, Anthony Sc Rose 4124 - 47th St. San Diego, Calif. 92105 231-9731 DILWORTH, Billee (Mrs. Richard) 609 Palomar Ave. La Jolla, Calif. 92037 459-1037 DRAPER, Bertram C. 3511 Bleriot Ave. Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 324 Kennedy Lane Oceanside, Calif. 92054 757-1523 MEIER, Helmut Sc Ruth 1010 Pinecrest Ave. Escondido, Calif. 92025 747-5339 MICHEL, John Sc Nola 4753 Mt. Cervin Drive San Diego, Calif. 92117 273-9033 MOUSLEY, Louis B. Mousley Museum of Natural 11555 Bryant St. History Yucaipa, Calif. 92399 MULLINER, David & Margaret 5283 Vickie Drive San Diego, Calif. 92109 488-2701 MYERS, John & Barbara 3761 Mt. Augustus Avenue San Diego, Calif. 92111 279-9806 NAYLOR, William 3616 Curlew St. San Diego, Calif. 92103 NEED, Charlene (Mrs. ) 1669 Grand Avenue San Diego, Calif. 92109 273-9654 OP. ERG.. Ruth (Mrs. ) 2579 Arnott St. San Di ego, Calif. 92110 276-6059 0 LD , W j Hi am , Jr. American Museum of Nat. Hist '79th & Central Place West New York, N.Y. 10024 PIS0R, Don & Jeanne 1C 3 73 El Honcho PI. San Dieg, Calif. 92124 SHEETS, Elva D. (Mrs.) R.R. #4 Huntington, Indiana 46750 SMITH, John Edward 10779-C Via Alberto San Diego, Calif. 92129 S0UDER, John (Dorothy) 4270 Menlo Ave. San Diego, Calif. 92115 STOHLER, Dr. Rudolf (H) 1584 Milvia St. Berkeley, Calif. 94709 STOVER. Carolvn (Mrs. ) P.0. Box' 10158 San Diego, Calif. 92101 TAYLOR, Dr. Dwight Dept, of Marine Invertebrate.. Museum of Natural History P.0, Box 1390 San Diego, Calif. 92112 ryTAYLOR. Roland & Kay 2437 Aster St, San Diego, Calif. 92109 274-2998 THOMAS, The Family The Shell Shop 279-9342 POORMAN, Mrs. Forrest 160 Sequoia Drive Pasadena, Calif. 91105 PURDY, Ben & Ruth 3658 Euclid Ave. San Diego, Calif. 92105 281-6547 RADWIN, Dr. George (H) (Rhoda) Curator of Marine Invertebrates Museum of Natural History P.0. Box 1390 San Diego, Calif. 92112 232-9146 (work ) * 286-8938 RI CHART, Mae Dean (Miss) 590 Embarcadero Morro Bay, Calif. 93442 THOMPSON, Ivan & Agnes 716 3. Second St., Space El Cajon, Calif. 92020 447-0191' WARRY, Mrs. M.B . 10 Glen Gariff Drive Floreal Park, W. Austral: 178 St . Calif. Apt #4 92103 4090 Brant San Diego, 298-0132 ROWORTH, Edwin C. 1301 Windsor Drive Cardiff-by-the-Sea, 753-3903 SCHECK, William Sc Rita 3160 Carnegie Place San Diego, Calif. 92122 453-423 5 SCHWARZ, Richard (Ann) 7623 Blue Lake Drive San Diego, Calif. 92119 469-0522 ' > ■’ ’ : SEAY, James Sc Eunice (transferred) ( home ) WEST, Calif . 6014 WEBB, Ray & Kay - Mrs. Marie Rigdon 501--A Anitast, Space 186 Chula Vista, Calif. 92011 420-4900 Arthur Sc Emma 715 Glover St. Chula Vista, Calif. 92010 422-6521 WILIE, William L., Jr. 1405 McFaddin 92007 Beaumont. Texas 77701 WINDMILLER, Erla (Mrs.) 9145 Elk Grove Blvd. Elk Grove, Calif. 95624 WOODS, William 2721 Murray Ridge noad Sa-n Diego, Calif. 92123 277-3181 * ; c. O U Tr. V*. <. Cu^H^C U^<~*+ k)H. M-M- ,‘,ov+ THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pisor Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer Vol. Ill May 1972 No. v'y v»y ’"’V Oy \!y N1/ vfy vly Oy Jy \ly Oy «J» Jy \ly\ly v*y Oy Oy vly \ly Jy >ly v»y Jy *»y Oy \ly \ly >ly Oy s»y \ly \'y»ly \ly N*y Oy Oy \ty \ly vly Oyv y(\ y,% yp yp yp yp yp yp y|X yp yp yp yp yp y|V yp yp yp yp yp yp yp yj< ypyp yp yp yp yjv yp yp yp ypyp yp yp y(v yp yp yp ou - THE ANNUAL SHELL AUCTION - MAY, 19th. •y \'y v*y \(y OyOy sly vly v*y \lysly s*y sly Oy s*y sly vly vly v*y v*y s*y vly vly vly vly vly yjX y»x y,v y,v yjv y<|V y,v yp yjv y,v y|V yjv yp yjV yp yp yjV yp yp yp y,v yjV yp yp yp y|V yjv y vly vly vly vly vl y v'y vly vly vly v*y vly vly vly vly v*y vly vly vly v'y vly v'y v*y vly v y,v y,v y,v yp »p yp yj V yp yp yjV yp yp y,v y|V y|V yj V yj V yj V THAT DAY IS NEAR --- HERE Our Annual Shell Auction, Mav 19th (Friday) at the home of Cliff and Wan eta Ames, and DO WE HAVE RICHES FOR YOU* How about Megasurcula carpentariana and M. stearnsiana. Macrarene cookeana. (we have TWO), and Haliotis walallensis and H. assimilis. Cancellaria crawf ordiana. Fusinus Barbarensis. Eunaticina oldroydl. Neptunea taulata. Trophon avalonensis and Trophon corduelis - this last from Australia - to mention a few? Our generous donors have made it possible for us to acquire some very fine shells. As usual, you will have time to look the shells over before the auction begins at 7:30 P.M. But dinner is at 6:00 P.M.. so BE THERE - to enjoy, enjoy J APRIL From The Minutes Vice-President John Michel introduced Dr. George Radwin, who was our guest speaker for the evening. His topic was Anatomy of A Book, and was about the many problems encountered by Dr. Radwin and Anthony D?Attilio in the research, writing and publishing of their forth-coming •frvn Page 2 book on the Mur ex family. The book is now in the process of being approved by the reviewing board at Stanford University. The book will be illustrated with photographs by David Mulliner and color slides were shown of plates used in its illustration. Anthony D'Attilio's large collection of Murex was the main source of study material. Also, the outstanding collection of the late Ruth Richmond of Beverly Hills was loaned for study and photographing. The book will contain a total of twenty-four color plates, illustra- ting two hundred seventy-four species, with many black and white drawings by Mr. D’Attilio. The book's title will be, "An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae", and the authors are hopeful that it will be ready for the publishers late this fall. Dr. Radwin also displayed two specimens of a new Mitra. from off Florida, which was found by Ivan Thompson and which Dr. Radwin and Jc ^ Bibbey will describe. The new species will be named for the late Helen Thompson, who was a member of our Club. David Mulliner showed some of his recent slides of live nudibranchs and of living molluscs. As usual, Dave's superb photography did full justice to the brilliant colors and delicate textures of these forms of marine life. Nola Michel showed some very ' interesting' slides'of newly laid egg capsules of Neosimnia inf lexa that were laid in her aquarium. She also showed slides of the living Neosimnia inf lexa. President Martin announced that the San Diego Shell Club will have a display of live mollusks in aquariums .at the annual meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists at Redlands University in June. T ' -Clifford A. Martin - NOTE TO ALL MEMBERS As you see in this issue we are now using, pictures. We hope to continue to do so in future editions. We need your articles and if you have pictures to go with it, please include them. The pictures should be in Gloss?/- Black & White. If you are a local member we do have someone who can make a black and white from your color slide. We are all looking forward to YOUR article. Remember - if you can write a letter you can write for "The Festivus". And we don't have to have a picture, but we do need your article? AQUARIUM OBSERVATIONS by Nola Michel Simnia aequalis (Sowerby 1&32) Form: S. Quaylei Lowe 1935 While snorkeling at a good low tide some miles south of San Felipe I found two Simnia on red Gorgonia. They were about four feet deep. One animal and shell was a beautiful red and the other, animal and shell was white. I placed them in a plastic container of salt water and they survived the rather cool night. As they were still alive the next morning I decided to try to take them home to my salt water aquarium. t Late that afternoon (Feb. 1&, 1969) they were placed in the aquarium. It?s about 45 gal. and at ambient temperature. Salinity was 1.030, slightly saltier than normal sea water as I had not added distilled water to the tank in some time. * Resident* occupants were other assorted mollusks and a fish. The Simnias appeared to be doing nicely, although they had no Gorgonia on which to feed. About seven to ten days later I noticed eggs ‘on a branch of the dead black coral. The black coral -was a decorative item in the tank, but closest to their natural habitat. The ’egg group was about an inch long and encircled the branch. The eggs individually looked like grayish gelatin dots. I was rather excited but I didn't make any special preparation as I thought that the fish would eat the eggs. Shortly after the 1st of April I noticed a, color change in some of the eggs. Some were getting an orange-pink and were looking slightly larger than the others. Approximately 25% of the eggs were this way. April 9th. The fish has gone, il drained the aquaria to a level above the eggs. Slowly I brought the salinity to .1.025 over a period of 2 4 hours. Then I refilled the tank with fresh sea water from the public outlet at Scripps. Everything then seemed good. Then I talked our 'friend Emil Habecker into coming over to take some slides of the animals and the eggs. He came on the 13th and pictures 1 & 2 were taken at that time. The next day I went diving and obtained some Gorgonia for the Simnia to feed on. I placed it in the tank and within half an hour both we re on it and feeding. When I checked the tank the next morning an egg on the end of the group was split open and was entirely empty. Others were emptying. You could see the tiny veligers with a. hand lens. I moved a piece of the Gorgonia to a position beneath the egg mass, hoping that some might settle on it. I also removed the charcoal filter at this time, so they wouldn't be filtered out of the water. I did leave the subsand filters on though. Felt they were necessary but did slow them down considerably. On the 18th I placed brine shrimp in the tank hoping the Gorgonia would feed on them. They didn't but left them in to breed, thinking that they might feed on the smaller off spring. On the 24th my boy reported that one Simnia was on top of the other. Sure enough the white one was on the red. And on the 25th new eggs were laid. They were on the Gorgonia. Each one on a polyp, all around the stalk, two down on one side of the stalk and up to eight on the opposite side. The next day there were more on a different Up of the same Gorgonia. I talked to Emil again and the next evening he came to take more pictures. Pictures 3-6 were taken at this time . On the 30th I had to dispose of 2 pieces of Gorgonia as they were going foul. Not the one with the eggs on it, however. That evening I discovered the Simnia copulating ' on an egg mass. They had added more eggs to this mass. The White (male) was on top of the Red .(female). His penis extended down the right side into the female. She seemed to be twisted up to meet him, her antennie were rolled bac toward him. There was hardly any movement, only her antennae. She had a swelling, anterior to the point of entry. They both had their mantles fully extended. These animals lived in my aquarium for about a year. The veligers never settled out and gr ew. Perhaps the down current of the subsand filter was too strong or some vital trace elements may have been missing from the water. Nov;, some about the pictures. All but no. 7 were taken by Emil Habecker of the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society. No. 7 was taken by our own Dave Mulliner, aftgr the demise of the animals. Picture No. 1 was shot on a rock. ihe animals were placed there for photographic purposes. No. 2 is a close up of the eggs laid on the black coral. No. 3 is the same egg mass, the entire thing, showing the opened capsule on the end. No. 4 shows the eggs laid on the Gorgonia - they are the smoother round clear-white objects on the polyps. No. 5 is "Him” on Gorgonia. Note the difference in colora- tion compared to No. 1. The color spots in No. 5 are the same in number but larger in size. This picture was taken after two weeks of feeding on the red Gorgonia. When I first observed them I could see the radula working in the white animal - he was that translucent. After feeding on the Gorgonia he lost this translucency . No. 6 is nHerf? on eggs at the tip of Gorgonia. One of the eggs is visible in the lower left area of the picture. No. 7 was taken by Dave Mulliner to show you what the shell looks like. These are the same specimens. SALTWATER FISHING Page 5 Chapter 3 Sport Fishing Regulations for Saltwater Fish, Mollusks, and Crustaceans Article 1. OCEAN WATERS WITH RESTRICTED FISHING 5.1 TIDAL INVERTEBRATES. Invertebrates may not be taken in any tide pool or other area between the high tide mark and 1,000 feet beyond the low tide mark without a written permit from the department except as follows: (a) In state parks, state beaches, state recreation areas, state underwater parks, state reserves, national parks, national monuments or national seashores; abalones, chi ones, clams,, cockles, crabs, lobsters, scallops, and sea urchins may be taken. (b) In all other areas, except within marine life refuges or other special closures: abalones, chiones, clams, cockles, crabs, limpets, lobsters, mussels, sand dollars, octopuses, shrimp, scallops, sea urchins, and squid may be taken. Article 2, FIN FISH Article 3, MOLLUSKS SO. GENERAL Except as provided in this article there are no closed seasons, bag limits or minimum size limits for mollusks, and they may be taken at any time of day or night. In San Francisco Bay and saltwater tributaries east of the Golden Gate Bridge, all species may be taken only between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. 50.1 ABALONES AND CLAMS ASHORE. Abalones and clams being taken must be brought ashore above the high water mark in such a condition that the size can be determined. Such abalones and clams not in in the shell may not be transported or possessed, except when being prepared for immediate consumption. Abalones not retained must be replaced immediately, with the shell outward to the surface of the rock from which detached. Clams not retained shall be immediately reburied ‘in the area from which dug. BO. 2 FISHING HOURS FOR CLAMS AND ABALONES. One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset only. BO. 3 MEASURING DEVICES. Every person while taking mollusks which have a size limit shall carry a device which is capable of accurately measuring the size of the mollusks taken. The size of a mollusk is measured in greatest shell diameter. Minimum Size Limits, Bag and Possession Limits, and Seasons B2.2 PISMO CLAMS* (a) Season: May be taken in Santa Cruz and Mon- terey Counties September 1 through April 30. In all other counties except in clam preserves and marine life refuges Pismo clams may be taken at any time of the year. (b) Bag and possession limit: Ten; Minimum size: Five inches in greatest shell diameter north of the boundary between San Louis Obispo and Monterey Counties; 4 l/2 inches in greatest shell diameter south of the boundary between San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. 32.4 SPECKLED (BAY) SCALLOPS. May not be taken or possessed. 32.6 ABALONE, Bag and possession limit: Five in the combination of all species: Minimum size measured in greatest shell diameters red abalone 7 inches, green abalone 6 1/4 inches, pink abalone 6 inches, white abalone 6 inches, black abalone 5 inches and all other species 4 inches. Open Seasons March 16 through January 14. 32.3 GAPER CLAMS. Bag and possession limits S Humboldt Bay: 50 in combination with Washington clams: all other areas: Ten (10) , 33.2 GEODUCK CLAMS. Bam and possession limit: Three (3) 33.4 LITTLENECK CLAMS, SOFT-SHELL CLAMS, CHIONES, AND COCKLES. Bag and possession limit: 50 in combination. Minimum size: 1 l/2 inches in greatest shell diameter. ^3.6 ROCK SCALLOPS. Bag and possession limits: Ten (10) 83.3 RAZOR CLAMS. Bag and possession limit: Twenty (20). The first 20 clams dug must be retained as the bag limit regardless of size or broken condition. 34. WASHINGTON CLAMS. Bag and possession limit: Humboldt Bay - SC in combination with gaper clams. All other areas 20 Washington clams. 34.2 MUSSELS. Bag and possession limit: 25 pounds (in the shell) of California sea mussel and bay mussel in combination. Gear Restrictions 33. GENERAL. Except as otherwise provided in this article, salt- water mollusks may be taken only on hook and line or with the hands. 33.2 DIGGING IMPLEMENTS . Spades, shovels, hoes, rakes, or other appliances operated by hand, except spears or gaff hooks, may .be used to take mollusks, provided that no hooking device or any device 36 inches or more in length may be used to take abalone. No instrument capable of being used to dig clams may be possess- ed between one half hour after sunset and one half before sun- rise, on any beach of this state, except tools and implements used in the work of cleaning, repairing or maintaining such beach when possessed by a person authorized by appropriate authority to perform such work. 33.4 DIVING FOR MOLLUSKS. In all ocean waters skin and SCUBA divers may take mollusks by the use of hands, or by devices less than 36 inches long, commonly known as abalone irons, except that in all ocean waters north of Yankee Point (Monterev County), self- contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or any other artificial underwater breathing device, may be used only to take rock scallops. For the purpose of this section breathing tubes are not underwater artificial breathing devices. 33.5 SQUID. Squid may be taken with hand-held dip nets. THIS IS A REPRINTING OF PORTIONS OF THE STATE FISH AND GAME LAWS. WE STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU OBTAIN A COPY FROM YOUR LOCAL BAIT SHOP OR DIVE SHOP. READ IT THROUGH VERY CAREFULLY, AND BE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR FISHING LICENSE BEFORE TAKING ANYTHING. OUR READERS WRITE Page 7 Hi, My Oddities I have collected while Scuba diving in Hawaii several specimens of Terebra maculata and on close observation noticed that the outer part of the shell has been broken. I found $ inch and 4 inch specimens with breaks at either end. The outside is very rough, but checking inside the repair is not visible at all. This seems to be Quite common in maculata. I have one large specimen which had the large end broken clear across and the inside repair is perfect. This shell had grown more than an inch since the fracture. If shells could only talk, what a story they could tell. Enjoy the "Festivus1'' very much. Sincerely Ennest S. Haigh (Los Angeles) Dear Secretary? I believe that I am still a member, as I receive the FESTIVUS regularly and enjoy it every issue. Here is a suggestion. I was looking over the S.D. Society Transactions Vol. 1 a few days ago and found the article by W.F. Kelsey about collecting - and list of Mollusks of San Diego back in 1907 or 1908. When you are hard up for a program have someone study that list and make comments on it. Just an idea to fill in a short program. I wish that I could get to some of your meetings but I do not drive a car any more - even then, it is just too far to come down for a meeting. Regards to the older members who were members when I was there. Especially Dr. Baily. Sincerely E.P. Chace Lomita, Calif. ADD THESE NAMES TO YOUR ROSETER I NEW TIMBERS BR0SIU3, George & Doris 1350 Loring St. San Diego, Calif. 92109 488-6342 MAULSBY, Mrs. Marjory q.628 Altadena Ave. San Diego, Calif, 92115 RULON, Mrs. Morgan C. Dept, of Malacology 19th and The Parkway Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 / V SAN P / S dr Q 3 '■ 3/-/- C*i~Lsi) J HE-LL auction por luck p /nMFR — 6:00 PM A OCT /ON — 7 :?0 PM Ar CUFF f Kf AN fta amfs tfOUSF pftltitr y°uR giVN S Jt.Y'fRWAHE' r: 1 <* '^Ajk. ((if? c?l/A P/sTA " sa:i z.zzo shell club C/Q NOLA MICHEL 4758 MT. CERVIN DR. SAN DIEGO, CA 921JZ 278-9088 Mr. William Old Jr, Am. Museum of Nat'i Hist. 79th & Central Park West* New York, N, Y. 10024 THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7?30 P.M. President? Clifton Martin Vice President? John Michel Recording Secretary? Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary? Jeanne Pisor Treasurer? Kay Taylor Editor? Blanche Brewer ANNUAL DUES?^ Single membership, $53*00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding fibership, $2.50 - Overseas mailing, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Calif. 92109. Vol. Ill June 1972 No. 6 * nO \l> \*/ \l. O. O. s'. O. O. O/ \l. vl, J. \i. J. \l. O. \l. O. O. \l^ Ox O. O. vl/ v*. Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox OxOx Ox Ox >*.x Ox Ox Ox Ox l"* •’I' 'l' X|V ^|*" X|% X|S X,% XjN X(\ X|N X|\ X|\ X,\ X|\ X|\ >1% X,\ X|X X|X X|\ X|\ X,\ X|\ X|\ X|% X|> xp X|N X|> xpxp x,\ xp xp X|\ xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp x-|^ xp xp xp <- PROGRAM, June 15” We hope to have Lt. Richard Taylor, speaking on * * The CURRENT DEEP SUBMERGENCE PROGRAM IN THE NAVY. However- as navy* * duties do take precedence - if he is at sea, we mil have an * * interesting film * 'V 5*. ''x Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox s*x Ox \'xOx OxOx Ox Ox Ox Ox «0x Ox Ox Ox «0x Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox OxOxOx "Ox Ox OxOx Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox Ox OxOx \>x Ox \lxOx Ox Ox Ox X|' xp X-,^ X|\ xp xp xp X|\ Xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp ^J-* xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp x-j*. xp xp xp xp xp xp X|\ xp X|X xp xp xp X|X xp xp xp xp X|% X|\ xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp xp X|V X|\ xp xp X|X xp xp xp THE SHELL AUCTION Our annual shell auction, held this year in the home of Cliff and Wuneta Ames, was an outstanding success. The Ames’ big lanai is an ideal place for such an event - plenty of room for the auctioneer’s ’hell - laden table, the buffet of wonderful food, the punch bowl, kept flowing by a master’s (Dave Mulliner) touch - and seating room to spare. Norman Currin and Georme Radwin shared the wearing role of auctioneer with enthusiam and dispatch. The shells we re world-wide but many were taken on our own West Coast from deep water and the bidding was often spirited . Financially, it was our most rewarding auction ever, realising $531.75. This money in our club treasury allows us to purchase many fine (but expensive) books for our library, to make the Festivus a better publi- cation and to contribute to other, more ambitious, shell publications. But without the generous donations by our members the auction would not be possible. We thank every one of them, most gratefully. We also thank our hosts. Cliff and Waneta, for their gracious hospital- ity. We are very much aware of all the arduous preparation that re- sulted in the organized and comfortable setting in which we enjoyed the auction - and the work involved in the clean-up after it was over. We express our sincere appreciation - - - - B.B. FURTHER RESEARCH ON CHITONS By John M. Myers Whenever I am asked to explain what I did in this project, I am always reminded of the way I responded when I was asked by a fellow exhibitor "Well, just what kind of research did you do with these-er-chitons (pronounced phonetically.) In a brilliant flash of inspired eloquence I said, "Simply, I classified these (pointing to the chitons on my display) by using this (pointing to a radula) instead of this (point- ing to some chiton plated.)" This seems-and- is-an oversimplification but it gives the essence of the project. I began by establishing the well-known problem of iden- tifying chitons. Then, I set up just exactly what I would do in this project, which was continued from the project of last year, and was written in the Question section of my notebook; QUESTION In my prior investigation I wanted to see if I could identify chitons by their radula and, if I found that this was feasible, if my results would correllate with the present system. As you know, I found that I could identify them by the radula, but my results conflicted with the present system. After reviewing the results of my previous project, I could not help but wonder if there were some items that I had overlooked. Indeed, Dr. Radwin pointed out several areas of investigation which could prove to be of great interest and of great value to my argument. Bearing this in mind, I have several purposes or questions which I hope to at least partly solve in thsi project; 1. I would like to go into much greater depth of study. 2. I would like to continue my study until I am sure that I can thoroughly substantiate1 my findings, whether or not they correlate with the present system. 3. Using my improved methods of research, I will try to find a feature in each specie* s radula that is characteristic of the Genus. PROCEDURES To follow my theme of more in-depth research, there are a great many more procedures in this project. After considering what Dr. Radwin had told me and what I had read ' since last year, I decided that I could accomplish more and be much more realistic if I concentrated on just one Genus of Chitons for this study. I talked with Dr. Radwin and Mr. George Hanselman, who is a recognized expert on chitons, and they convinced me that the Genus St en op lax would be ideally suited for my purposes. This is because there are a good number of species in the Genus, and because various features of their exteriors and their radula make them easiee to identify and work with. Page 3 Next, I had to collect enough specimens to work with. 0 course, I had collected many, but I could not find a few of the rarer species of this Genus. I called on Mr. Hanselman and he provided me with an adequate number of specimens of each species. Finally, -after all this, I had five species in all. They were Stenoplax conspicua and Stenoplax heathiana both found locally” Stenoplax conspicua sonorana and Stenoplax mariposa found in the Gulf of California and Stenoplax limaciformis found in the Gulf of Calif- ornia and also in the Cariibean. He also told me of two very rare species, both found locally, Stenoplax corrugata and Stenoplax fallax. He did not have enough specimens of these two rare species for me to work with” I had to make sure that I had a least twenty specimens of each species so that my results would not be confused if I had a poor specimen. Mv next step was to remove the radula from each specimen. I discover- . ed that the best way to do this was to first locate the head plate of the shell of the animal. This plate is distinguished from the other seven by way of being smaller and slightly curled upwards. Beneath this plate, in the body of the animal, the head protrudes slightly from the rest, of the body, and on this you can see a small slit which, of course, is -the mouth of the animal. By separating the entire head from the shel-1 you can detach the radula ribbon. However, this ribbon is enclosed in a fleshy sheath, which must be re- moved to see the radula. This sheath is attached quite stpongly to the actual ribbon. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the sheath chemically. To do this I used a method that was recommended by Dr. Radwin. I put the ribbon in a test tube filled with a solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and heated it until all of the sheath was re- moved. The radulae were now ready to observe under the microscope* but before putting them under it, I shredded a few of the radula of each species so that I could get a three-dimensional view of each of the teeth. 1 •. I used a 30 power dissection microscope to observe and sketch the radula. I could do this because of the singularly large size of the radular teeth and the features of the ribbon. I probably would have had to use a high-power microscope on Stenoplax mariposa because of its size (about- one-half inch) but I could not get the radula out of Stenoplax mariposa. I had been told that there is a question as to whether or not mariposa is really in the Genus Stenoplax. and perhaps the fact that I could not find its radula - that the radula may be imbedded in muscle or located in a different area - may be evidence for the argument. I will discuss this further in the conclusions section. I made slides of the radula of each species using a 10% solution of KARO syrup as a mounting medium. I will use these in my display. Sketches at end of paper show my results; CONCLUSIONS Page 4 One of the first things that I must explain is why ny results are different from those of last year. (You can readily see this from the enclosed drawings from last year’s project.) There are several reasons for this. For one thing, I used a much better dissection microscope, one with better optics. Secondly, I observed more of the ribbon and did not just concentrate on the tricuspid. But by far the main reason is without doubt the fact that I removed all the ex- traneous material by boiling the radulae in HaOH. When I looked at the radulae last year, there is no doubt that many features were obscured by this extra material. One totally unexpected conclusion is in the case of Stenoplax mariposa I. could not find the radula of Mariposa in any of the specimens. It is entirely possible that the radula of Mariposa is in a different area of the animal0 it could be surrounded by muscle ; any number of things could explain it. This ties in well with the fact that there is great controversy over whether Mariposa is really included in the* Genus Stenoplax. and this could be evidence for that argument. One of the purposes of this project was to find a feature in the radula that is characteristic of the Genus. One thing I noticed is that the length of the cusps of .the tricuspid increase from left to right. If you will look at the drawings you will see that all the species do this. It would seem the Limacif ormis is inconsistent, but does this to some degree. I have checked it more closely and it in- deed does to some degree It seems that the labial, lateral and central cusp teeth are all of the same design, but further research is needed to be sure this is not true in other Genera. My original hypothesis that the radula can be used to identify chitons has been confirmed in this project. I have also found a trait that is consistent with the species of the Genus. I am satisfied that I 1 have accomplished many of the goals that I set for this project. (John M. Myers, with his parents, John and Barbara Myers, is one of the younger members of our club. He won first prize at the San Diego Science Fair in the senior division in Biology, also the Natural History Museum (S.D.) award, for this study. He- won Honorable Mention at the Southern California Science Fair at Los Angeles with this same exhibit. We share with his parents in pride in his achievements. . .Ed. )'• s? tsi VJ' §\ 's ro £ ".«.VT - |D Q > 3 «J. % ci- "§ C* CD s m BABY POTTLE PLASTIC BAGS HOSE CLAMP Jc'n Page 5 COLLECTING EQUIPMENT' Members of the Ameripagos Expitition carried with them these handy collecting bottles. Dave MulTiner was kind enough to provide us., with the drawing and instructions for making. Bob Given of the USC Marine station on Catalina Is., furnished them with the design and showed them how to use them. The two half-gallon wide-mouth plastic bottles are fastened togehter with stainless steel hose clamps. A snap swivel fastens to your belt for diving or wading. Plastic bag baby bottles are attached by a rubber tube held by the hose clamps. A four ounce weight is imbedded in plastic resin on the bottom of each bottle for those who plan on using them for diving. Use the plastic. bags for shells you want to protect - they protect cone lips very well. We use one of the bottles for grunge and the other for shells. You can obtain hose clamps and brass hooks at any ship chandlers, and the large - mouth plastic bottles at. Van Waters & Rogers, a Chemical Equipment Supply House. LIBRARY NEWS By Carole M. Hertz A new addition to our Shell Club library is Tom Rice's, A CATALOG OF DEALERS' PRICES FOR MARINE SHELLS, Third Edition, published in May 1972 and selling for $3.00. Nearly 2,000 additional species are now included over those in the 1969 edition. The book is a compilation of shell prices currently obtained from shell dealers. It is a valu- able tool for those who buy and sell shells as well as those who trade for value. Unlike Van Nostrand's Standard Catalog of Shells, it covers all fami- les of marine shells. Since it is a compilation of dealers' prices, it is also a more realistic source of price information than the Van Nostrand catalog. It is hoped that all of those who sell shells make copeis of their lists available to Tom Rice so that future editions of this catalog become more complete and more valuable. Donated to the library by Tom Rice is a copy of the revised edition of his MARINE SHELLS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. (First edition reviewed in Sept. 1971, Festivus). The book has only minor changes from the first edition. There are changes of the species names in the Macomas and the Tellinas and some changes to make species and genus names agree. Also received from the Smithsonian, a new publication, PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MEI0FAUNA, edited by Neil C, Hulings, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1971. (Meiofauna is a word”... coined by Mare in 1942 to describe metazoans (and foraminifera) too small to be retained in the lram sieves used by marine biologists.”) W.S.M. DISPLAY Page 6 As many of you know, the meeting of the Western Society of Malocolo- gists will be the 18th through 21st of this month. Our club is plann- ing a display featuring our Festivus. We will have marine aquariums with live animals. A board surrounding them will display reprints of your aquarium observations, plus 8 by 10 color photos of many of the same animals described in the articles. WTe are also planning a sample Festivus to give away. It will include all of the Aquarium Observations since we started publishing The Festivus. We. hope to see many of you there! AN AID IN PREPARING MOLLUSKS FOR THE COLLECTION By Carole M. Hertz From Susan and Martin Bishop, our members now returned to Cambridge, England, we learned a most helpful hint for preparing shells for the collection. For those small, diff icult-to-clean shells, try putting the mollusks in a pot with salt water. Slowly bring the water to a boil. The animals will die with the opercula visible. We have successfully used this method with Carithidea. Qdostomia. and Typhis among others. ( Epitonium turn red, however). Later the animals can be placed in alcohol for preserving without fear of the animals* retracting. THE MYSTIC BOND By Edwin C. Roworth THERE IS a mystic something. Its story I must tell. For everywhere one travels It casts its subtle spell. 9Tis found on every ocean beach Among the rocks and sand. Where people seek the elusive shell With pail or sack in hand. We meet on distant seashores, ■ Quite absent is all guile. We cannot speak the language But understand the smile. For whether king or native Here all distinctions end. If you belong to the shelling clan He*ll greet you like a friend. To share the joy of beauty Of a snail shell ?s symmetry. Or just the peaceful freedom Of the shores of a friendly sea. Whatever the fascination Shells may have for you and me. This we know - they unite us all With a bond of true Harmony. From The Hawaiian Shell News COLLECTING IN THE SAN FELIPE AREA Page 7 By Jules Hertz The recent low tides at San Felipe (May 13 and 14) found the Hertzes, Mulliners, Schecks and Joyce Gemmell out for early morning collecting. On May 13, the collecting site was Campo Uno (Rudy’s). A number of Typhis coronatus Broderip, 1S^3 were collected. On the 14th, the group traveled to Alicia Playa which is approximately 20 miles south of San Felipe. A number of fine shells were collected such as Trivia Californica. Peteropurpura erinaceoides. Erato columbella. Lucapinella milleri and several Oliva incrassata (golden form). The most unusual find v/as a Typhis coronatus discovered by Suzanne Hertz. This is the first reported specimen from Alicia Playa, as far as we know. It was completely exposed on mud among rocks, and approximately 100 ft. from the water line at low tide (approximately - 5.5 ft.). MORE NAMES FOR YOUR ROSTER Stotter, Jane 1070 Ocean Blvd. Imperial Beach, Calif. 92032 Banks, R.E.R, Acquisitions Librarian British Museum (Natural History) Cromwell Road London, S.W. 7, England Mr. William Old Jr. Am. Museum of Nat’l Hist. 79th & Central Park West New York, N.Y. 10024 ™. FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7-30 F.M. President? Clifton Martin Vice President? John Michel Recording Secretary? Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary? Jeanne Pisor Treasurer? Kay Taylor Editor? Blanche Brewer '1. Ill July 1972 No. 7 <• O# s'/O/ O/ s>/ si/ si/ sl/sl/ \l/ si/ si/ si/ S*/ si/ sl/sl/sl/ si/ s1/ si/ si/ si/ si/ J/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ sl/sl/ Oz si/ S1/ s'/sl/ si/ .1/ si/ » . . |V /|S/(s /|S /|S/|S »‘jS /|S/|S ^|*s /|S /|S /,s /|S /|S /|S /|S /(s /(S/|S /(s »(S /|S /|» /|S /|S /|S /|S /,s /js /|-s /js /|S /,s /|S /(\ Zj^ /(S /|S /|S /|S /jS /|S Z|V /(S /,s /,s Zjx /,s /|S /,s /|S /|S /|S /|S /|S /fs /|> /(s /|S /’i's /js -|S /(s . * PROGRAM FOR July 20? * Anthony D’Attilio - Remar'cs on Coralliophilidae :: ’s'" +P+ s*/ si/ si/ si/ si/ S*/ si/ si/ s*/ viz S*/ si/ si/ S*/sl/ si/ si/ sl/sl/ si/ sl/S*/ sl/U/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ s'/ si/ s*z si/ s*/ si/ si/ si/ s*/ si/ s*/ sl/sl/ si/ s1/ s'/ si/ si/ si/ viz si/ s>/ s*/ s'/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ si/ s * After Lunch we again assembled at Whatchorn Hall for the afternoon session. We heard- Barry Roth on Marginellid radula and Anthony D’Attilio on Coralliophilidae. Then there was a Pelecypoda Symposium, chaired, by Dr. Vida Kenk. After dinner on campus we assembled in Holt Lounge to hear Robert Talmadge speak on the strange things drag boats bring up, and Lindsay Winkler on the bromine content of Aplysia. Directly after, the Annual Auction was held. Bright and early Tuesday morning Dr. Rawin chaired a snyposium on Spawning Habits and Spawning Products. This, in my estimation, was one of the best sessions with our own Dr.'sRadwin, Joyce Gemmell and David Mulliner taking part. Tuesday afternoon we saw a selection of slides by William Pitt and heard Kate St. Jean speak on Xenophora. Then we were dismissed to attend the w orkshop of our choice. There were six different choices, all of which I wanted to attend - Chitons, Photography, Shell Art, Minute Shells, Pelecypoda and Opishobranch. Eeny-meeny-miny-moe I chose the clam group and really felt I learned a lot. That evening we traveled through a light mist to Griswold’s Resturant and enjoyed the best banquet I’d ever attended - a real taste treat - and the speaker was as good as the food. Dr. Bruce Halstead spoke on Global Pollution and Your Health. Dr. William (’Bill’) Emerson was honored with an award for his outstanding contribution to the study of Malacology. Wednesday started off with miscellaneous papers and then »a Symposium on Conservation, chaired by Hans Bertch. Directly after, the business meeting was held. The 1973 Meeting will be held July 11 - 14 at Asilomar, Calif. / * The host club was Ycipapa Shell club and I must say that they did a beautiful job. Took care of problems small and large. The favors they supplied for the banquet were exquisite bouquets of tiny shell ’ flowers ’ arranged in pink Murex ’vases’. The only unhappy note was that Miss Winifred Wagg suffered a heart attack Monday morning and was hospitalized for the remainder of the conference. I hope by now she is well and back on her feet. There was a session on Wednesday afternoon too. It started off with slides of Pananma by Carol Skogland. ( I WANNA GO I ). They were followed by two talks on land snails and a talk by the President, Beatrice Burch, on Research in Hawaii. We had to leave before the last three talks, as we had the display to take down and time was pressing us to be home. THE PERIOSTRACUM OF MOLLUSKS By Anthony D’Attilio Called at times the epidermis, the outer layer of the molluscan shell affords much interest to those students who want to know a little more about shells. The periostracum is a chitinous membrane covering most shells. This chitinous matter secreted by the mollusks is found not only in the periostracum but forms also the horny material of the non- calcareous operculums. It also forms the conchiolin, which is the matrix first deposited by the mantle of the animal and on which the shelly matter is then built up. In some of the Opisthobranchiata, for instance, little or no shell matter is ever deposited over the conchio- lin. The periostracum no doubt serves as a protective skin to the mollusk while the animal is alive and in its natural domain. When dead, however, the periostracum dries and contracts and in time splits and flakes off from the shell. In the case of fresh water shells the periostracum is generally heavier and more resistant to drying out, al- though the condition under which it is kept in a collection probably accounts for the time it would remain intact upon the shell. In a consideration of land shells it is apparent that the periostracum is thickened to a degree where it becomes for all purposes a per- manent layer. It has been called a cuticle with reference to the Helicostylas, but, regardless of it’s thickness or permanency, it usually contains all of the coloring and design rather than the shell below. Not all land shells have this layer, of course. In one in- stance, the New Zealand Paryohantas, this chitinous layer is of great strength and thickness. Unfortunately, it does dry and contract and, overcoming the shelly matter, it eventually tears the entire shell a- part, the shell often literally expoloding under the tension. The periostracum is never found on some genera - such as Cypraea, Oliva or Ancilla - as the animal’s mantle envelopes the shell for the greater period of its growth. This is especially the case with the cowries. The periostracum is often, in marine as well as land shells, an import- ant element in the appeal of the shell to a collector. In the case of many bivalves most of the lustre and color, and at times the design, is located solely in this outer skin rather than in the shell. It is true that In other shells the periostracum is dull and conceals their beauty. Besides being colorful and shiny, or often dull and opaque, the perio- stracum can be hairy or spiny. The hairs can be evenly distributed or they may form symmetrically arranged tufts following the sculptured form of the shell below. On the other hand, as in the genus Tricho- tropis, the spiny processes of the periostracum find no counterpart in the shells underneath which are quite smooth. Mow a word with regard to keeping a shell collection where the purpose is to give it some scientific value. If the collection is large enough and the space warrants it, I ^vould certainly urge all collec- tors to keep at least a portion of each lot showing the shell in its natural condition, in the same sense that one keeps the operculum and my other data. As for many of the bivalves, the removal of the r oriostracum would only result in leaving one with a dull white shell, and so at least in some instances the shell’s appearance is definitely enhanced and the species only recognized as such by the periostracum. From the N. Y. Shell Club Motes 196' j . ' Mr* William Old Jr. Am* Museum of Nat*l Hist* 79th & Central Park West New York, N.Y. 10024 THE SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7*30 P.M. Presidents Clifton Martin Vice Presidents John Michel Recording Secretary* Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary* Jeanne Pisor Treasurers Kay Taylor Editors Blanche Brewer Annual Dues* Single membership, $3*00 - Family, $4*00 - Corresponding membership, $2.50 Overseas corresponding, $3*50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego Calif. 92109 Vol III August 1972 No. 8 g** ******************************************************************** *****************g * * * PROGRAM For August 17* * * David Mulliner - Breeding Habits and Life Cycles of Three Species of * * Nudi branch s from the Eastern Pacific * ***************************************************************************************** FROM. THE JULX MINITUES Meeting called to order by President Clifton Martin. Vice President John Michel introduced the speaker for the evening, Anthony D'Attilio. Mr. D'Attilio read a paper that he had originally prepared for the meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists, at the University of Redlands in June. His Paper was about the meny problems involved in classifying and describing the family Cor alii ophilidae. He discussed the different shell characters in the Coralliophila and Latiaxis shells. Since mollusks of this family have no radula and shell characters tend to be similar, the problem of classification is often very difficult to resolve. Mr. D'Attilio showed slides of the shells discussed and had slides of the protoconchs, as seen through a microscope and had drawings made by use of a microscope and a camera lucida attachment. His objective was to determine of the protoconch of these shells could be usgd as a method of identifying the species. In studying the protpconchs it was learned that most of the Coralli ophilidae seem to have a lang larval life which permits a wide distribution of the genera during the veliger stage. Since the proto- conchs of many species are similar it was concluded that the protoconch is of no value in classifying the species of this family. David Mulliner showed slides taken at the W. S. M. meeting at the University of Redlands in June. These included slides of the San Diego Shell Club's exhibit at the W. S. K. Meeting. He announced that there were sexteen people from the San Siego area who attended the meeting. Dave also showed slides of local underwater scenes. It was announced that two of our members, Art and Emma Rose West, are moving to Oakhurst, Cal, and will not be able to attend our meetings. We wish them every enjoyment in their new home. Clifford A Martin, Rec. Sec REMARKS UN CDRALLIUPHILIDAE (GASTROPODA. MURICACEA) By Anthony D'Attilio I ThB Coraliiophilidae also known as Rapidae Dr Magilldae has some well de- fined genera which have found acceptance in general systematic works. These genera include a minority of the species referable to the family. A majority of Coralliophilid species have presented difficulties in generic placement, principally due to intergradation of conchological characters and few clear- cut areas of demarcation. This is so in spite of the fact that extreme forms may readily be separ^ile. A major factor contributing to the poor under- standing of the systematics of this family is the lack of a radula in its members. Radular morphology in the btenoglossa is very characteristic for the supraspecif ic taxa, a fact lending substantial support to the presently acceptable systems of classification. Some shallow water species, especially those feeding on reef corals, have been observed to feed suctorially. These observations suggest that most species live parasitically on such sessile animals as soft and stony corals, sea anemones and colonial ascidians. A few species in the genera Magilus , Rapa, Maqilopsis , Leptoconchus and puoyula are especially distinctive because they attach themselves permanently to their hosts on some external area or become embedded in the tissues of soft or stony coralline colonies. The majority of coralliophilids however remain mobile, retaining' a well de- veloped operculum. The species making up this mobile majority display con- siderable variation in shell morphology within the confines of the family characters, as defined by Thiele in "Handbuch der ayst ematischen UJeicht ierkunde , and Ljenz in "Handbuch der Palaozoologie . " This shell variability, in my opinion, has resulted in an overabundance of generic and subgeneric names including: Lat iaxls Swainson 1840, Pseudomurex Monterosato 1872, Tolema Iredale 1920, Babelomurex Coen 1922, and Coralliophila H. and A. Adams 1853. There are approximately 25 nominal genera presently in the literature, a number seemingly greater than necessary, bearing in mind the known degree of species variability. This variability is partly responsible for the situation in which numerous species have shell morphology which is intermediate be- tween two genera. The species could with equal justice be assigned to one genus or another. In view of the lack of radular information to aid in the clarification of suprasDecif ic divisions, I undertook to determine whether the protoccnch is of systematic value at the generic or suboeneric level. My results indicate that several distinct types of protoconch occur in this family, but these are not always associated with specific types of shell form. As might oe expected, these types of prDtoconchs are not entirely clearcut because intermediate forms occur. I\ievertheless the extremes may be defined as follows: Fij. I a simple bulbous protoconch of one and one-half polished whorls; Lat iaxis babelis (Fig. 1) and Lat iaxis deburghiae (Fig. 2). a moderately expanding protoconch of two to three and one-half smooth, convex whorls; L eugeniae (Fig. 3) and IL. lischkeana (rig. 4). similar to L_. eugeniae and L. lischkeana but differing in having faint indications of axial lamellae on the final wnorl; C. species (rig. 5) from Fernando Poo, luest Africa. ■f/9. 3" C. srcces y F t f-oc ~ Armt* 7 a mo single or double t', !<=>■ ^ . nh nf three end one-half uhorls, strongly a moderately expanding T^E prot0conch is further modified by carinate, and with axial ES Cell as convex; C. parya (Fig. S possessing ^ ^cef(Fi9. !□). and £. me^enoorffl (Fig. 11 c. tROS* Coding r'cj. /svrr7rf/ ********************************************************** -IMPORT AT - SAV/E THIS DATE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1972 Come To A BIT OF POLYNESIA at Hertz Island — just east of Hawaii It will be Club Luau time. Plan to wear ynur best Polynesian attire and come and enjoy good friends and ^cod food. More details will fallow later. If you want to help, call ‘-arole Hertz, 277-6259. But in any case — - SAVE THE DATE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1972. ^^>|c^^^s(c^e^;jt;^c5tcj(c^c5j:3jt:3^>ic3ji^:^:5)t5(£5|c5|c^:^:j(c)^^c3(e5te5tc5(e3f:jic^ej|c5jcj)c5|c>^^<5|c^c3(c^c3j:>^5^^c3^5|c^c5p'5}!sj<3^3(c S aN DIEGO SHELL CLUB c/o N. Michel 4756 Mt. Cervin Dr. 5an Diego, Calif. 97117 Mr. William Old, Jr. Am, Museum of Nat’l Hist 79th and Cenral Pk, West New York, N.Y. 10024 THE FESTIVUS SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pizor Treasurer: Kay Taylor Editor: Blanche Brewer Annual Dues : Single membership, $3.00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding membership, $2.50 - Overseas corresponding, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Ca. 92109. Vol.III October 1972 No. 10 PROGRAM for October 19.1972 Marine Biology of Antartica, Dr. Gordon A. Robilliard CLUB LUAU ENJOYED BY ALL Club members enjoyed their own bit of Polynesia at a luau on the evening of Sept. 15th at the home of Jules and Carole Hertz. Lanterns and soft lights in the greenery, soft Tahitian music in the background, low tables decked with palm fronds and ginger blossoms, and a large tiki overlooking the whole scene — who could ask for more? Our hosts for the evening, Jules & Carole, greeted us dressed in native Tahitian pareu, as was brave Dave Mulliner who took pictures of the festivities throughout the evening. Dave’s punch, along with tempting hors d* oeuvres served by two charm- ing vahixiis, made the happy hour a very happy one. At the buffet, adobo was served as the main dish and was so good it called for seconds. The fruits were luscious even to look at. Later we enjoyed Hawaiian dances by Billee & Twila, and Carole completely surprised us by appearing with her guitar and singing ditties of neighboring isles. It seemed as if everyone came with some touch of Polynesia, be it hei or lei or a warm heart. It was a happy, mellow evening, and our sincere thanks to Jules & Carole for their always warm hospitality. So many have asked for the recipe for the adobo, we are including it as follows: CHICKEN & PORK ADOBO, from the kitchen of Billee Dilworth. 1 C. fresh or dried grated coconut, 1 C. water, 3^ # uncooked chicken, cut into serving pieces, 3 # boneless pork, cut into 2” cubes, \ C. olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 1 T. salt, 1 t. pepper, 4 whole peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, ^ C. stock, % C. red wine vinegar. Combine coconut & water, bring to boil & remove from heat. Soak 30 min. Press out all liquid from coconut, discard pulp, reserve liquid. Wash & dry chicken pieces. Heat oil. Add chicken and pork, saute ’til brown. Pour off excess oil, add remaining ingred., except coconut milk. Cover, cock over low heat 1 hr. or until tender. Stir frequently. Add coconut milk, cook 10 min. more, correct seasonings. Serve over rice. SAMOAN HIDEAWAY by Billee Dilworth Apia, Western Samoa, was the last stop on our Tonga Expedition. If we had not compared it with th island of Uiha, which is in the Ha'apai group of the Tonga Islands and thirteen hours away by boat, from the tour- ist path, it would have seened primitive and remote from tourism. The houses away from the center of town are open-sided fales woven of palm. The island itself is lush and green with many rivers, streams, waterfalls, and quiet lagoons, and it is surrounded by a fringing reef. But our en- thusiasm for collecting in those beautiful lagoons was considerably damp- ened at the sight of outdoor toilets over the water’s edge. Because of the pollution of the lagoon water and the bustle of the town, plus the fact we’d been gone quite a while, we decided to leave with the group as scheduled after only two days in Western Samoa. George and Bunny Cook, who had planned to stay over with us, decided to leave too. No available plane reservations. So we stayed. We moved to the Samoan Hideaway Hotel on the other side of the island, and before the drive over the mountians was half over, we were glad we stayed. We didn’t change our minds. The tremendously high falls, completely surrounded by green jungle pouring into the pool beneath and the species of hugh tall banyan trees that made our taxi look like a child’s toy were alone worth the trip. Hit Jit Jit Imt Sr Si Si S Si !e le s s 1 2 2 :c cc K( That side of the island had unpolluted lagoons. The hotel was every- thing we could have hoped for. The cottages are of wood, shaped like Samoan fales without open sides. Excellent food with course after course seemed never to stop coming. One course we were served frequently was crunchy Caulerpa. We hoped it was gathered nearby so we could search for Lobiqer and the Pacific bivalved gastropod, Julia , but it was too far away. No Julia in the Caulerpa we ate. The cottages faced the sand beach with a wiew of waves crashing on the outer reef. On the north side of the hotel property a quiet river flowed into the sea and rose and fell with the tide. We found Littorina on the mangroves which grew out of hard packed beach sand on the rivers edge. The hotel’s outrigger canoes were at our disposal. They'er a little tricky, and we were lucky that George and Bunny were experienced at hand- ling them. George had been on the racing team in Honolulu. We did manage to flip one, sending us all flying into the water, but the only piece of equipment that fell out was Twila’s face mask. We recovered that after a few minutes of searching. We went sand tracking in the quiet water after dawn when the tracks were fresh; we tracked at night with underwater lights when the sand dwellers were out of the sand and exposed; we searched the inner side of the reef both by day and with lights; we turned coral heads (turn- ing them back of course). All of those methods produced interesting results. The following is a list of the Conus , Terebra, Mitra, and Cypraea plus the two S trombus we had not collected in Fiji or Tonga. These were col- lected during our three day stay at the Samoan Hideaway Hotel. S trombus dentatus Linne, 1758 Mitra coronata Lamarck, 1811 Mitra tornata Reeve 1845 Mitra pacif icum Reeve, 1845 Imbricaria olivaformis Swainson, Conus litteratus Linne, 1758 Conus pulcarius Hwass, 1792 Conus suturatus Reeve, 1844 Conus virqo Linne, 1758 Conus vitulinus Hwass 1792 Terebra afflnis Gray 1834 Terebra laevigata Gray 1834 Terebra crenulata (Linne), 1767 Terebra subulata (Linne), 1767 Cypraea asellus Linne, 1758 Cypraea cicercula Linne, 1758 Cypraea moneta Linne, 1758 Conus marmoreus bandanus Hwass, 1791 S trombus lentiginosus Linne, 1758 Mitra chrysostoma Broderip, 1836 Mitra rubritineta Reeve, 1844 Vexillum porphyreticum Reeve, 1844 Conus eburneus”Hwass, 1792 Conus imperialis Linne, 1758 Conus pennaceus omaria Hwass, 1792 Conus striatus Linne, 1758 Conus textile Linne, 1758 Conus sugillatus Kiener, 1849 Conus panniculu& Lamarck, 1810 Terebra babylonia Lamarck, 1822 Terebra dimidiata (Linne) , 1758 Terebra maculata (Linne), 1758 Terebra undulata Gray, 1834 Cypraea arabica Linne, 1758 Cypraea annulus Linne, 1758 Western Samoa turned out to be a delightful expedition, guiet, good collecting, and the comforts of civilization which were by this time very welcome. We're glad to have missed the plane. BOOK NEWS Carola M. Hertz The Club has received A New Mitrid From the Western Atlantic by George E. Radwin and Lcyal J. Bibbey from TRANSACTIONS of the San Diego Society of Natural History, Uol. 17, No. 7, 31 August 1972. Mitra (Pleioptygma ) helenae uas named for our former member, the late Helen Thompson. It uas acquired by our member, Ivan Thompson, from Captain Jack Casey who had col- lected tuo of them in December 1971 from lobster pots on Cay Sal Bank between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The TRANSACTIONS contains, in addition to the re- search and description by its authors, a beautiful color plate of this new mitrid photographed by Dave Mulliner with protoconch drawings by Anthony D'Attilio. This TRANSACTIONS Bill be available for purchase at our next Club meeting. Also received this month is the Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, No. 121, Cirrate Octopods with Associated Deep-Sea Organisms: New Biological Data Based on Deep Benthic Photographs (Cephalopoda), by Clyde F.E. Roper and Walter L. Brundage Jr. This 46 page booklet with 27 photographs of benthic, cirraete octopods adds considerable information to the little studied area of deep-sea mollusks and will be of special interest to those who study the oc- topus. The photographs by U.S. Naval Research Laboratory personnel show the benthic cirrate octopods in their natural habitat in depths from 2,5130 to greater than 5,000m. A complete set of The Weliger (^ois. 1-14) has been received from an anonymous donor. Our thanks for this valuable addition which will be placed in the library as soon as they are bound. A complete set is already available and this writer is surprised that it is not checked our more often. We are now exchanging publications with the Philippine Ghell Club. Former issues of their publication Philippine Shell News are in the library and we are happy that this club has begun publishing their News once again. T^e new issues will be in a pink binder. We will continue to exchange with Molluscan Digest. Private subscriptions of this publication can be arranged by writing to Jack Brookshire, 2962 Bqlboa Ave., Oxnard, Calif. 93030. LOG FROM THE AMERIPAGOS EXPEDITION (Third installment) By Dave Mulliner March 5 Santa Cruz Island Darwin Rearch Station. The flight from Guaquil to Baltra Island by a TAME Airline DC-6 took three hours. We are now 650 miles to sea from Icuador. There are fifteen major island: in this archipelago; the largest is 80 miles long. Mike Harris from the Darwin Station met us; he had recieved our radio message and had a fishing boat there to take us to Santa Cruz Island. Dr. Cramer, the director of the Darwin Research Station, met us at the dock and took us to the dorms where we met the other members of our expedition and Sir George, the land iguana. March 6 Darwin Station Breakfast in the main dining hall built on the edge of the sea overlooking Academy Bay. We visited the DeRoys across the bay, saw their shell collection, and enjoyed the hospitality and shell collecting advice of this wonderful French family who have settled in the Galapagos Islands. We stopped at the Angermyers for some more advice and to see their shells. Most of the Darwin Station collection was donated and set up by Carmen Angermeyer. After lunch, we snorkled near the station and up at the fish traps. We found very few shells close to the shore because of the underground infusion if fresh water into the bay. In the evening, Dr. Cramer asked us all to his house where we drank beer and yakked; this was our Saturday night out. March 7 Darwin Station The Galapagos Islands are volcanic desert islands lying on the equator. The shore and lowlands are cactus and shrub brush. Today, we hiked to the highlands, the path cobble vol- canic stone. We passed through desert gradually changing to poplar trees, tropical undergrowth, and then to tall balsa trees. The little village of Mar Vista is four miles up the mountian. Here it is green from the rains; avocados and bananas growing and hers of cattle are seen in the lush grasslands. Three of us headed up the mountain where the cross is, and in the high meadow, saw beautiful deep pools of water surrounded by tropical vegetation. March 8 Darwin Station We headed for a small island just outside the bay to snorkle dive. The water was rough and deep; even 20 feet from the shallowest shore the water was over 25 feet deep. Twila made two dives and brought up two badly encrusted Murex princeps. Then on to the bay near the DeRoys and found some cones and Thais moloni Spent the evening shooting pictures of shells and nudibranchs in the lab. March 9 Darwin Station Headed for a cove six miles from the S ation in Lopez’s boat, a twenty-foot sail type boat with a motor and no keel; it pitches and rolls wildly in the lightest seas. The cove was pure mud; visibility about 4-inches. Large Purpura columbrias were high above the tide in the rocks; this was the only shell collected. We received word that the boat Mallarca with ou equipment is still in Guayaquil and won’t leave for another week. We pickled nudibranchs and worked in the lab. March 10 Darwin Station Seven hours aboard 3 $mall fishing -boat headed for Sullavan Cove on Bartholome Island. The crow caught a • Tuna, trolling. After it quit raining, we had fish and rice for dinner. The boat dropped us and camping gear on the beach. We set up camp and wandered along the tropical beach in the light for a brilliant moon. The mosquitos and gnats are awful; some of the spray repellants help; mosquito nets are essential. March 11 Sullavan Cove We dove in front of the camp and came up with cones including C. dalli, Thais moloni , and Murex princeps . We snorkled and shore collected in Bartholome Cove on the other side of the island. Fishing is easy; just swim out over the reef and lower a hook and line beneath you in front of the fish that is about the right size and good to eat. I cought two nice fish for dinner this way. It's raining again; Twila and Jackie braved the warm shower to finish cooking dinner Good conch and crab cocktail, potatoes, and fish. March 12 Sullivan Cove Bright tropical sun; coffee, cookies. We headed for Bartholome Cove and cool shade. I have an ear infection, so couldn’t go in water. Gale got some good nudibranchs tide pooling; Twila and Jackie are out snorkling March 13 Sullivan Cove The sea turtles have been laying eggs under the bushes in the sand in both coves; we took pictures of them. Carolyn found Scalina billiana in the tide pools under rocks. I caught one lobster. Some cones were collected. The fishing boat Cristo Rey arrived to take us back to the Darwin Station. The adventure of camping on a desert island will be remembered for a long time, including the mosquitos, gnats, sand, and rain. ANOTHER NAME TO CHANGE By Clifton Martin In the recently published work, ’’The Geology and Paleontology of the Marine Pliocene of San Diego, California (Paleontology: Pelecypoda ) " , by Leo George Hertlein and U. S. Grant, IV; Memoir 2 (Part 2B) of the San Diego Society of Natural History, a name change has been indicated in a species of the recent Pectinidae, pp. 211 - 212. Hinnites qiqanteus (Gray) = Lima qiqantea Gray, 1825 In Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History, Vol. 5, No. 9, February 29, 1928, Hoyt Rodney Gale proposed the name "Becten (Chlamys ) mul tiruqosus” for this species because of the earlier Plaqiostoma qiqantea J. Sowerby, 1814. He considered Plaqiostoma to be a subgenus of Lima , making Gray's species a secondary homonym. However, Plaqiostoma J. Sowerby, 1814, was originally proposed as a genus and is so used by many authors and as such Lima qiqantea Gray is not a homonym, therefore the specif ec name '’qiqanteus,, is valid. To guote Hertlein and Grant, "If the name Hinnites giganteus be aban- doned the next available name is "Hinni ta" poulsoni Conrad. This name is not a homonym of the earlier Pecten poulsoni Morton, as believed by Grant and Gale". From SEA SECRETS QUESTION: While diving in waters off Jamaica, I frequently observe helmet shells with the growth stages completed, but never any in a partially completed growth stage. Where he these snails go to add a growth stage and how long does it take? Also, what is the age of a fully frown helmet shell? S.S., Jamaica, West Indies. ANSWER: Helmets retire to some quiet place when new growth is to be added to the shell. To the best of our knowledge, no one knows how long it itakes for a helmet to reach maturity, because controlled laboratory experiments have not been carried out with these snails. NOTICE — NOTICE The San Diego Shell Club is sending Nola Michel to represent our collectors at the meeting of the State Fish and Game Commission on Oct 6 1972. This meeting is the meeting in which proposals for changes to the existing regulations should be given. We would like to have our members in Calif, get the following page filled with signatures of adults, and mail it to the return address on the other side. We will see that they will reach the F. & G. Commision. If each one of you will sit down and write a personal letter, that too would probably mean much in the eyes of those who have the power to change the law. As the Executive Secretary of the F. &G. Commission stated in a letter to Mr. Walter Sage, of Kentucky, "At such time as California's conchologists indicate that the present regulations are imposing unnecessary restrictions on their activites, the Commission will consider amendment of its existing regulation." So write to this man and tell him how you feel. The address is, State of Calif. Fish and Game Commission Leslie F. Edgerton, Executive Secretary 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento, Cal. 956 14 If any of you can personally attend this meeting, by all means do so. It's on Oct. 6 1972, 9AM; Auditorium of the Resources Bldg., 1416 9th St. Sacremento, Ca. Other meetings ace being held also. I understand ' they are to be open to the public. OCT 6, 9:00 AM, Auditorium of the Resources Bldg., 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento, To receive proposals for changes in the existing • regulations . NOV. 3, 9:00 AM. Board of Supervisors Chambers of the County Court House Bldg. Redding, To discuss changes recommended at the Oct* 6th meeting. DEC. 8,9:00 AM, Room 1138 New State Bldg., 107 S. Broadway, Los Angeles. To adopt changes in regulations which will become effective MAR. 1, 1973 We hope that some of you will be able to attend at least one meeting! We are in favor of preserving our beaches and intertidal areas. We feel that the existing law does not completely do this. The hoardes of students in classes, not wise to the ways of marine life are doing far too much damage. They leave rocks overturned, exposing the young and minute aggs of many species — leaving them to die in the dry heat of the sun. This alone can ruin an intertidal area. Also, The persons out after the octopus for food will squrit ammonia or sodium hypolarite (bleach) into the lair to get the animal out. This does much damage to the intertidal marine life. We feel that by having the serious collector on the beach, much of this may be previnted. We don't stand by and watch this happenl We feel that the amateur collector does add to scientific knowledge. Many collectors maintain marine aquariums for observation and the data is valuable. Much of this data along with collecting observations find their way into scientific journals, ie The Veliger, Calif. Malacozoological Soc. Inc.; The Echo, Western Society of Malocologists ; The Festivus, Sna Diego Shell Club^ Inc. We believe the collector who belongs to a club or scientific society is aware of intertidal conservation. It is our opinion that there should be na amateur scientific collectors permit, available either by written request or as an additional stamp on our fishing licensis. Limits should be set at a maximim of four of any one species a day. Persons applying for a permit should be affiliated with a scientific organization or club, or be recommended by a scientific institution, ie Natural History Museums. We feel that the knowledgeable collector on the beach can help to preserve our marine habitat and educate the public. NAME ADDRESS PHONE <72001 B8» 'vj ‘i‘N ‘W* MB« 3tSTH I,^bw jo tunasn^i *wv -ap *PI0 ®®1TTTM -aw ™ FESTI7US SAN DIEGO SHELL CLUB FOUNDED 1961 • INCORPORATED 1968 Museum of Natural History - Third Thursday - 7:30 P.M. President: Clifton Martin Vice President: John Michel Recording Secretary: Clifford Martin Corresponding Secretary: Jeanne Pizor Editor: Blanche Brewer Annual Dues : Single Membership, S3. 00 - Family, $4.00 - Corresponding membership, $2.50- Overseas corresponding, $3.50. Payable to San Diego Shell Club, 2437 Aster St., San Diego, Ca. 92109 Vol.III NOVEMBER 1972 No. 11 PROGRAM for November 16, 1972 Underwater Film on barrier reefs of British Honduras Filmed by A1 Giddings, presented by Bud Hazen DECEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY at Mirmar NAS, CPO Club*- Red Robm, DEC 22 No-host bar at 6 PM - Dinner at 7:30 PM Reservations Only Prime Rib - $4.50 Steak & Lobster (same plate) $5.50 Send all reservations to John Michel, 4758 Mt. Cervin Dr. San Diego Calif, 92117. Reservation accepted until Dec 15. MARINE BIOLOGY IN ANTARCTICA by Gordon A. Robilliard "You should have seen the one that got away!" Adelie penquins near McMurdo Station. These small (10 - 14 inches tall) birds, resplendent in their "tuxedos", are unafraid of people and will come right up to you. They feed primarily on small fish and euphausiids or "krill". Text on following pages Study of the marine benthic communities of polar regions, especially the Antarcric is a virgin field for a hardy and enterprising biologist. The marine environment is so rigorous and adverse as to be unique, both in its physical characteristics and in the animals present. It was this combination of characteristics that prompted Dr. Paul Dayton, now a professor at Scripps, and myself to do a research project near McMurdo Station, Antarctica while we were graduate students at the University of Washington. We phanned to study the effects of predation by large motile predators such as seals, fish, starfish, gastropods, and other on the sessile benthic fauna, i.e., hydroids, sponges, clams, bryozoans. Secondarily, we intended to: inventory all the species that we saw; deter- mine their size-frequency and population size; describe their feeding hab- its, behavior, and natural history; collect representative samples of most species; and photograph as many as possible. After ”we began the project, we found it necessary to determine the respiration rates and several other physiological parameters of the major species present. This ambitious research program was executed in October - December, 1967 and 1968, by scuba diving under what might be termed "rigorous" conditions. Water temperature was about 28°F (-1.8°C) year round, and 6-8 feet of ice covered McMurdo Sound while we were there. Horizontal underwater visibilit ranged from 600 feet in October to 200 feet in early December to two feet in December 18 (at which point we departed for home). The standard "Farm- er John" wet suit was slightly modified in deference to the colder water, but relatively few other equipment modifications were necessary. Fig. 1 Blasting a hole in six feet of sea ice prior to a dive. Mt. Erebur, an active vol- cano, is in the back ground. 3 Fig. 2 Juvenile Weddell Seal using our diving hole in the heated fish house as his breathing hole. This friendly yearling was later displaced by a large, agressive bull seal. We occasionally made open-air dives through cracks in the ice, but we usually we blasted a hole in the ice (figure 1), pulled a 10x20 heated fish house over it, and dove through a hole in the floor (figure 2). Almost invariably, the curious and friendly Weddell seals would be attracted to this hugh ’’breathing hole” giving us a diving partner whether we liked it or not. The first dive in the Antarctic waters is breathtaking, partly from the cold shock and partly from the fantastic soze, form, color, and diversity of the benthic fauna that is visible in the crystal-^clear water. Except for several species of jelly fish (figure 3), there is almost nothing in the water column until the December plankton bloom, hence the clarity of water. The dominant organisms in terms of space occupation or biomass per square foot are sponges (figure 4) up to six feet tall and four feet in diameter. Solitary and colonial hydroids, gorgonians (figure 5), sea . Fig. 3 Gotcha! This hugh jellyfish is about three feet across and has tentacles which may be up to 80 feet long. During the first year, we saw this scene repeated several times. The jellyfish float around with their tentacles hang- ing down in search of prey. When the jellyfish reach shallow water, the tentacles drag on the bottom accasionally coming in contact with these voracious sea anemones. The anemone grabs the tentacle and effectively "reels” itself down to the anemone which is solidly attached to the bot- tom. The anemones digest the jellyfish with help from predators and scavengers such as other ane- mones, starfish, nemerteans, and nudibranchs. Fig. 4 Space Competition. The slow- growing red sponge is being overgrown by the fast growing white "Slimey" sponge. The "Slimey" sponge, named for the copious amounts of mucous produced , may grow to more than 1.5 yards across in just a few years and we observed several situations where it had overgrown other sponge. anemones, tunicates, bryzoans, tubeworms, and huge pycnogonids ( =sea spiders' are interspersed on and between sponges, or crawling over them. Crabs are conspicuous by their absence and, with the exception of the bivalve Limatu! hodysoni , the prosobranchs Neobuccinum eatoni (Figure 6) and Trophon long- staff i , and several species of nudibranchs (Figure 7), molluscs are sur- prisingly uncommon. Fish are rarely seen swimming in the water column. Instead, the small, common, sculpin-like fish tend to hide under sponges, in crevices, and other holes. We were fortunate in seeing an "ice" fish or "bloodless" fish (Figure 8), so called because it lacks any red pigment in the blood. All in all, the color, size, and diversity of marine animal: was surprising, the more so because we like most people, envisioned the cold Antarctic as being a marine "desert". Briefly, our investigations showed that biological interactions in the Antarctic benthos were comparable to any other marine environment on the time scale was much longer. A four inch starfish might be 100 years old; the large sponges might be 5 - 10,000 years old; a large starfish moved three feet in one year and several moved not at all, other starfish took over two months to eat an urchin; a seal’s head didn't decay noticeably in at least a 15 month period, and man-made articles such as cans, oil . i drums, etc. had not corroded even after 10 - 15 years in salt water. How- ever we were able to determine that predation by a small starfish Odontast( validus (Figure 9) plus competition for space by certain sponges (Figure 4 determined the ecological community structure. Predation by other starfisl and several molluscs, expecially nudibranchs, on sponges was also very important. Much of this information has been or is being published in several sci- entific papers. Much more work has to be done fefore the marine benthic ecology will be fully understood and appreciated, but be hope that we have at least provided a basis for this work. *1 Fig. 5 Pink Whip gorqonian and Sabellid tubeworm at 140 feet near Cape Evans. These ani- mals plus sea urchins and starfish shaown are sommon aminals in this muddy-gravel area. [ Fig. 7 Notaeolidia gigas . This large (up to 5 inches) Eolid nudibranch is considered to be one of the most primitive ' Eolids. Its prey consists of med- usae, stalked hydroids, and the small white stoloniferan anemones shown here. Fig. 6 Gastropod ( Neobuccinum eatoni ) at 40 ft. near Cape Evans. Their prey was not determined altohough they may have been eating the bivalve Limatula hodysoni . Fig. 9 Pile On! The large tunicate was originally attacked by the two yellow lamellarians which drilled holes in the tunic to reach the soft insides. The scent of escaping body fluids at- tracked the voracious scaveng- ing starfish that have "piled on" to get their share of the meal . Piq . 8 "Ice" fish. These so-called "bloodless" fxsh lack haemoglobin in their blood; the blood and therefore the gills are white rather than red. -hey a relatively slow. We caught this small (12 inches) _ specimen by hand and maneuvered it for photography for 20 min. befor releasing it. Very little is known of their natural history except that they eat shrimps and small fish. LOG FROM THE AMERIPAGOS EXPEDITION (Fourth installment) by Dave Mul liner March 14 - Galapagos Islands Took the Cristo Rey fishing boat to Floriana Island, porpoise following us part way, riding our bow wave. Arrived in Post Office Bay alongside the luxury tour ship, the Linna A, and a New Zealand Sail boat. Mike Harris from the Darwin Station is acting as tour guide and his asked us aboard the Linna A. The tour group were from Cincinnati sponsored by their zoo. March 15 Snorkled in the bay near Devils Crown - collected Terebra, Neosimnia , Murex princeps . and Facilaria princeps (which make delicious cevechi ) . Visited the post office barrel on Post Office Bay - mailed letters and shot some pictures. Back to Devils Crown for more diving and shore coll- ecting. Bill Old and Gale Sphon found Lobiger , Berthelinia chloris and Chiton goodallis . We found cones, thais and murex. Headed back for the Darwin Station. March 17 The Mallorca arrived from Guauaguil with our equipment. This is quite an occasion for the islanders. Mail and packages, food, and even cattle are brought from the mainland about once a month. Spent all after- noon uncrating and working on the equipment. We can now dive on hooka and with tanks. The dredge will require mounting and rigging before it will work . March 18 Pilled the scuba tanks with the compressor - invited Andre Deroy to go with us. Dove to 100 feet on a reef in Academy Bay. Andre got a clump of black coral. Spent the rest of the day working on the dredge, and one hooka. March 19 Took the French diver Max to a collecting spot in the bay. Used both scuba and hooka. This was a good sandy bottom collecting area. Get- ting ready for trcp around the islands. March 20 Plaza Island - We were greeted by seals - a mother and baby had to be chased off the landing dock so we could go ashore. On the islands were many iguanas, nesting tropical birds, and the swallowtail sea gull. We shore-collected and dove along the steep rocky slope of the island. A shark followed me up from deep water to where the others were hooka diving he lay in a sland pocket and just watched us shell-collecting. We saw several sea snakes and very large moray eels. The water here is clear and warm on the surface but cools off quite rapidly as you descend. to be concluded in next issue J an . 7 3 y KNOW YOUR FELLOW CLUB MEMBERS by Clifton Martin This paper is the result of a request that I write an article for The Festivus based on those members of our club who have had shells named for them or who have themselves described new species of mollusks. It became obvious quite soon that such an assignment would be impossible to completely fulfill due to the limitations of my research facilities. It was also apparent that many of the members of our club who have made a significant contribution to the study of mollusks would be ignored under such a limitation. I have, therefore, altered the original purpose of this paper to include those who have made such contributions and to give a brief synopsis of work they are now doing or have recently completed. It should be pointed out that our club has three types of membership. These are Regular Members, Corresponding Members and Honorary Members. The contributions mentioned herein have been made by all three types of members . Dr. Joshua Baily, of La Jolla, who is an honorary member of our club, has made vast contribution to the study of mollusks. Neither my research facilities or limited space would permit a complete listing of the many papers he has published. A few of the shells named for Dr. Baily include one generic name, genus Bailya Smith, 1944, which is in the family Buccinidae. Dr. Baily is the author of genus Maxwillia Baily, 1950, which has recently been shown to be a subgenus under Aspella Morch, 1877. Some of the shells named in honor of Dr. Baily are Barbatia bailyi (Bartsch 1931), Cyclotremiscus bailyi (Hertlein & Strong, 1951), Nassarius bailyi (Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932) and Solariorbis bailyanus Pilsbry & Olsson, 1952. Dr. Baily is a charter member of the San Diego Shell Club and is a re- search associate in malacology at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Emery P. Chace and Elsie M. Chace. Recently, at the annual meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists , at the University of Redlands, those of us from the San Diego area were very pleased to renew our acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. Emery Chace. To those of you who may not know them the Chaces are both charter members of our club and both hold honorary membership cards. Mr. Chace was Curator at the San Diego Museum from 1954 until he retired. It was in the performance of his duties a Curator that many of us remember him best. He was always ready to assist the collector as well as the serious student with their molluscan problems. Since his retirement the Chaces have made their home in Lomita, California. Because of their long and continued interest in molluscan studies, begin- ing in 1910, it is not surprising that many new species have been named in their honor. These include genus Chaceia Turner, 1955, one of the genera for his researches on Olivella biplicata, which culminated in his paper, Growth Study in Olivella Biplicata (Sowerby, 1825), published in The Veliger, Vol. 11, No. 3, January 1969. His studies were made over a perioc of nine years and a large part of these studies were made in the flood control channel adjacent to the entrance to Mission Bay. Fay Wolf son and Billee Dilworth, of our club, assisted Dr. Stohler in this work from the begining and before it was completed almost all of our members had parti- cipated. It is in the capacity of an administrator that many people know him best. His outstanding knowledge and ability, combined with a boundless energy, has made it almost imperative that he serve in this way. Those of us who were privileged to sit in at the formation of the Western Society of Malacolotists , in 1968, know that the successful launching of that or- ganization was due mostly to the influence and ability of Dr. Stohler. Since he has been it's Editor-In-Chief from the begining he deserves full credit for the unique status of The Veliger, the vehicle of the California Malacozoological Society. His insistence on a standard of excellence has made The Veliger the finest publication of it's kind in the field. Dr. Dwight W. Taylor, Research Associate in Paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum, has published many papers in terrestrial, fresh-water and brackish water mollusks, expecially those of western North America. All of us who are interested in these shells are familiar with at least some of his work since he has probably contributed more to this field of study in recent years than any other worker. Since a large part of the area in which he has worked has had little or no scientific cover- age it was almost certain that a large number of new species would be founc This has been the case. Among new generic names authored by Dr. Taylor are genus Coahuilix Taylor, 1966, genus Mexipyrqus Taylor, 1966, genus Mexithauma Taylor, 1966 genus Nymphophilus Taylor, 1966, and genus Palud- iscala Taylor, 1966. In his paper, A Remarkable Snail Fauna from Coahuila, Mexico, published in The Veliger, Vol. 9, No. 2, October 1966, Dr. Taylor described and named a total of fourteen new species belonging to seven genera. This may give us a hint of what to expect when his new books are off the press. One of his new books will cover the fresh-water and brack- ish-water mollusks of wastern North America ,( including western Canada and most of western Mexico). It's range will extend eastward to include Texas also. The other book will be on the land mollusks of California. At this writing Dr. Taylor is on a field trip to Canada which, it is hoped, will be most successful. Anthony D'Attilio, of the San Diego Natural History Museum, is a regular member of our club. In the many years he has been actively inter- 10 t' ested in mollusks he has made such a vast contribution to our knowledge of them that it would be impossible to list all of his work here. That such a contribution could not fail to be recognized by his contemporaries is attested to by the award he received from the Western Society of Malacologists , at Asilomar, in 1971. This award is not given every year but is occasionally bestowed on those who have made outstanding contrib- utions over a long and continuing number of years. It is the highest recognition given by the W. S. M. and was awarded to him for his contrib- utions, both as a recognized authority of the Muricidae and Coral liophilidi and for his many surperb biological illustrations, which are among the finest in the field and which have appeared in many books and scientific publications whroughout the country. Since our club was the host club for the 1971 meeting of the W. S. M. this award was the highlight of the meet- ing for all of us who were present. During the many years he was with the Department of Living Inverte- brates at The American Museum of Natural History he co-authored many paperj with Dr. William K. Emerson. In many of these papers new species of mol- lusks were described. It was in recognition of his contribution to the study of mollusks that Dr. Emerson named genus Attiliosa in his honor in 1968. Some of the species names he has authored or co-authored are Lati- axi s dalli Emerson & D' Attilio, 1963, Aspella angermayerae Emerson & D'Attilio, 1965, Latiaxis garrardi D'Attilio, 1968, Strombina deroyae Emerson & D'Attilio, 1969, Murexul ) acquelinae Emerson & D'Attilio, 1969, Pterynotus macleani Emerson & D'Attilio, 1969, Murexiella radwini Emerson & D'Attilio, 1970, Paziella galapagana (Emerson & D'Attilio, 1970), Muri- copsis j aliscoensis Radwin & D'Attilio, 1970, Latiaxis santacrusensis Emerson & D'Attilio, 1970, and Haustellum wilsoni D'Attilio & Old, 1971. At present he is awaiting publication of the book on Muricidae which he co-authored with Dr. George Radwin and a paper on the very small Muri- cidae of the eastern Pacific which was also co-authored with Dr. Radwin. William E. Old, Jr., of the Department of Living Invertebrates, Amer- ican Museum of Natural History, is probably as well known to shell collect- ors throughout the United States as any other worker. His painstaking efforts on behalf of the individual with molluscan problems are well known to us all. He has been a corresponding member of the San Diego Shell Club for many years. On those occasions when he has visited San Diego he has always attended our meetings, if time permitted, and has been guest speaker at our regular meetings a few times. In his long and productive carrer with the American Museum of Natural History he has authored or co-authored many important papers pertaining to mollusks and in many of these new species have been named. At least one species, S trombus oldi Emerson, M w 1965, has been named in his honor. A few of the species names he has authored or co-authored are subgenus Lotoria Emerson & Old, 1963, which is in the Cymatiidae , Cymatium perryi Emerson & Old, 1963, Scalptia mercadoi Old, 1968, a very beautiful and unusual Cancellarid that was sent to him to describe and name by Clifford and Waneta Ames while they were in the Philippines. He also co-authored Haustellum wil soni with Anthony D'Attilio in 1971. He was a member of the Ameripagos Expedition to the Galapagos Islands in 1971 and in a large measure was responsible for the great success that expedition enjoyed. David K. Mulliner, Research Associate in Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Natural History Museum, was President of our club in 1967 and Vice- president in 1966. He was the first President of the Western Society of Malacologists in 1968 and presided at the meetings in which that organi- zation was founded. He has given illustrated lectures to our club on many occasions. Although he is well known for his studies of the Opisthobrach- iata he is also interested in all classes of mollusks and has kept many of them in his aquariums for study as living specimens. Equally well known for his supurb photography he has been the official photographer of our club for many years, photographically recording such events as our annual auction and party, our fall party and our Christmas party. It was no surprise to those who know him that he won the highest award for photo- graphy at the Santa Barbara Shell Show this year, winning a beautiful sil- ver trophy and several ribbons. His photographs of living mollusks are the finest to be found and have appeared in several publications. He photographed the plates for the forthcoming book by Dr. George Radwin & Anthony D'Attilio as well as for the recently published paper by Dr. Radwin & Joe Bibbey describing Mitra helenae . At this writing he is making pre- parations for a special exhibit of his photographic work at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Twila Bratcher, of Hollywood, has been a member of our club for many years. Her special interest and work in the Terebridae has made her a recognized authority on the shells of this family. She, together with Robert Burch, made all of the revisions and additions to the section on Family Terebridae in the second edition of "Sea Shells of Tropical West America" by A. Myra Keen. She has published many papers on mollusks and has had at least one shell , Splendrillia bratcherae McLean & Poorman, 1971 named in her honor. Epitonium billeeanum (Dushane & Bratcher, 1965), was originally described by her and Helen Dushane and was named for her sister, Billee Dilworth, who has been a member of our club since it's founding. The first known specimens of this unusual shell were found by Billee while diving off the southwest end of Cerralvo Island in the Gulf of California. Mrs. Bratcher has co-authored the descriptions of many other shells. Among them are Terebra allyni Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra brandi, Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra dorothyae Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra hancocki Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra hertleini Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra j acquelinae Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra purdyae Bratcher & Burch, 1970, Terebra shyana Bratcher & Burch, 1970. The Terebra purdyae was named for Ruth Purdy who is a menber of our club and who has been most generous in the use of her outstanding Panamic collection to serious work- ers. Mrs. Bratcher was a member of the Ameripagos Expedition and has collected extensively throughout the world. She has held many offices in malacological organizations. In the Western Society of Malacologists she has served as Exhibits Chairwoman, Member at Large and was itfs Vice-pres- ident in 1971. She has been elected President of that organization for 1973. Two other member of our club who live in the Los Angeles area and who have made noteworthy contribution to the study of mollusks are Rose Burch and Bertram C„ Draper. Both are corresponding members of our club. To- gether with her husband, John Q. Burch, Rose has coauthored many papers pertaining to mollusks and has described several new species. Their pub- lication, "Catalogue of Recent and Fossil Olives", has been a standard reference work to most collectors for many years. Oliva incrassata forma burchorum Zeigler, 1969, was named for them. On of the shells named by them is Homalocantha zamboi Burch & Burch, 1960, perhaps the most specta- cular species of the genus. Bert Draper, President of the Conchological Club of Sothern California in Los Angeles, has specialized in the study of minute species of mollusks. He has given slide illustrated lectures to our club on two occasions and has stimulated interest in the very small shells among several of our mem- bers. He was Chairman of a workshop on the minute shells at the 1972 meet- ing of the W. S. M. which some of us from the San Diego area were fortu- nate enough to sign up for. Together with Dr. R. Tucker Abbott and Twila Bratcher he judged the exhibits at the Santa Barbara Shell Show this year. Currently he is compiling material toward the publication of a work on minute shells. He plans to use photographs of as many holotype specimens as possible and has already photographed thse at the California Academy of Sciences. He will also photograph those in The United States National Museum. Phillip W. Clover, of the United States Navy, was a very active member of our club while he was stationed in San Diego. For the past few years •j he has been on duty in Spain. His collection probably contains more genuine rarities than any other privately owned collection I know of. For many years, in addition to his Navy duty, he has operated a very suc- cessful mail order shell business. He has personally collected shells in many parts of the world, including Japan, the Philippines, Ceylon, the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Spain and the west coast of Africa. He has written several papers pertaining to mollusks and has published " "A Catalog of Popular Marginella Species with Values”. The latter publi- cation having one hundred seventeen species illustrated. He has had one shell named in his honor, the beautiful Lyria cloveriana Weaver, 1963, and has described one species himself, Cypraea (Lyncina) joycae Clover, 1970, which was named for Joyce (Mrs. Phillip) Clover. In a recent communication Phil stated that he plans to return home soon, his tour of duty in Spain being almost finished, so it is hoped that we will see the Clovers at our meeting again very soon. Louis B. Mousley, of the Mousley Museum of Natural History, Yucaipa, California, is a corresponding member of our club. He is deeply interested in all phases of natural history and at least one shell, Melampus mousleyi Berry, 1964, has been named in his honor. Incidentally, the Mousley Museum is well worth your visit, so stop by the next time you are in that area. Since it's founding in 1961 the San Diego Shell Club has had many of it’s members to serve as officers. The following is a list of those who have have held elective offices in our club. Tear President 1961 John Souder 1962 John Souder 1963 Fay Wolfson 1964 Norman Currin 1965 Billee Dilworth 1966 James Stockman 1967 David Mulliner 1968 John Souder 1969 Nola Michel 1970 Carole Hertz 1971 Roland Taylor 1972 Clifton Martin Vice-Pres . David Leighton Fay Wolfson George Metz Billee Dilworth George Hanselman David Mulliner Elizabeth Baker Norman Currin George Radwin Nola Michel Clifton Martin John Michel Secretary Kay Webb Ouida White Priscilla Sloan John Souder James Stockman Carole Hertz Carole Hertz Ruth Book Barbara Good Barbara Myers Barbara Good Clifford Martin Virginia Hanselman Clifford Martin Jeanne Pisor Treasurer Kay Webb Florence Hobbs Barbara Good Clyde Field Clyde Field Jo Blake Nola Michel Nola Michel Nola Michel Carole Hertz Margaret Mulliner Margaret Mulliner Kaytaylor nola michec :t- ! VIN DR. San di i / •. ts*- '-GO CA 92U2 27 3-9083 Mr. Wm. Old, Jr. American Museum Nat. Hist. 79th & Central Place West New York, N.Y. 10024 7 Date Loaned Borrower's *3^ ■r -p- h o ooh o tn <+ P- < C O) ?S® Festivus vol. 1-3 1970-72