1869

THE LIBRARY

p*-.-

POIRIERA

Auckland Museum
Conchology Section

Vol 1

CONCHOLOGY SECTION i^UCIg.AND INSTITUTE MD tJUSEUM

appear at 3 monthly intervals, enlarged and of a new size.

It will contain articles on collecting experiences
of members, an Illustrated paper dealing with some genus, and
regular features, such as new publications, conchologlcal
terms, new records etc.

Yours monthly notice will now contain only what
might be termed business matters, l.e. Notice of meetings.
Field days. Tides etc.

The Committee would be happy to have any suggestions
as to how the publication could be Improved.

September 1 962

EDITOR

VOLUME ^

Pi^RT 1

Farewell Spit as a Source of Conchologioal Material#

P.Climo.

i^lthough through the years I have found the Spit
a valuable source of material, most of my excursions have
proved unfruitful. The difficulty appears to be in striking
the right weather conditions. Gales from the West and North
bring the shells ashore but unless they are accompanied by
rain, any material is quickly covered by wind blown sand,

TTo be on the spot during a storm is best for collecting here.

pqfulcv

C>n Ke.ad (orxdl

Lf3r\<l

Sp>^0»vitKS.

Crte>^Ii . fJi

- ' ,r-

TUcosl^us^.i-^W'

^

■^T

/

>r\Q'^u \arp-^
Olc.PKo^ .

ilar^% ij]

■''4;

'•S' %

”5;' ^ ^

I ^ru jpkA*v,h ^<* •

1

As the tide falls, drifts of kelp are^left strewn at right
angles to the high water mark. They are the best sources of
lightweight shells and minute material.

During the last tTvo years I have collected from kelp
drifts

Cantharldus purpuratus, Barysplra depressa, B. apstralls,
Japthlha violecea».:..rvlcl thoe fpsus, Xenophallp.m pyrpm, Maurea
cunnl'ngharrrl., , P-Qirieyla zeland ica , Tanea zeland lea, Dosinla
~dhus, several -sgiecles of Neogpralep.3- and Epltonlum and
hundreds erf -minute ’specimens of Chlamys zelandiae ( ^ inch)

The larger shells seem to drift -with the continuous
current to the end of the Spit where they collect on low shell
banks, which are the nesting grounds of several sea-birds.

These shell banks, not more than tw'o feet above high water level
have yielded to me Pen ’ on m.andarlnac P.orm,eBj., and scores

of large volutes (^» arabica and he swjr'.nspjiT]7T^ Q'-'id several
beautiful specimens of Charpnla. 0:3cricealXy a Cabestana
spengleri turns upo - '

■ iimong these larger shells, it is hard to find specimens
which still have their colour, but seme although bleached have
been polished to a high gloss by the sand. My most valuable
find from the ccean side of the Spit, has been a perfect
specimen of Coluzea spiralis^

Most of the Golden Bay side of the Spit, has no beach.
Rushes, mud, rotting drift-wood and low intertidal sandy islands
( covered in a sparse growth of Marram) encroach in an irregular
line onto acres of mudflatso The only shells I have collected
from here is Qphlcard elus costellarls which is very common
under driftwood among the rushes.

P’ossil Point, a reef jutting about 75 yards into the sea
at the base of the Spit on the Ocean side, is the best source of
material in the vicinityo The current rolls the shells along
from farther north westwards, and they collect in a backwash
behind this reef. Most are crab-inhabited and the most common
are u-iustrofusus glanSo and i^xmene turbator . I have

also collected,' Buccinulum yittatuy., B, pall jdum, Mayena

australasia. striatum, ■^\oteadrillla wanganuiensls chordata.

Zeatrophon and i^rgobucc inum tumldum.

iill shells mentioned so far have been wash-ups, but there
are large beds of ^ mr^hiefepna sun-t nianmulatum and Splsula
aequilateralis, whic'n c'an be reached at low tide in calm weather,
on the ocean stde<, ,

ht low tide on the Golden Bay side are large beds of Chione
stutchburyi, and less common nmobidesma australe. Bassina yatei.
Myadora st'ciata and IT^tocc ~^bula zeland lea t Below low t/ater can
be found Tawera spissa. and in shallow water, now and again
Ostrea sinuatac

The following is a list of shells that can be collected
alive at fossil Point Pat ell o id a corticata corallina,

Risellopsis varla, Rad j acmea incons oicua, Notirus reflexus.

-3-

Hi atella australis, Maurea puactulata, Bucc i nulum llttorln-
oldes, Benhamina obllguata, Paratrophon patens, Lepsia .
'haustrum, Lepsiella scoblna albbmarglnata, Prototliaca crassl-
costa, MoSiolus neozelanlcus and Lasaea hlnemoa among them,
■Aulacomya maorlana,Mytllua planulatus, M. canaliculus, Nebthals
scalarls, Oantharidella ‘teaselata and several of the more common
'*Top-shellP' 1

““oOo— -

Mr. L. Price, Kaitaia reports a New Record
" i^bout a month ago, I made another interesting find - in the
Cape Karlkari area* One Sunday I was-, .looking over the Cellana
ornato on the way back from fishing, and came upon a solitary
specimen of none other than Cellana dentlculata which was on
top of a mighty big flat boulder at high tide mark, eastern side
of the Peninsula about a mile south of the Cope* It Is a
typical C* dentlculata, U2 m.m* in length - a new record no ,
doubt

( A moat Interesting record for this shell which Is more at
home In the Cook Strait area. We would very much like to
hear from members, who have any other records of this shell from
Northern localities* Incidentally I have seen numerous
sub-recent specimens In the dunes at Cape Marla- Van Diemen.

It does exist fairly commonly at East Cape*

Editor),

Eunaticina cincta (Hutton )

• We have heard that Mrs.I.V^forthy,

recently collected from Msrsden Point, Whangarei, a nice recent
example of this shell, which had previously been on the Doubtful
list.

Dr, Powell in the Mus.Rec, writes of
the original example — " — a stained and rather old* shell of _
large size ( 20 m,m, X 17 m.m.) picked up In beach drift at
Palhla, Bay of Islands by Mr. L.V/.Delph. The species is other-
wise known only from Landguard Bluff and Te Piki, uppermost
Castlecliff Ian ( Pliocene) N.Z. The Paihia specimen may have
come from the same raised beach drift. The rusty
brown staining of the specimen certainly suggests that
source

— oOo-

II

WEST CO^iST HOLmsY.*'

It was 5th January, 1962, and as "usual a young gale was
•blowing in Cook Strait, but aboard the "’Eangittra” , Norman
-G-ardner and son Bernhard and myself wefe happy to be heading
for Picton, with the prospect of a fortnight’s collecting
in the Westport-Karamea area. On arrival we dashed off to
town for a meal, and upon returning v^e were ''pleased to see
our van waiting on the wharf. /•s darkness was-imminent
we pulled into an old camp site a few milee-along the Blenheim
highway, but during the night the weather turned rather nasty,
so by daylight we were rather glad to hasten on our way, head-
ing up the broad f/airau Valley. \ •’ '

Spinning merrily along for some time, we ere suddenly
confronted with a long uphill stretch of newly constructed road
containing two other cars bogged down, partway-up. We pulled
up for a review of the situation. However after helping the
lower car back to firm ground, a tractor put in an appearance
and we were soon towed to the top — from then on it was all
plain sailing.

Not far over the Saddle near Tophouse, we called in to
view beautiful Lake Rotoiti, where we plunged in amongst the
numerous tr out fishermen to search for some freshwater mussels.
Collecting proved to be difficult, the bottom being boulder
strewn with little mud, and only a few dead shells were seen.
Vi/e soon continued on to Murchison, where we made enquiries
after Brian Bird, but were told that he is now located in
Motueka,

Luckily by now the sun was shing hot and strong, so well
into the Buller Gorge we spread out our damp gamping gear
to dry, while lunch was on. Late afternoon found us on the
West Coast near Granity, and as the tide appeared to be low,
we stopped at Nikau Point another mile north, for a quick look.
The situation here is sandy with masses of smooth granite
boulders, and specimens of the following were found

Cellana radians

*' pera

" ornata

Notoacmea porviconoi
” ' scopulina

Paratrophon patens
Lepsiella scobina
Baryspira australis
Austrofusus glans
Mytilus planulatus

Prom here, it is but a few miles to the swift Mokihinui
River and thus to Seddonville, where we called on our old
friend, Mr Harry Johnston who very kindly told us to make our-
selves at home, which we gladly did for the next few days.

n£

dea

abundant

” small
small

abundant, large

abund ant

abund ant.

That evening, maps were brought out and plans discussed, for
we were at last in the heart of the Faraphanta countryc

Saturday was bright and clear, so that a' visit to the
Paryphanta lignaria rotella locality ?;as decided oh, a couple
of miles up the road and into the bush above the old State Mine
Several hours hard woric among the rasor-edged "toe-toe” and
thick undergrowth produced a few dead shells but not a living
specimen did we find. The follovi/ing day proved to be not
much better, when, in company with Harry, we had a look ac
Radcliffe Ridge, the locality for Pr lignaria johnstoni, though
here a few living ;]uveniles were seen but not collected, in
the fern alongside the edge of the bush, Down near the flats
in thick fern above the read, several live hybrids were found*

On the 8th, after cros.' ing the Hok?.hinui Bridge, several
like-looking spots were triea on the winding road up to Karamea
Bluff for the beautiful, P. lignaria lignaria* hgain our lurk
was rather poor, only two or throe lining and some good dean
shells turned up,. There wore many dozens of specimens '’..j-iug
around everyw/here, vaost being completely ruined due to those
Terrors of the Timber I the \7ekaSo = , having done the" r dirty
workS^ From here, only a short distance down, the rood, is
Corbyvale, where w;a met a local farmer, wuio kindly ga /e us
further advice* Vie struck off across his farm to the head-
waters of nearby Palls Creek, where signs of P, lignaria lusca
were soon in evidence* This subspecies pro"''ed to be (^uite
common, most shells being dead, thoagh in coraparativel'^ fresh
condition* n peculiar feature here being that the shells v/ere
almost untouched by the wekas.,

Tuesday 9th, we sped back to Westport, w/here a :."ental car
was collected, then out to the local „-;irport to await the
arrival of Mrs .Gardner and son lieith from Auckland., As we had
time to spare a visit was made to nearby Carter’s Beach, but
it proved to be fairly bare, cnly the fell. owing common items
being collected .

Spisula aequilateralis ( washed up jomplete)

V )sinia subresea ( ” ” ”

hmphidesma subtr iangula Lum ( ” ” ”

Our party now complete, away 7\/o went nci.th to the coast
again, through Seddonvill.c, cu over the Rangco- dropping down
to the coast once more at the L_ttl e Wanganui River, and thence
12 miles to Karamea, 'nhich w'as to be our headquarters for the
coming week*.

Next morning, from a pleasant camp
the Oparora River, yust north of Karamea
a track to look for the dark ? lignaria
long and hard before iinding a few li^'-e’
were on the track itself, ■ under clumps

site on the banks of
, w;e took a stroll up
annectens* Wc hunted |
specimens; a.,d these
of tussock*

6-

The floor of the forest hereabouts yigs almost bare of under-
growth etc, due, no doubt, to numerous deer, consequently
the ever present wekas have given the poor snails- a terrific
hiding.,., a, sad story,' all too common we found, in many
localities^' During i;he afternoon we scouted around liaromea
for po-ssible information on the Upper liaramea Slver, and
were lucky to find a farmer, a kee'h deerstalker/ Vi/ho knew
all about snails in this area, •• 'r

'Veather being favourable, Norman and I ?/ere s.way
early the following morning, and after leaving the van at
the end of 'the road, donned packs, took to our scrapers
and four hours, sweated it out, Nor and hour or so the track
was quite good, but it began disappearing with ever increasing'
frequency until, for the last couple of hours we were boulder-
hopping beside the turbulent wa.ter, 3y this time, well above
the mouth of the wild Kakapb', we had arrived at a deep dark
pool, across which we swam, pushing our lilos before us with
our clothes on board, x^'rorn this spot, was oust a short hike
up a side creek where we soon found signs of Paryphantas. Here
again the confounded wekas had been at work, but during the
afternoon we managed to find some nice live specimens u'nder
clumps of blechnum fern. New this particular species, \7ith
a large shell, axially banded in orange and black, has been
named as P, ligqaria oconnori, but it is now thought to be
distinct. It has, I believe, also been recently collected on
the Vi/angapeka Saddle^by a party from the Canterbury liuseum.

Upon re'turning to the banks of the Karamea near sunset,
we recrcssed and set up camp on a sandy beach,- • In the morning
we hoped to have another look around the vicinity. However at
the crack of davm, down came the rain, so we took off for home
at a fast hop.,, just as well too, for it rained continuously
for the next two days and nights, and the Karamea comedown in
high floodl On arrival, back at civilization after a soggy
tramp, we were rejoined by I.irs.G-ardner and .the boys, .-s camp-
ing was definitely out, we made a few enquiries around and were
lucky to obtain the use of a vacant house close to town. Here
we-holed up for ,the next couple of days while it rained as if
it would never stop, though we- d id have mushrooms for break-
fast, dinner and teal

On Saturday the 13'i^b, though still pouring, we had a
look in a small stream nearby which was packed with fine fresh-
water mussels, 01^ the elongated variety, near to Hyridella
m a^iesi. In "the afternoon we decided to try the rocky point
sojth side of thd Little i/anganui Diver moutht, but as we were
obliged to cross G-lasseye Creek which also, joins in here,- we
were foiled gg swift and deep. However, on the

track alongside the creek, "“we were surprised to find many
freshly dead P. lignaria lusca, with the odd live specimen
here and there, so that our excursion was not entirely
unrewarded,

lit last the old sun shone again next morning, so we
went back several miles north to the Oparara Diver to Break
Creek for

-7-

anothej> hunt for P, lignaria annectens.

Here we found another former who kindly took ue up onto
the ridge near his house, where some fine large snails were'’
seen feeding after the rains, ( one beauty was actually fasten'
ed onto a hefty 6 inch worm !) The wekos had been active here
also, although not nearly as bad as at the Oparara River, per-
haps due to the much thicker ground cover.

Came Monday "l^th, and it was time to be heading back to
Seddonville, On the way we turned off for another try at Little
Wanganui Point, and this time we were successful. It was found
to be an interesting place, particularly for limpets, the
terrain being a jumbleo mass of boulders backed by high cliffs.,
here we collected the following species...

Cellana radians

'* ” ” perana

ornata

Patelloida corticata

” ” ■' " corallina

Notoacmea pileopsis
” daedala

” helmsii

Siphonaria zelandica
Benhaminamobliquata
Melagraphia aethlops
Gavodiloma coracina
Zediloma arida
■ ” digna

" atrovirens

Lepsiella scobina
Lunella smaragda
Buccinulum multilineum
Mytilus planulatus
^ulacomya maoriana

( extremely variable
( large, clean
( small

J VERY SwIALL

( small, clean
( small
( large

( large, clean
( large, clean

( 1) ii

iu u

large

small

clean

n

Back at Seddonville, Mr Harry Johnston again made us wel-
come, not even turning a hair at the sudden invasion of an extra
5 travellers partaking of his hospitality .... in fact, he tells
me he feels all the better for it.

The following morning in company of Harry, we took a run
up into the back country to the Charming Creek mine, then a
tramp along the tramway to a further colony of P. lignaria .
^ohnstonic Here we were most happy to note that none had been
touched by the wekas ... a very pleasing find in these parts*
The shells were in no great abundance, perhaps the lives vier;e
well hidden away duo to 'the abnormal dryness. We found very
few, plus some good empty specimens, after' a long searcho

-8-

Wednesday 17th we spent poking around on the north jjide
of the Mokihinui River, in the hills near .the mouth, for fhi.rther;'
P. lignaria. G-ood shells were particularly diffinalt to find,
as"the wekas had again cleaned them up wholesale,^ and in addition,
the area is being milled for timber, which isn' t helping the
snails to survive either, iilong the north bank towards Sed.lon-
ville, were many bits and pieces of mixed hybrids, but nary, a
living soul to be seen, hlong here is a small side creek, we
found . more freshwater mussels of the Homenziesi type, rather
smaller and thinner shells than those from Xaramea,

For the last day 'of our stay hereabouts, we motored
down the coast a' short distance to the vic.init?/ of.liikau Point,
and while Mrs Gardner and the boys amused themselves on the beach
Harry took Noimian and myself away up onto the range behind ;
to investigate conditions amongst the Paryphanto lignar.ip fo'-natoni
there. However, after several hours, we. were most d isappclnt.ed
to see nothing but ruined shells throughout, and it appears that,
the colony is now almost wiped out by these birds, despl.t.e. •one
excellent cover of ferns, and tussock,

iind .so time came for us to say farewell to Harry JonnsDon
and his paryphantas, though with regret, after such an in’cercc ling
and enjoyable stay. Once more we sped south to .Westport , .wt'.ere
Mrs Gardner and Bernhard left by plane for home, while Norr..an;i
Keith' and I continued on the final stages back to Wellington:,

That same afternoon we took the coast road between Vrest-
port and Greymouth, finally pulling in to V/oodpecker Bay, near Fox
River, c., amongst .delightfully rugged west coast scenery»
Collecting here "produced ,,

Cellana radians

" ” perana

” ornata • .
Radiacmea inconspicua
Lunella smaragda
•'2red 1 1 oma d i-gn a
iinisbdiloma lugubris

” '* ” lenior®

Paratrophon patens
Mytilus p'lanulabus
Aulocokiya maoria

Patelloida corticata

” pseudocort ? cc/. G

'J corticata coral;. ina

I'Totoacmea pileopsis
Benhamina obliquata... • . .

Melagraphla. aethiops ;

i^rgobuccinum tumidum /
-.Melaharpe cincta ■ *

” oliveri

Cryptoconchus porosus.

Saturday 20th saw us returning through the Buller G^rge
and a few miles north of Murchison, we turned off 8 miles to Lake
Rotorua, a twin to Lake Rotoiti, in f he /Nelson Lakes Natio.nal .Park
Here, in, the crystal water of the lake outret, could be seen manr
very large freshvi/ater mussels,. .butgtoo_ deep to reach? However, I
finally' made the plunge, gasping, in the icy water, and ecVc^ "gj
v\/ith some beauties^ hfter collecting a load of choice yex .ow plum
by the ‘roadside, we carried on over the-saddle to the V/aippu Valle:/'
again, and here at*a place called Red Hil].s, wp noticed a large

pond in vi/hich was flourishing a clump of huge white v^/ater-
lilies. On closer inspection^ this pond proved to be packed
with Physastra variabtlis, Poyamopyrgus antipddum zelandiae and
Sphaerium novaezeland iae, all of which had no doubt been intro-
duced together with the lilies, though now thoroughly establish- .
ed in this unlikely spot,

x.fter our last camp at the V/airau Bridge, we proceeded on'
to Spring Creek, near the Blenheim-Picton highway. Delving ,
along the edge_ of this deep and swift stream, we soon had a ' -•

collection of nice clean specimens of typical Hyridella menziesl
mussels, .alongside the road here, patches of grass and rubbish'-
had been burnt and Norman noticed abundant dead specimens of a
large Charopid,, possibly Charopo coma ••• a surprising habitat
for such as these, . The fbr a look at the local coast line
we decided on Rarangi.., some 14 miles to the north-east of
Blenheim ... where the rocky headlands and shingly beaches of the
Marlborough Sounds begin. Though we had to wait some hours ’

for the tide to recede, we were happy to find the following ,
species,,.,

Patelloida corticata eoraillna
" " ’’pscudocorticata

Buccinulum strebeli
/irgobuccinum tumid urn

iind so it was time to be heading for P'.cton, where at
6 p.m, we boarded the ferry for Wellington, thus bringing to
an end a most enjoyable, though all too brief, "West Coast
Holiday”

Laurie Price. ...

— oOo —

i\ IT]?// SPECIES OP ALCITKOE.

k new species of /.Icithoe, closely resembling the New South Wales
Mesericusa sowerbyi, but more closely allied to ^ ostenf eld i
Iredale. The specimen figured in the collection of Hrs.J.B,
Johnston,

Both this new' species and .A . ostenf eld i have five plaits but _
three of them are more prominent than the other two. >ill other
N.Z. Recent alcithoe have five evenly developed plaits, Mefeerl#
cusa on the other hand has only three strong plaits.

The evenly distributed, not banded, fulminate pattern is
similar to that of Mcserlcuea but the erect protoconoh ( shown
in another specimen belonging to Mrs R.Morgan; is definitely of
iilcithoe style, from ostenfeldi. which has a very faint pattern
in bands or zones, the new species is distinguished by its v
vigourous all over zigzag markings and its elongate shape with^-
attenuated spire. Information given by Dr. i^.W.B, Powell,

For illustration by Mr, Hipkins see next page.

Cellana denticulata
” ornata

Radiacmea inconspicua
Lepsithois lacunosus

11

Pervlcacia>

Pervicacia is a Genus of tlie family ferebridae which
is probably noted mostly for its large colourful shells found
in tropical regions,

TheN.Z. members of the genus are inhabitants of
comparatively shallow water, being found from low tide to about
20 faths. in sandy areas. Three species are known ffom our
shores, two far from the far North, and one vi/hich occurs in both
i^upourian and Cookian Provinces-.

(0» Pervicacia tristis (Pesh)

Grows up to 20 m.m. and has

axial ribs which are evenly spaced. It is grey or brown in
colour with a yellow band above the suture of the whorls. Has
a peripheral band on the body whorl. Occurs around most of
the North Is. and recorded by Suter from Banks Peninsula.

(2) * Pervloacia flexicosta ta Suter

Grows to IS m.m. shiny brown

in colour with a pale band below the suture. The souiptar©
consists of irregularly spaced, flatly rounded axial ribs,
obsolete on the body whorl. No peripheral band on the body
whorl. Cape Maria, Port V'/aikato.

(3) Pervicacia meriae Powell.

father like P. tristis but is

larger and broader resulting in a more squarish aperture. The
axial ribbing is much stronger. Has a broad spiral band of
dark brown on the spire whorls and a narrower one on the base.
Cape Ivlaria, Pandora, iViaunganui Bluff, Ninety Mile Beach.

/Hi'

I

Wfm
\%j

trh'

Pf I
|>p||

' . ' ’ .;.A

!

■ 1

V V"'

:; J- ■.

•• > -v<

) ■■>■■ ' - ■{■

\

\

; d 'Vi!' ;

"' Cd '■ ' » '/'.. •■ •>

ip

.••= ■ ■■, ■

-,;rf

■ ji

. ■

I

12.

^ Coachological Tern;

Nucleus : - The first part

of the shell formed by the embryonic animal. It is seen at
the top of the spire and consists of the protoconch ( the
initial whorl of the gasteropod shell ) - usually smooth and
cup shaped - and the larval whorls plus the beginnings^ ■
of the adult whorls.

There are two main

types, horny and shelly. The horny nucleus is formed
when the larva is in ovi~capsule or egg case.

Vi/hile there, the horny matter begins as a slender cone
or elevated point along the axis of the protoconch. As
the larva grows the posterior part of the mantle secrets
the shelly dome.

The nucleus is not

seen in all univalves for it is frequently eroded. G-enerally
it is so small that a lens is needed to see its surface.

The nucleus is described as being bulbous, trochoform,
melo, heterostrophic ( reversed), lateral, tilted, sinusigera
and scaphalloid.

F

3 IbouS .

f7A

TrOcAoj^Orm .

Hired .

J

f-\

H ^ heros r ropK ic .

f AX / y

r ~ ^

s.

I u S ,i r o ^

( Information obtained from
"IlluscGlossary"by P.C. Burch cc of S.C.)

1i3.

A New Publication

- ,, • Tii'e following paper lias appeared in th.e Eecords

of the^Dominion Museum - Vol,4, No. 3# enti tled''Stud ies in- the
Stewart Is-." Moilusca No, 1 By Mrs. Cedric Smith, Halfraoon Bay,
Stewart ISc . .i ^ '

” An attempt is made to clarify the systematic position
of the named species of Notosetia from .Stewart Island waters.

New species of Eironoba. Notosetia.) Ruapukea, Epigrus. Zerad ina
MD Con .iectura are proposed.''

The paper is well illustrated and is a^ffiust"
for those collectors working on southern shell sand and dredgings.

OVERSEAS PERIODICALS I^NL.

Proceedings of the Philadelphia

Shell Club Vol 1 . No, 6.

' , In i't are two papers of a general

nature and most interesting : -

" Return to New Caledonia " by May Kline.

" Expedition to Madagascar" by Arthur Holmes,

— oOo —

"Seafari'* i^pril ’62 monthly issue of the Palm Beach Country
Shell Cluh, contains numerous short articles on Moilusca of
that area-,

— oOo —

i-^ustralian Newsletter Vol -,9° No, 57
( Malacological Soc-. of .tiustralia)

Is also of varied content. Several titles are listed j-

"The bivalved-gasteropods. "

"Land Snails and Egg Masses
" Comments on Notocypraea "

The above may be borrowed from the Sect ion. -Library for a small
fee.

— oOo —

Vol

-14“

. 1 * Part IT*

DBec ember 1962

Captain Cook* s Imperial Sun Trochus

(i^straea heliotropium)

iAmong the 'plates devpted to conchology in the first
volume of " The Naturalists Repository” published in
1823, Edward .Donovan included two finely coloured
figures of a. pale pink specimen of the shell known as
Astraea heliotropium Martyn together with several pages
of descriptive text,

Donovan was one of the most prolific v?riters on
natural history in the early nineteenth century, and
the general style and phraseology of tbe text is -so
completely characteristic of that period that it may
be of interest to quote part of his descriptions.

TROCHUS IMPERIi^LIS

var roseus

” The history of this curious variety of the
Imperial Sun Trochus is altogether, interesting and . l,- •

deserves explicit mention; it is- one among the
number of those rare shells which were' d iscovered
by that distinguished navigator Captain Cook in -
his voyages round the world. It was picked up in the
Straits that divide N.Z. now d.istinguished after him,
by the appellation of Cook’s Straits. Upon the
return of Cook to England, he presented Sir i^\shton
Lever, among other articles of great curiosity, with
this particular shell, the only one of its kind he had
found. The Imperial Sun Trochus, of an olivaceous
violet hue, the shell which constitutes the type of
the species, though very scarce, occurred occasionally,
but this pink variety only in the solitary instance
before adverted to: it was drawn up adhering to the-

cable of the ship, 'from the depth, as it appeared, of .
sixty fathoms water. •' -

In the general computation of the value of the
various articles in the Museum of the late Sir iishton
Lever, submitted to the government previous to tbe grant
of the Lottery which transferred to tbe possession of that
Museum from its original founder to tbe hands of Mr. Park-
inson, this shell was estimated at the value of one
hundred guineas: and as this value was arbitary, that sum

was considered as the worzh of the shell while it remain-
ed in tbe Museum. iit the final dissolution of this
Museum, which took place in the month of May, June and
July of the year 1806, this shell like the rest, was
submitted to the chance of taste or caprice; It was sold _
on the last day of the sale, for the sum of twenty-three |
guineas, an amount considerably below its former valuat- ,
ion, but sufficient revertheless, to shew that its

library

OF THE

AMERICAN' Vf'ISEUM

OF

natural history

^1-3-

attractions were still great in the mond of the
connoisseur.

The purchaser of this shell was at that time un-
known, subsequently, however, the specimen appear-
ed among the property sold at the residence of the
Duke de Bourbon immediately after the departure of that
nobleman for France, in the beginning of the year 18*15-

The above was taken in part from a lecture by the
late Guy. L. Wilkins given at a meeting of the Conch. Soc.
of Gt. Britain & Ireland. -11-53 and published •• in the
journal of Conch. Vol. 2ij.. No.l.

— oOo —

LOCAL Pi^RS : -

Mrs Worthy reports finding two examples of the
subrecent Anadara trapezia from near Waipu Cove. In
the Brookes’ Collection there is also a specimen from
this locality, together with one from the dunes at
Doubtless Bay.

— oOo —

Incidentally, Mrs Worthy is doing an indepen-
dent survey of Molluscs in the T/Vhangarei Harbour and we
hope that eventually she will have something for us to
run in "Poirieria” .

— oOo —

One of the nicest examples of Xenophalium
labiatum • seen for some time was. sent up recently
by Mrs.Mabey of Okiwi, Great Barrier Is. Lately
she has picked up two specimens, and frequently
finds X, collactea.

— oOo —

The N. Z. Casslds> Part 4 .

Cassidtdae is divided into' three groups, viz, Cassis« /
G-adeod ea & Phalium» • ■' • ‘ .

True Cassis is not known from N.Z«, either fossil or
recent. Caleod ea has been with us- from the Eocene and is
still represented by a single recent species; while
generic derivattves of Phalium are scattered throughout
the Australasian Tertiary and have in 'time given rise to
the genus Euspihocassis, the ancestor of our character-
istic Xeno phalium* which exists^ both in N.Z, and
Australia to the present day.**

The local cassids>ar'e all ‘ active carnivore- and exhibit
a preference for a fine sandy bottom off shore where the
various species of bi-valves upon which they prey, ore to be
found. They bore a hole through the shell of their
victim in the same manner as Natica and Thais.

The embryonic shell has a free swiiTiming larval stage
which explains v;hy identical species occur on each side
of the Tasman Sea, By the way of** the Notonectian •

Current, ■ fresh stock is continually arriving in this-
country to keep the salient ■apecles pyrum and lab latum
true to type, ■' : , i

It is proposed to figure (actual size) in this and
the next issue of ’’Poirierla” , all known N.Z. species
with locality records etc.

Fig, 1 .

• Xenophalium mata i Powell

Found at Breoksea Sound by Dr, A.W.B, Powell ^93hf
while he was on a trip to the Sounds aboard the G-overn-
ment steamer "Matai'' - hence the shell* s-- specific name.

The type specimen is in the iiuckland ■ Museum, and is quite
unique in that it has the characteristic colouring and
outer lip of pyrum, but the overall appearance of
lab i atum though it can in no way be considered a hybrid.

It is a member of the pyrum group but it is
small, more slender, minus nodules and with the columella
callus plate less expanded,

— oOo —

Fig, 2n

X, labiatum (Perry)

Common in N.S.W. but rare over here. It is found
along the East coast from the Bay of Islands to East Cape,
and including Great Barrier Is,. The shell is of striking
colour, the protoconch being pink and the rest of the

-17-

shell a rather purplish shade mottled with browp and orange.
True specimens are perfectly smooth ali' ovef 'and have a
very thick outer lip banded with colour markings and very
strongly denticulate. >

Fig, 5. X. royanum Iredale,

Originally descrobed from the Kermadecs, so is
obviously of northern origin. Possibly not more than a
dozen specimens are known from N.Z. and all were taken
about Whangaroa and Doubtless Bay in crayfish pots - the
shells being occupied by hermit crabs. The shell attains a
height of 5 to 6 inches ’and a breadth of 3i inches,- It
has a heavy appearance and rather tall spire.

Fig, U.

ericanum .Powell

Pound in deep water of Whangaroa and Doubtless
Bay, sometimes in crayfish pots,- Two or three have been
taken by trawlers. It is a bigger shell than pyrum and has
a toothed outer lip. The shell is smooth and tall spired.
Has been taken in subfossil from shell deposits at Tokerau
Beach,

Fig, 5,

h large
feature
seen in

X, finlavi Iredale.

Occurs off the Otago coast in rather deep water,
thin shell with a tall spire. distinguishing .
is the deep grooves just below the suture. Rarely
good condition, ■ -

Figures natural size»

A »K. Hip kins.

Fig.U.

-19-

Fjg:.6r

X.harrisonae P o-w ell

Is from Stewart Is, and which Is rather'. uncoiTimon,
It has ‘the colouring of pyrum, but typical specimens are
entirely without nodules and have a stfongly denticulate
lip, Spir6 and base deeply grooved.

Reprint from Notes by P.TcV/arren =

— oOo —

Mrs R, Duffy has sent in a small series of fine photo-
graphs which we. will arrange to have on show later.

One is of a freak specimen of Struthiolaria papulosa
from Waihi Beach - an odd shell which has produced a big,
continuous flange with an upward slope, on the periphery
of each whorl, resulting in a pagoda like appearance.

Several photos depict a series of Epitonium -like
fossils from Motutara Pfr, Kawhia Harbour, Of these, lirs
Duffy writes " Hochstetter when he went through here found
two species of this shell, and because the second type
was not found again until recently, it was thought that a
juvenile of the first had been described as the second

In addition there is a photo of the primitive
Phyllocrinus furcillatus from the Upper Jurassic of Kawhlao
This, according to Mrs Duffy " is the second specimen to be
found outside Europe, It was found in the Kawhia area In
October ’58® Ib.e first crinoid was found among the fossil
remains in a ..block of mudstone sent to the Geological Survey^,,.

( In case you are not sure what Phyllocrinus is, th'3 ^
information quoted from Wood’s Palaeontology May hblp,.^

" The crinoidea include the sea lilies and feather stars,

The body consists of a stem, a calyx (cup). The stem of .t.he
crinoid is more or less flexible and is sometimes several
feet in length,”

— oOo —

Voluta aulica - , a rather rare volute much sort after by
collectors, probably owes its popularity to its striking blood
re# colouring - a really handsome' shell. Its area of dis-
tribution does not seem to be well defined, though most sps
seem to come from the Sulu Sea, which is between the Philippines
and Borneo. Zamboanga, on the southern end of the island of
Mindanao is often mentioned as a locality. Here the Mom pearl
divers come across them, correspondent on G-uam who handies

quite a few specimens writes ” I have seen four different colour
varieties in aulica 1. a deep blood red, 2, Light orange-,

3. Orange red markings on pink ground colour. Mottle! dark
pink & white with lines the latter type is usually rather wormy.

20-

.Arpphidepma vent.ri co-sum (Oroy, 1843)

To most of US; the mention of Toheroa brings to
mind the long sandy beaches of the West Coast, ~ V\/here
extensive beds of this famous shellfish flourish.

Not a thought do we give to the possible occurrence of the
same shell on the more sheltered eastern shore of the North
Islande

The first inkling I had of the presence of A,
ventricosum on this coast was the discovei’y of a colony
at the northern end of Orewa Beach during :-^ugust ’32®

The specimens were small, averaging about 2 inches
long and very thin shelled, leading us to believe that
they were either recent arrivals on this beach, or were
missing the .more rigorous con j-lt ions of the open ocean
beaches normally their homeo A more rcaert check shows that
still they have not grown to any e^fjent;

On discussing this problem with Mrs Vi/orthy, Mrs^
Seager and Mr» Warren, at a recent meeting, I find that
they, too, have encountered Toheroa in' fairly wide spread
localities on the east coasts.

The following records are known to me

V'/hangaruru
Wa Ipu
L.eigh
Ore'wa

V(,^hangamata

Ohope

i Mrs Seager)^

Mrs.-, Worthy) -
iiroWarren)

Mrs , Card n er , Mr c. Thomson )
MroTaylor)

Mrs., Seager;

The question
or have they been tran^

arises - are these natural occurence
.ported at some time by human agency- .

Vi/hile one or t\;o occurences could hove been the result of
liberation, the widespread distribution as far as the Bay
of Plenty would tend ~o rule this out. Inspection of other
eastern beaches v\/owld no doubt bring to light more colonies
while it would certainly be of interest to know if this
shellfish exists south of East Capec irh.

N- Gardners

— oOo

■ <5 CO

-21

J-l'j

V

^ rj, ^

V

■>,

%

Scintilla stevensoni - Powell

Ttiis rare Pelecypod mollusc is ,ne of some half
N.Z, species all belonging to the family Galeor^mati^-. o
which extends throughout most tropical and oernperato
parts of the world. The shells mostly live from ] ow
tidal areas to .moderate depths, with a few exceptions
which live only in deep waoer; in spite of this they
are seldom found cast up on bec.ches, a probable reason
being their extreme fragilityc Even in dredg: ngs
unbroken individulas are seldom met with,

S, stevensoni was described by Dr, Powell in 193‘^t
from living specimens collected at V’/hangaroa and since then
has been found on rare occasions at one or two other
localities on the East coast of Northland, The first
Leigh record was of two valves collected by myself in shell
sand at Te Here Beach in March 1949* -A valve was found
by Dr. Dell at the northern end of Goat Island Beach in
January 1962. In June of this year Mr,W. Ponder of
j^uckland University made a determined effert to find living
examples and was successful in doing so. The specimens
were ..located well inside rock crevices near low tide in the
consolidated mudstone which forms large areas of rock
platforms at Goat island Beach.

Oansiderable eXe-'tion was necessary to prise off
lumps of rock,^ , and after some fruitless searching a com-
plete individual wqs found^i then after that a whole colony
in which 46 specs were coun'f'ed. The majority of these
were returned to their home, being too- email uo be wdrth
taking. The , adult shells were removed for study, most

being kept alive in fresh sea v;ater for n_ rly a we^^.l sc
good opportunities to study , their movements we..... available.
The adult shell is one half inch long and three-
sixteenths broad at the be 'ks, translucent and shining, semi
transparent. Jin extraore _nary feature of these molluscs
is that when taken alive the shells a: e found to be fully
open and moving about in tnis fashion 7;ith the two valves
uppermost and the animal expanded and crawling along under—

-*25^

neath more like a Gastropod than a Bi-valve. However
as soon as they ore disturbed they close up in the
ordinary way and remain thus with the animal completely
retracted.

Specimens put into a jar of sea water displayed a
fair amount of activity and crawled round the side of
the glass. The animal has a long foot and siphon and wh
when fully extended the mantle covers the outside of _ ■

the shell. The mantle itself is covered with curious
small pointed punctutions a little like those we see on
some species of Hudibranchs, The animal is a clear j

white colour and as it covers both sides of the shell •,./

this ho doubt accounts for the polished and translucent :

appearance of all the specimens examined, r-^,

TheN.Z, species are listed hereunder together with :
all localities known to the writer

t

4 l

Scintilla stevensoni Powell 1932, Tnupo Bay.Whangaroa '

(types)

Vi/hangarei Heads, shellsand T.P.Vi/,

. - 1956. r; ‘

. .. ,i . Goat Is. Beach. T.P.V/., R.K.Dell*,

.3 \ • W. Ponder,,

Tryphena Gt, Barrier Is,

B.Ell iot

Scintillona zeland icus (Odhner 1924) Colville Channel

35 faths.

Hen and Chickens 20 faths
Cuvier Is, 3O-4O faths,

V/ellington Har, dredged R.K.Bell,

Scintillona benthicola Dell 1956,

~ Pitt Is o Chatham Is. 330 faths,

Diveriscintilla maoria Powell 1932

i^wanui Heads. ^.W.B.P (type)
Tom Bowling Bay c: Spirit® Bay
( Shell , sand )

Divarisc int ilia c/f maoria Half Moon Bay

Stewart Is, Mr s.C, Smith,

T ,P. Warren.

— oOo —

The Eu con? In la group of Com:lnclla, Groyc

The name Eucominia was proposed by Dr. Finlay
in T.NoZ.,.:,1 Vol,, ;36 as a hew ;genus to' aover the
Cominellold ■ species nos so idea (Reeve) and its allies.

Some subsequent authors have used it as a full genua
while others have given it a subgeneric rank, so that
it is possible to meet with either usage according to
publicatioiio In the following notes it will be regard- -■
ed as a subgenas of Com.inellh but to save repetition
the species will merely be. listed as E-; nassoides etp.

ft

The Eucominia.s ore surely the most attractive
members of the Cominellidae with the exception of"
the Fax group which arc all deep water shells and
practically unknown to amateur coliectorso True, some
of the group at present under discussion are also from
relatively; deep stations and are of considerable rarfety;,
but most of them are of coastal or shallow water belt,
the chief drawback to their ease of collection being
the fact thao several of them only Inhabit the Islands
to the south of IlrZ, and it is because of this isolation
that w*e do not often see them ;n collections outside
of the museums o

* ' _E> _n as so id es (Reeve) is the most common species
and is founD at most beaches at Stewart Island., This is
a tall spired shell mostly grey or dark brown when in
fresh condition thougfi weathered' shells tui'n rather white.

In life the shell is oftend cove-red: with small alga,

Eo nassoides nodicincta (von Martens) is from the
Auckland Islands and is a shorter s.pired'I shell and , also -
thicker and heavierc It has -a, large yellow proto- •-

conch which contrasts with the whiteness of the rest of
the shell- All the ones lyhave: seoni heve^hsen d ead sps.,
indeed I have' not heard ■ of any live, oVes^bsi.ng taken, so
we can assume that th ,s one lives beyond normal low tide
levels In this species the spiral nodules rather tend to
grow into oxinl ribs.-

E» filhol. 1 Finlay' was proposed to accommodate the
form which is found at Campbell Island but this is now
considered to be Identical with E:,_no^d ijjJjicta., Another
synonymmof this one is Cc veneris (von .Marten's!

Er lreda?uel is the we] I-knoY;n Chatham.s representat-
ive of the groups a large heavy shell With axial ribs and a .‘
big yellow protoconeh- Here again there do not seem to be
any records of live shell. s being collected, though dead
ones seem to be quite comraon • part Icularly at Owengo® A
great rarity from this same- locality is E-~- ellisoni con-
sobrina Powell, which is probably a sub-recent shell. ' So far
as is known, no m.ore :specimens of 'this have been collected
latelyft uu

-25-

E«. .naGsoldes foveauxana Pmvell is the benthic relat-
ive of the Stev;art Island species and is often taken
from the ouster ^ reages. It is a much smaller shell
than nassoides typical and the colour is rather better
being quite a bright shade of brovm. Compared to :
nassoides the aperture is always much wider and the
body-whorl proportionately shorter.

E. ha-ro'ld i Powel.l 1946 is rather a handsome small ' ■

shell with a. buff-brown coat ornamented with white
nodules;.- it is rather like a miniature i red a lei but
as harold i is from the southwestern area of the South
Island and Fiordland there can be no confusing the two
so long as they are from definite localities. Powell
remarks that harold i is easily distinguished by the
uniform dense spiral striations and absence of spiral
cords on the spire whorls.

E. ot-akauica Powell, 1946 is a large deep water
shell from the eastern coast of the South Island
between Otago and Banks Peninsula and is mostly found
at depths' between 20 and 60 faths. The shell has a
taller spire than nassoides and a proportionately
smaller and more rounded aperture. The inside of the
outer lip is always smooth whereas in nassoides it is
nearly always 1 irate. The ground colour is buff
sometimes streaked with reddish-brown, A large spee.
can attain a height of three and a half inches.

E. marlboroughensisPowellt 1946 is a very rare
species from the southern Cook Strait area and is not
much over an inch in height, being rather of the style
of the subfossil elegantula which is a small thin
shell from' the Gastlecliff ian. The shell has axials
rather than nodules and is of a brownish-grey shade
in all specimens I have seen,

very beautiful shell is E. olsoni Dell 1956
which is known only from five specimens all dredged
from the Mernoo Bank ( which is off the Banks Pen.
const) in 40 to> 60 faths. The basal colour of the
shell is a lovely pinkish brown and the nodules are
clear white, the whole shell having a most pleasing
appearance to the eye. The largest specimen in the
Dominion Museum is about two and a half inches in
height, with a breadth of one and a quarter inches.

>\11 the Eucominias so far described are from
localities from the south of Cook Strait, however
there are two or three as yet undescribed species in
our museums and one or two private collections. These
will some day be dealt with when more specimens come to
light, in the meantime it is very interesting to note
that a couple of examples of one form are know'n from
deep water stations in the eastern Bay of Plenty,

he;; P..PEIRS --.ND PUBLICiil'IONS

Native Sea-stars, by Nr.H.B.Pell, published by ri.H. 7 i-i«W.Reed, 7/6

Native Sea-stars is anptherof Reeds’ Nature in N.Z.
series. 'The author has had a large amount of technical
work published as. a result of his study of,, echinoderms ( sea-
stars oc urchins) and in this book he has shown his ability
not only to write in a not-sp-techniical manner for the amateur
scientist, but to illustrate his woi*k with about 50 drawings
of the sea-stars discussed.

The book could be used as an instruction manual by any
one keen enough to start a collection of sea-.stars, or merely as
a means of identifying interesting sea-stars found during a beach
walk. There Is. a guide on how to go about studying and .making a
collection of sea-stars, and insi:ructions on setting up a small
marine aquarium suitable for a schoolroom, even one v/ell sway
from the, .sea o

— oOo —

IvIsRINE SH.ELLS OR THE. V/ESTERN CC.-.ST OR RLORIDA.

Louise M. Perry and Jeanne S.Schwengel.

Revisions and additions to Louise m. Perry’s ’’Marine
Shells of Southwest Coast of Rlorida”c Chapters on general! a,
collection, and pr’eparat ion of specimens v/ith clear, definite
descriptions of species. Beautifull.y illustrated by photo-
graphs in black and white, includ ing- many pictures of egg
capsules, eggs, egg collars, embryonic shells, and embryos of
gastropods.

262 pages, 55 plates, 1955*

Paper bound 6 dollars. Cloth bound, 7 dollars.

(hdd 34 cents for foreign postage),

— — e 0 w — —

Mollusks of the TROPICsL Ef,STEPRi Pj-;CI}7IC.

Particularly from the Southern half of the Panamic-

Pacific Raunal Province ( Panama ‘go Peru)

Pi-.NsMIC-PT.C IRIC PELECYPOD^-i

by

.axel , Olsson.

572 pages 86 beautiful phototype

plates.

Contains thorough descriptions with keys to the living pelecypods
of the area Panoma-Chile<> Sounded on first hand collecting
of Recent and fossil shells of the Central american and South Amer-
ican coasts and of study of type specimens in the Museums of Europe
G-ives a discussion of the eastern Pacific shores, currents, explor-
ers, and habitats based on personal expeditions. 15 dollars 19c

-35-

vYEST CO/. ST MOLLUSKS

Type Specimens of Liarine Mollusca described by
P.P. Carpenter, from the "^est Coast. ( San Diego to
British Columbia.) (Mem.76-G-eol.Soc.i-im. )

by

Katherine V.W. Palmer. . ’

V1+376 pp., 35 pis. 1958;

More than 270 species are discussed, and over ^^0
shells are illustrated including common D'est Coast species.
Distribution of species and nomenclatorial notes on species
and genera are included. Original data on all types of
the Carpenter-' species and historical background of Philip
Carpenter are given.

TO quote : "Essential information, painstakingly

assembled and most beautifully organized".

Cloth bound 8 dollars, 69 cents (including

postage)

— oOo —

The three publications above obtainable from

Paleontological Research Institution '

109 Dearborn Place, Ithaca, New York.

— oOo —

-26-

It is highly probable that- future dredgings
could extend the northern range of the group
still further, while it will’be interesting to -
find what forms still await discovery in the
depths between East Gape and Cook; Strait,

'V. •• . T.P.W."

— oOo —

Some new pamphlets., and booklets of i'.ustralian Recent
and Tertiary Species of the Molluscan Families of
/Australia, author Bernard C, Cotton, P.R.Z.S., Curator
of Molluscs, South iiustralian Museum have been
received,

v These include the following families

Volutidae - sub family Volutinae, '

Olividae

Strombidae ■ •

... . Con id a e •

. ; ■ Mitridae

j , Muricidae ; ' .

Cassidldae ,.■ :■ j .

Potamididae

Buccindae

Fasciolari idae'

Littorinidae ,•

Cymatiidae

Thaididae

Some of these publications are revised from those
printed at i^delaide 195b snd could be of much help
to collectors of /:,ustralian shells.

These may be obtained from Secretary,

Royal Soc. of South i\us
• . . iidelaide.

— oOo-

-21-

WATTLE 3.AY. October 1962
Manakau Harbour Survey e>' " ' ‘ ■ '

G-lorious weather and a low spring tide, 0,0 at
and what more can a conchologist ask-?? Cars were soon on the way
and twenty-two members and friend s ■ looked forward to a good days
shell huntingo

V/attle Bay is reached by a long windy road from Waiuku, and
lies jwst inside the .South Manakau Head. It is a lovely stretch
of sand with some muddy patches, a sandstone shelf and towards
the Head at the western end are large and small rocks. small

reef towards the western end is quite a productive area.

Lunch over, interrupted by a top dressing plane which
persisted in flying off 'the ground about 20 yards away and right
over the heads of the party and their. cars, seemingly close enough
to reach up and toucH, ' and so members split forces some making
their way towards the South Head, and others combing the .nearer rocks
reefs and sandy patches-.

Turning rocks close at hand, juvenile Fenion adustus adustus
(Pljilippi), Buccinulum heteromorphum heteromorphum, Powell were found
both dead and alive, 'In the same area Bo multilineum multilineum
Powell and another specimen of Buccinulum now identified as a colour
variation of Be multilineum. This was an almost white specimen.

On tbe seaweed on the reef and beyond were large numbers
of Maurea punctulata stewartiana (Oliver) ( = urbanlor Finlay)
and less frequently M, punctulata punctulata (Martyn). . The former
were exceedingly fine specimens?

ing

In the sandy and muddy areas as the tide turned tbe follow-
specimens were seen breaking the surface ;

iilcithoe arabica live

Macomona liliana (iredale) live

Cyclomactra.ovata (Orwy)

Myadora striata Q & ^ ” large specimens

Struthiolaria papulosa (Martyn) ” adult.

Struthlolaria; vermis (Martyn) " few specs, more dead.

Zethalia zelan^ica hcAdamso
Baryspira australis

” 1 lone sp.

” plentiful but very small

On and under the rocks almost at the South Head were :-

Cominella quoyana (i-\ , Adams)
Paratrophon cheesemani (Hutton)
Austrofusus glans (Roedlng)
Chlamys zelandiae (Oray)
Janthina violacea (Roeding)
Maurea tigris (G-melin)

live

u

It

” large strongly ribbed
” with raft attached,

” small spo on seaweed
deep down.

-28-

On rock cliffs at liigii tide mark, Siphonaria zelandica
Q & G, and tween tides Cellana radians ( Gta©! in );?, 'ere .found,

Neothais scalaris (Menke) and Perna canaliculus. (.Gmelin)
were fairly -common although small, ■' Lepsiella scobina on^ high
tidal rocks, and Gavldilbma coracina from high to mid tidal rocks,

'■ ■...At the Western end of the Bay one large specimen of Maurea
tigris was found washed up.

In the sandy mud Cominella adspersa Brugiere

'I ” melo (Lesson)

" maculosa (Martyn)

- gland iformis (Reeve) all
were plentiful, fine specimens and clean,

Haminoea zelandiae, Gray, alive and dead in rock pools

mid tide,

Maoricolpus roseus manakauensis Powell, were plentiful
many alive, with their spires well ‘down into the sand.

In. the sandstone were collected ITotocorbula zelandica
Q & G, alive, Notopaphia elegans. (Deshayes) and Anchomasa similis.

This area is worth another visit, os the number of members
present was inadequate to cover the ground thoroughly, hn extreme
low tide is necessary to reach othe sandy areas around the seaweeds,

H large party well split' up and covering the ground from the South
Head, back to Wattle Bay and bn to, Big Bay would prove productive,

As one of the' members present at the last field day I can soy that the
long trip, hot, d-usty and winding, though it was, was really worth
the effort, apart from the fact that the Manakau Survey was being
assisted. ' I am sure that all members will gladly assist should Mr.
Hipkins require hny of -these speeim^s, as our contribution to the
Manakau Survey, and in the_ end behefit‘ the iiuckland Institute &
Museum, .

■ L'VSeager,

” --060 — . . . r .

‘ iTHICS of "a SHliILL COLLECTOR.

I firmly belieyfe. that .those who investigate the lives
and habits of molluscs.. form a /sort of friendship with them and are
less likely to clean but '/Gd,lpnies'''deliberately. Long ago I made a
rule for myself that. I would carefully clean and take care of every
single shell that I ‘ topk "alive, n.o, matter, how small. This includes
replacing tinyopercula ( otherwise why take them alive? ), removing
all the v;orm- tubes and .barnacles, and other tedious chores, .

After hours and -hours of s-preparing shells, one begins to be
very careful of-hhe numbers'''he takes. •• IfVone has;. no use/fo^ quanti-
ties of shells,, he- should not t-akefthem, forvit f s truef hat' the
removal of a"single specimen from'a' locality requires an ad .lustment

-29-

to be made all along the line of life. The various living
things of the smallest area have formed an interdependent,
closely knit group, each* looking to others for food or for
protection from the enemies which would consume him.

{•

By Virginia Leeo Reprint from S^afari,
^.Palrn Beach County Shell Club.

— oOo —

THE NORTH C^PE AREA.

To Concholog'ists, the Par North is always an area of great
interest, and I never willingly forego an opportunity to taking
a walkabout in these parts. Consequently, a hot January day
saw Laurie Price and myself establishing an advance base at
Kapuwairua, on Spirits’ Bay, in preparation for a tramp over
the hills and around the coast to North Cape,

ii 'vicious bottle during the night with Spirits’ B.ay mosquit-
oes ( nets only infuriate them) ensured that we were ready for s
fairly early start on the first leg of our journey. With
sizeable packs we climbed up past the waterfall bush, through
grass and scrub until the Summit of Unuwhao was reached at approx
1000 feeto Prom there one gets a grand view of the Northern
coast line from Cape Reinga to Kerr Point near North Cape, The
eastern side of Unuwhao is bush clad, and we .scouted around for.
a f ew yninutes' until we found a good track which runs along on top
of a iDush clad saddle ?;hich reaches across to a further distant
ridge clear of bush. hbout half way along this track is the
type locality for Plac.ostylus ambaRiosus anneotens, the largest
of the ambauiosus group. Though this was plentiful at the time
the type material was collected, it is now very scarce, due to
the ravages of wild pigs which seem to have increased in, the rlast
few years. , Much of the ’flax vi/hich was their normal cover,, hks
been rooted right out of the ground. Odd specimens of Pa ry~ '
phanta wattl were collected here in the past, but only Rhytida
and Li area could be located at this time.

When the second high ridge v;'as duly reached, a descent was
made to sea level at a delightful sprt known as the Huka, a
small bush clad gully- 'with a little B.t ream running out over the
sand.-. It was our intention to stop here awhile and do some
collecting on the. way bock, so we pushed on along the sandy bean
^he only shells washed up were Gookia sulcata ) until we. come to
a rocky bluff. were able to' pass around this as the. tide wij

, low. • This area is known as Takapau Kura and has in the post; I
produced very good shell sand. It is the type locality for^- ' ■

Zelaxitas alto and such shells as Zemitrella ‘ falla.Xi: Z.^ laeviros, ,
Ivid ella maoria. Striatesta eu 1 ima and Lironoba a noma la can bo sol
ed out of the shell sand which washes up into crevices “^and rdek j
pools. ■ " ;< ■'

-30-

Here we spied a fair sized fisli in one of the pools so
with the view to suppliment ing our food supply we waded in and
gave chasco To catch such a fish we discovered^ was not quite
os easy as it looked. We dashed around and around the pool, and
I slipped in - but we caught the fish, though walking along the
beach afterwards in wet, salt laden clothes v;as far from
pleasant,

Tom Bowling Bay is a long sandy beach and we seemed to be
trudging it for ages, with no shells to be seen. Behind the
dunes of this Bay is a low swampy area a mile wide known as the
Waikuku Plat with Waikuku Beach on the western side. The Plat
was the scene of much gum digging in earlier times and pits and
trenches are still to be seen, ht the North Western end of the
Plot the country rises up to the North Cape Block, 6-700’, We
climbed up onto this and followed along the top of the cliff until
we came to Kerr Point, N.Z’s most northerly point. Just
behind Kerr Point is a pan of ironsand, a harsh area where vegetat'
ion is Qwarfed, This is the type locality of Placostylus amb ,
michei, a small thin shelled race with a lighter epidermis than
the others, i^lways very scarce, it is now even harder to get.
Strange to say, one of our rarest small land snails - Delographia
cord elia exists rather commonly at this area - very nice specs
with flame like markings. It is also the only area in which
Liarea aupouria tara lives and very common it is too under the
stunted vegetation. Much of this area has o^st previously been
burnt over by the Maoris and though charred dead shells were
seen of Placostylus, no live examples were encountered. Even over
the cliff face where Dr, Powell and I had collected some years
earlier and which supported a fair colony, the shells were gone ,
wind had gained a foothold and where there hod been a generous :
covering of vegetation, now there was only red earth and rocko

As evening was approaching after our long tramp, we
decided to make our way down off the high land of Kerr Point, and
set up camp at the north end of V(/aikuku Beach - where a small
stream flows out, V/e bedded down and slept very soundlyo
Next morning just near the camp I picked up a nice specimen
of each Gabestanamorpha exer ’ Qn :nd Zegalerus tumens.

Our plans for the morning were to hunt on the hillside
towards North Cape Lighthouse, and we had to ’’boulder hop” the
whole way. There were few marine shells - Cookia sulcata,

Lunella and Zed iloma chiefly, i^ibove the beach on the rather
steep hillside, we searched in a small area of Karaka trees and
flax - a profitable spot where many Placostylus ambowattl, Rhyt Ida
d. Virens and Liarea aupouria were encountered , x-\s"*the
Placostylus lived und'r gagged rocks they were rather worn with
patchy epidermis.

Retracing our steps and picking up our gear at the camp site
v;e proceeded along the flat sandy Waikuku Beach, Here, there had
been a small washup of shells, the best items being frchitectonica
reevei and Alcithoe depressa.

At -the South end of Whar.eana Beach, is- a stream banked
up by sand forming a small lagoon whicli runs back into a steep
bush clad gully hardly visible from- the beach. This- is the
home of Placostylus amb .whareana, a short climb up the hill-
side and im:o the bush enabled us to add this species to our ba|
It is reasonably cormiion this sub-speciesj though mosquitoes
make collecting decidedly unpleasant, .This snail has thick
heavy apertural processes and is to myn way of thinking one of
the nicest sub-species. hhyt id a and uiarea also occur here.

We made camp, and while waiting for the evening meal to
cook, invest i.gated the lagoon. Waist beep in cool water, we
collected examples of G-und lachia , a small limpet like shell, foi
on the under sides of the water lily leaves. As this seemed a
suitable spot for mosquitoes, sleeping bags were unrolled in
the dunes well along the beach away from our camp. The -one
disadvantage of sand is that is becomes very cold in the early
hours of, the morning.

A\-jay to an early start next morning, we climbed up at tt
Southern end of the beach onto a coastal ridge covered with
stunted ti tree and fern. Some distance along and on the Soutl
side of the ridge is an area of bush which had not been previou!
ly investigated, 'Here, after searching for some time, x^e
found an unrecorded colony of Placostylus amb .hancoxi - not a
dense one but thinly scattered over a fair area. Previously
this sub-species was known only fro.m a small patch of bush clos
to the coast and nearer to Maukins Kook, where only 7 or 8
specimens had been found, Why t id a vivens, Li area aupouria,
and Phr ixnzthus sc a id ium . ’were again present. Having collec
examples w/e trekked back overland through barren gum land to th
Western end of Tom Bowling Bay - quite a distance. Here, f

the consolidated dunes we gathered up some of the subrecent sub
species Placostylus amb , wardneri , then walked back along the
shore until we reached the Huka, our camping place of the third
night.

The stream which 'flowed out here fascinated us - in a
deep pool the water was quite hot but with six inches of cold
water on top.V/e enjoyed some little time up to our necks in the
pool - most refreshing after a good days tramp.

Placostylus amb , anhectens the largest sub species hae
b een . record ed from here, but on the western side of the -stream,
where- it is scarce, a sizeable colbny exists on the ea-stern
side, jJ'urther up the stream, specimens of Hyridella menziesi
the freshw^ater mussel, and tlelanopsis trifasciata were
collected. Samples of Pot amopyrtus were taken too for
comparison with others.

Luring the night it clouded over and the wind rose
( n o . mosqu i toes ) and looked like rain, but seemod brighte.f. by
morning, H'e started on the final leg of our tramp, up to the
high ridge behind the Huka, across the bush clad saddle to

-32-

\'It. Unu’^hao and eventually down to the sea level again at
Kapuwairua, where we settled down to a m ore civilized form
of camping.

Norm. Gardner.

— oOo —

CQNCHOLOG-IGi.L TENM.

1/VHO'RLS ; - complete turn or revolution around the imag-
-inary axis of a spiral shell. The last whorl is called the
body whorl. The whorls are described as non-cont iguous when
they do not touch each ouher, continuous in the opposite case.

They are therefore depressed when they are flat, can
be angulated, keeled or coronated, distinct or indistinct.

Phey are sometimes, os in Cypraea hidden by the enlarged
body whorl.

The following are used to describe the type of

whorls

■-ingulated, continuous, constricted, disunited,
coronated, depressed, detached, distinct, globose, hidden, keel-
ed, ribbed, rounded, shouldered, subulate, ventricose.

this

Width of shell is
being the widest part

measured across
of the shell.

aperture and bodywhorl

Examples : -

d epresses
angulated )
or keeled )

d isconnected
globose
coronated
shouldered
subulated
hidd en
ribben

- Planorbis

Rhytida dunnioe

- Spirula spirula

- Natica

- Nassarius acteanus

- Conus

- Pervicacia tristis

- Gyproea

- Zeaenmantus

(

Information obtained from Illustrated Glossary by P.C. Burch
S.3. of 3.G.)

— oOo —

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Vol.1» Part 3* -36- Marcli I963.

.Comments on Fleming’s ’’Notes on N.Z. Recent and
■ j ■ Tertiary Mussels”

■■■' : ; ' Trans. Roy.Soc .N.iZs. Vol.87.1959

■ — oOo — 7 Bill Rudman.'

Although Dr. Fleming’s notes ?i/ere mainly concerned
with the Tertiary mussels, his notes on the Recent ones
makes clear the changes which appear in Dr.Powell’s new
check list. Dr. Fleming’s notes were based on the work
done on the Mytilidae by the late Dr.Vion Soot-Ryen of
Tromso Museum, Norway.

Mytllus edulis aoteanus

The species that Dr. Powell in his
check list referred to the Australian ’’planulatus” has
become a sub-species of MytiluS edulis as has its
Australian relative. The Australian becomes M.e.
planulatus while the N.Z. form is named M. e. aoteanus.

Dr. Powell found that M.e. aoteanus differed from M.e.
planulatus in having a larger dorsal slope and fevi/er hinge
teeth. '

The muscle scar of aet.eanus also
appears to be different from that of planulatus and
approaches that of the northern form M. edulis edulis. _

Perna canaliculus '(Cnielin. 1 791 )

Genuss Perna Retzlus. .

- ' ' ' ■■ : ’ V '

'■ This change of genus follows from
work done by Soot-Ryen in 1955. Ne found that Perna v/.as
the oldest ^nariie for the group of mussels classed under
the name ’’chloromya”. Although Dr. Powell did not,
outer placed canaliculus in the subgenus Chloromya.

Aula corny a' maoriana I red ale. 1915

' Aulacomya is a zonal swbantarctic
genus. The appearance of A. maoriana in fossil deposits
a't Otahuhu are in keeping; with the theory of cooling in
the late Teptlary period ' ( ,15. million yoars ago).

■ ■ I ' ■ . . ' ’

Mod i Plus areolatus j
Modiolus fluyiatilus

Unchanged .

Zelithophaga truncate Unchanged

Ryenella Impactus ;

In Powell*s 19^6 check list it was
Mod iolariav' ' in 1957 it was 'Musculus. - This little'
mussel appears to have caused a little. trouble.

Soot-Ryen fouled that a number of
species of-quite- d iff erent' abatomy had been placed
under Musculusc , M«impactus and a group of mussels
similar-'to it were found to be mbre inflated and
the arrangement of retractor muscles were different
to typical Musculus speclesc He suggested that
this ” impactus-' group” should - be removed from the
Genus Musdulus and he suggested tLonistina as a generic*-'
al'harrieo-'-' • ■' .■

' Fleming hCweverj ■ says' that this
name Lonistina ( used by Gray in 18ij.7) was a synonym '
of Musculus, The impactus group were therefore back,
to where they started, Fleming remied ..this by
suggesting- a,nev/ name ’’Ryenella” after Dr. Soot7Ryen,^
•Thus our- little ” nesting mussel” is now Ryenella '
impactus, ' ■ ' • ^ V .y \

Gregariella- barbatD^^r"'(Refeve 1858 ) '

■v-i'f? Was TrichQmu'sculus’’ 'bbrbatus, ' '

Soot“Ryen has synonymised the names
Botulina Dali, Trichomusculus Iredale^ and Tisialec-

tus ire.o with'-'Gregariellao'v ' ' . .

. -.w'o OAt'-'K-.rq w- A cr;;i ^ .1 j . v;..

Dacryd ium ' (Quendreda )"^pels'e'neeri'-^ H ed 1 fey 1 906 « •

This is,- a rare^ species and , the type
does not appear to be fully' matu'rfet ,' So ot^Ryen-: placed
it in Sub-genus: Quendredk' Ire, " Fleming’ notes that
although Po\vell in check list (1957) records it only
from th'fe. Aupourian province in . a927 he recorded It
from Puysegur Point in the* Fosteriah province, ,

Crenella rad! an 3 (Suter) . •; ' ' ‘

>; ' ..- -• 0 i i' j.:'. ■' -V ■

Was Dacrydiiim radians but its shell
shape differs considerably froih'- true' meriibef s' of ... . .
D.acrydium, a rare northern species,

'■ •• ' ' vP'erha ■ canalicurus and; Modiolus e'reo-

latus app'^ar to .be' the oldest* livihg- mussfels‘ in_New ; ' ■ =
Zealand* and haVe' fossil records trading back 'to thd early
Pliocene ( 15-20 million years ago), ,

^ They could have ekisted_ earlier than
this, as could have other Recent musaels^bdtutherev.i.B;:;^...
scarcity of sediments in the shallow depths and on the
rocky bottoms which many mussels inhabit ” to quote
Dr. Fleming, ’ . . -.-in.!

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-39"

' J ari'uary Paj?VDhanta Hunt* ■

‘ ■ ■ ■■■••;, -Prank Climo* ;>:f ■.

Laden with packs, we left the i^hatori River at
2,30 p.m. on Sunday 13th and taking it easy reached
Kahurangi Point at 6ep6m<, There we tried to catch
some fish for tea -'and succeeded^ While the other
boys were -fislning -I -^coasted round looking for carb
inhabited material* ... Modelia granosa, hrgobuccinum -
turn id urn and several species of Buccinulum were
relatively common* ■ I collected one good specimen
of Buccinulum striatum, and while collecting' was
chased off the private domain of an irate bull seal
by his nibso We camped that night in the Marine
DBpt' house now opened by. the courtesy of the Dept«,
for cakiperst

9 Sem, Monday morning saw us at the .Kahurangi
River w'here I collected a few specimens of Paryphanta
gilliesi kahurangica,. Our next obstacle was a 400 ft
face of gigis oh kiekie and other stunted scrub leading
to a plateau which provide^ a relatively , easy path
around a barrier of impassable coastal cliffs* •• f

. We had lunch at 12/30, having porgressed only
a couple of miles - in a ravine next to the sea. The,
next hour was tou'gh 'h razor-back of gigis and flax
had to be conquered - -we could not go round to the
point' because the cl iffs dropped straight into deep water
^t,4.^0, ( and with several hours and miles of rock
scrambling behind us ) and approx. 1 mile from. Rocks
Point I shot a deer which kept us in m.eat for a couple .
of days. We camped that night in a bay ;just on the
Southern side of Rocks Point, wht'ch had been used, for
this purpose previously, as tent poles and empty tins
etc, signified. Here, amo.ngst the driftwood, I found
a good' specimen of Paryphanta super~ba prouseorum, pro-
bably washed dov;n from the mountains by one .of the
numerous 'Swift streams In, the area* It was pleasant
sleeping under flax that night,

. t. . .

'p.t 6.3O0 we sandfly bi.tten trampers started
rock hopping for a point in the distance and at 8.4O
our rock pathway ended in a sheer cliff. G-igis againl
Another 'hodr later and another razoeback behind us we
arrived at-a small river* After a swim and a spell of
clothes vi/ashing, 1 mohaged . to catch an eel on a piece of
.our venison* It was; delicious fried in butter for lunch.
The coast at this point looked impossible to follow, so
reluctantly the decision was made that we Vi/ould continue
inland until we found a spur running south to the Heaphy.
Poor fools ll This spnr was not in sight at 7,45 snd our
altitude then fhust have been-.^well over 1000 feet. .■

-40-

A couple of events broke the monotony of that
afternoons climbo Wq watched an aerial battle between
two native hawks and a^iiafriefi" and' a little later
saw a big stag. Our camp that night, of course, was
in deep beech forest.

-8o30» on Wednesday morning saw us climbing
steadily from ^our camping locality through beech with."
an undergrowth of mountain flaz-, and toi-tol . At last!
at 10o0 I found my first specimen of P.s,prouseorum
in Its true environment and later collected 50 more
specimens in "a damp hollow ( a good few acres) on the .
mountainside. Here "I found a shell I„did not expect
to find - a Pogilliesi type which may be ( though I am
only being ^cautious) a' Western extention of the Gouland
Downs’ P.ij8m^pnj, colonies. I packed 6 good specimens of
these home with me. ...At, 1 o’clock and still no spur . in
sight the coast once more seemed to be our best bet,

Five hours later and once more at sea level, ' I did my
bestr-to control myself. I had just seen three deer
and .had lost my.-.bulletsl We saw three more deer before
making camb and they all stood and v;atched us until we
were within 50 yards of them. The" sandflies 'y/ere. very
nice with ou-r, soup t^at, night. I / .r-

■ ' J . r ' - 1-.

We were glad to leave the sandflies behind at
7c30o." Thursday, morning. Thursday is a day I will
always r,emeinbero Me slogged, for hours in sweltering
heat along grest bays of yielding granite sand with a
pile of jumbled rocks ( polished smooth by the coarse
grit) at every headland just to make our labours more,
difficult, ' The Heaphy Bluffs were reached at il.bb and
rather than attack tha,t formidable headland we deci‘de‘3
to fish for awhile - ' once more .w,e caught our tea. ; ,
i^.t,5,15n after a really dangerous bit of climbing
around the edge of a cliff, ...^we saw the Ileaphy Hut,
a lovely sight. We were not established in the Heaphy
Hut that night until 9*p-^m, - the 'river delayed, us' ;
somewhat-s I needed a swim, . but I . was cold after swimming
the Heaphy 7 times anid pushing a raft at the some time.
Our raft. was not very well built and would only carry one
pack safely above water level, at a timed

Now just a brief summary of the coast as
regards mollusca - Hormosira makes its appearance
in rock pools and as would be expected there are
thousands of Lunella smaragda on the intertidal
rocks. The" large numbers of . Zediloma digna also seem
to be directly proportional to the large areas ^ of bull
kelp on this coasts There. were clusters of this species
on washed up kelp fronds in the midtidal zone. _ The only
other marine families I noticed ( we were tramping, fist
out all the' way along' the co.ast trying to^beat .fhe tide;
wi th" any- d eta LI vi/'ere the limpets* There iS' a ^ood range
of them on the smocih rocks. ... -- • .-.rr.f,- .; "

-41“ ..

The Heaphy Track part .of four trip has been
mentioned before so I ^vill only give a brief
summary of collecting conditionso

1 s The ’’Lewis” - Parvphanta superba harveyi
( many small shells but large ones
not hard to find)o

2, Gouland Downs Parvphanta gilliesi .namesoni

a. South:- (strong markings-dark. brown.

b, ’Blue Duck Greek

lighter colour, markings not as
pronounced ( Wekas have taken heavy toll)

Perry’s Pass - Parvphanta superba richard soni

( H^rd to find, only found one good specimen
medium size)* .

We arrived home on Sunday and I spent most of
Monday cleaning and cataloguing snails.-

— oOo—

• ^

i^mongst a collection of Placostylus shells received
recently by Capt*Short from his correspondent on -Guad-
alcanal were specimens of a beautiful small shiny, y/hite
sp-ecles calles sellersi (Cox ) . ’ ' These were from. . 500^0*^
on Mt." Popomanasl In the area of wet mist forest of
Central Guadalcanal. *

The animal which is green In colour shows through
the white shellc At -a-glance, this shell would .appear
to belong to the miltochlelus group ¥jhich Inhabits San
Christoval and nearby island Sc P. sellersi has however
a rather different aperture, a strong fold on the perl-stome
and is- somev;hat earshaped or suricular. In fact it is
considered by Clench' to-' have closer relationship with
P, Strang el of Vella lavella to the north.

oOo —

-U2~

OUTSTANDING SHELL ' C 6LL EOT I ON S

By R, Tucker Abbott

Reprinted in part from American
Seashells. ""

Outstanding Collections : There arp a number of very

lovely private shell collections in the U.S.A., some
devoted wholly to marine species, others limited to
land or fresh-water types. Many represent years of
collecting, others an expenditure of many thousands
of dollars. To mention a few would be to slight many
another. The best private collections are in
California, Florida, Connecticut, the New York area
and Massachusetts, As time passes, private col-
lections are either sold, lost or left to some
public or university museum, so that ooday we find
the largest collections housed by public or endowed
institutions.

The United States National Museum, under tbe
Smithsonian Institution in \/ashington D.C. contains
what is undoubtedly the largest mollusk collection
in the world. Until Dr. Paul Bartsch, nov/ retired
was curator, it was second in size to that of the
British Museum in London. Today, this collection
contains over 9> 000, 000 specimens, 600,000 lots or
suites and is in the neighbourhood of 36,000 species
and subspecies. Its curator at the present time is
Dr. Harald ri. Rehder,. and his associates are Dr.

J.P. E. Morrison arid trie author.’-'^', . .

'The Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard
College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, has risen to sec-
ond place in trie United States v/ithin the last fifteen
years. It is famous for its well-kept collection of
about 7>000,0Q0 specimens, . 300, 000, lots and approx-
imately 28,000 species a^nd subspecies. Its present
curator is Dr. William. J, Cle'nch, noted for his
development of students in mollusks. Dr. Ruth Turner
is assistant curator.

The iicademy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, is third or fourth in size and contains
an unusual amount of valuable material. Its present
curator Dr. Henry A.Pilsbry, has been with the instit-
ution for over sixty years, and he has contributed
more to our science than any other worker. He was
preceded by two equally famous curators, George ^W.
Tryon and Thomas Say, America's first malacologist.

In 1954 Mr. Abbott left the U.S. National Museum to
occupy the newly-created Henry a, Pilsbry Chair- of
Malacology at the Academy of National Sciences in Phil-
adelphia,

-43-

^ In the midwestj_ one of our largest fresh-water
and land collections is located at the Museura of
Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann hrbor. Dr,

Henry van -der Schalie, an expert on fresh-water clams,
is the curator^ " The Chicago ' Museum of Natural
History in Illinois contains a small but adequate
collection and is under the care of Dr. Fritz Haas,
a- scientist well-versed in many phases of mala-
cology.

There are no very large' study collections in
southeastern United States, although one of the
finest exhibit collections is on display at Rollins
College, at V/inter Park, Florida. It is well
worth visiting, for the collection is beautifully
lighted and arranged and is instructively labeled.

Of equal brilliance, the Simon de Marco collection
of rarities is housed in the commercial Florida
Marine Museum near Fort Myers, Florida,

The following collections of marine mollusks are
found on the Pacific coast of United States i

Department of Geology, California i^cademy of
Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco :

Large general collection, emphasis on Eastern
Pacific; especially strong in Panamic fauna. > ■
Original .collection destroyed by fire and earth-
quake in 1906. Major collections : Henry Hemp-

hill (Vi/est ,hrnerican J; Emmet Rixford (General)

Mackenzie Gordon, Jr, (V/est i^merican, especially'
California.) Excellent library. Curator: Dr.G.D.

Hanna; Associate Curator; Dr. L.G.Hertlein;

Research i^ssoc iate; • h .G. Smith. Exhibits. Large
collections of Mesozoic and Tertiary fossils.

Department of Geology, Stanford University, ^ Stan-
ford Station, - ■

Very large general collection, emphasis on Eastern
Pacific, Major collections : I.'S.Oldroyd (West . ;
i^raerican) Henry Hemphill coll, of dulpicates (West
American);. G.Vi/. Taylor (General); E.K. Jordon (Gneeral)
and Sara'h Mitchell (Philippines), Excellent library
Curator: Dr. -Myra Keen, „ Exhibits. Large collection

of Mesozoic and Tertiary fossils.

Museum of Paleontology, University of California,
Berkeley.

Large general collection, emphasis on Eastern Pacific,
Major collections : Legislative Purchase of 1 884, (General)

Warren Cheney ( \¥est American), Joseph Rowell (Vi/est
American) D.O. Mills (General), Curator of Invertebrates
Dr, J.W. Durham; Museum Paleontologist in charge of recent
collection, W.K. Emerson, Excellent library. Exhibits.

■-44-

■ f;?.

Largest collections of Tertiary fossils-' oil the' -co^a'st,
also Paleozoic and Mesozoic collections^- : •

Museum of Natural History, Pacific ‘Groye: ^ '

Small collection of ' Col'iforn'la mbllusks', J
Curator: M«EkHinshaWc ' ExhibitSe ‘ '■■

Natural History Museum, San Diego ( Maintained by
the San Diego Socity of Natural History;

Very laggo- general collection, especially strong
in Panamic faunae Majox' collections-: HeN.Lowe

(West- jhiTierican-, especially Panamic fauna, Lowe Be-
quest of dollars for cufation); Fred Baker

C denerhl, mostly Eastern and Western . Pacific); ;i.M.
Strong ('West- American^ much sub-megascopic material);
and- J.P-U^inderson (General) o Curators: Mr and Mrs

E.P.Chace; Research ^'.ssociat-e: Dr* ■J.L.Bailyi Jr,

Library, Exhibits.

Allan Hancock Poundatlon^--0niversity of Southern
California; Loa Angeles: Large’ collection of

Eastern Pacific material, especially strong in Pana-
mic fauna; collecti-bn obtained la^most, ;p.a‘rt by
dredging operation.s of the Velero111 and 1v» Bulk of
collection preserved in* alcohol. Curator: DriN.T.

Mattox„* Good library,-' • -

Los iiogeles County Museum, Los ^-.ngeles
General collection, including some West American'
material' in alcoholr Curator: . Dr,H.ii.Hill,.P M

Department of Geotlogy,-^ Univ-ersity of California,
at Los Angeles: - ■ . . :

West' American material, •comprising the personal
collection of the late George Willet, Curator: Takeo
Susuki, ’• Libraryo ■ Me.so zoic and Tertiary collections,

Cabrillo Museum, ^ San Pedro, (maintained by
Recreation Departme^nt)*' Exiilbit 'of Pacific coast
faunav Curator :**^’ Cohn Olqulhc-'-' ' *> ’ '

/ - - OOO 4. :'• .

■ At the February "meet ing Bill ''Rudman exhibited '.a series
of specimens of t’he limpet Cel 3, ana crat Iculata '‘taken at
the Kermadecse Shells from~this ' isolated ' island are
seldom seen /I n :Collections, The specimens, had a rayed
colour pattern and recalled to mind small examples of
the Austral, ian species tramoserica^

-45“

Oypraea tlgris Liane

The following is from an article by P.Trembath,
Turiby-Bay, South i^ustralia which appeared in the
■Australian Newsletter Vol« iOc No..39o,

" Over, the years we have had a large number
of races proposed for Cypraea tigris Linne, namely
-pardalis Shaw 1795; Ivnchchroa, Melville 1888;
flavonitens Melville TMoi 9y^ai Steadman & Cotton
1943; amboolee Steadman & Cottoa 1943 ond rosslteri
•Bantz. 1-903» -^^11 these races hove been proved

to be of no value whatsoever as all the characters
that, they were based on can be found in some speci-
mens taken from all over the area inhabited by tigrls.

Now comes Cate with tigris s.childeriana^ a large
variety from Havjaii, with nothing else or little
to commend it but its size, those from Hawaii admitted-
ly being the largest in the v;orld, • ( My own from
there 128 m.m* ), but there are also many small or
rrrediura shells there too, and specimens from Northern
Australia can do and grow to a size equal to the
medium and smaller type from Hawaii, Surely conchology
has not reached a point where subspecific names are to
be allotted to large ond small and intermediate shells,

Cy . tigris is easily recognized as that from, any part of
the world, and the name is sufficient to cover all shells
even to the very dark forms that sometimes oc.cur. in
Western AustraliOo

-oOo —

Mrs ,A .M.Ciff ney of Nelson writes :-

” On October 15th

my husband was given a very special parcel to give to
me from one of our Nelson fisherman, trav/ling well out
In Tasm.an Bay (Nelson) in about 20 faths, and this is
what it was - a Very- old sand and weather worn clear
bottle large and in it 1 could see just SHELLS, silt &
sand and broken shells, so we carefully sm ashed the
bottle open and what a v;onderful sight I Just masses
of shells. All were white and silt dirty, so I picked
-out all the shells I could see, then very -carefully
washed away the .silt, dried the rest out then w'ent '
through it all over and ' over again in 'case I had missed
even half a shell os some wer4 so small, I have been
trying to name them by Suter’s book but it -takes time,”

^ These are the shells found in the bottle
12 whole ■ and-- many broken Fissidenta'liiim zeland lea
. ' . up to 47mm X 5ram,

4 ” ■■ ' Dentalium namum'- mm,

2 Aoteadrlllia wanganui chordata 1 2mm X 5 ram

7 Micantopex angustatus 6 "mm X 2 mm.

-46-

1 Cylichna thetidis 5 mm X 2 mm

i valve Venerlcardla zeland lea 2 mm X 2 mm
8 Uberella sp,'verv round -'white shells 5 mm X 4 inm

1 Cuspidari a trailli splendid spes. 1 2 mm X 5 nim

2 white beautifully sculptured with aperture like Epitonium

9 mm X 3 mm

2 halves old Nuculana bellula 4 mm X 2 mm

2, halves and one tiny whole Bathyarca cvbaea '5 mm X mm

i valve only, very bright & pearly inside Haliris setoza

- - 3 mm X 2 rara.

7 white Zeacolpus fulminata ' to 21 mm X 3 mm,

3 Austrofusus glans

and a few very small frail Nemocardium pulchellum,

" So you see it was most exciting. It’s a wonder
there were any whole shells left, coming up in' a trawl and
being dumped on the deck of the trawler,” ..4_*

'(Also in this material were two very rare shells :-

Globisinum drew! and BonelittiaZsupertes ' -

Bonelittia was first recorded from the Cook Strait
area by Dr. Dell in 1956 at a depth of 58 faths,- ) Ed,

CAPE MARIa DECEMBER 1962

Large numbers of the native Planorbis were seen in the Te
Werahi Stream where it runs out over the sand intdi the sea.
No doubt they were washed down from the large area of
swamp behind the dunes, V

Usually there are thousands of valves of Comphina
mao rum washed up on Cape Maria beach. These have always
on our visits, been pink and vjhite in colour, but this
time they were handsomely patterned with zig-zag brown
markings o

Amongst these valves of Comphina were quite a number
of neat little keyhole limpets Monodilepas d i emenens.is
In fact, combined collecting produced some thirty odd
specimens. This is -the only beach I kno.w. where they wash
up, '

-47-

One of the gems was a specimen of ,the rare Bucclnulum
mariae' Powell, rec'overed froma sponge on Te Werahi -Beach,
gus't north of Cape’Mariao The type specimen was from
Cape Maria Island, and I' don’t know of oc'currence&'.
from any other area. The species belongs, to the group
embracing colensoi, robustum & suterl.

Te Wer ahi Beach also offered numbers of the slit
limpet, Emarglnula striatulbo Some were of exceptional
size ( one example reached one inch) in length and J;
inch in widths

A number of specimens of the southern limpet
Cellana denticulata were taken from outer rock ledgeg
at Cape Maria Headland. One or two were of fair size
though not as large as the old bleached specimens v/hich
occur high up in the nearby dunes.

Some examples of the ribbed Notoacmea pileousis
cellanoides were also secured from high tidal rock
faces of the Cape itself.

— oOo —

The NEW ZEALAND CAS SIDS
Part 2,

X. py rum Lamarck

Fig.7.- ■ -'

.A globose shell with a single row of
nodules on the shoulder of the body whorl and pafe dun
in colour with spirally arranged patches of purplish
brown. The operculum resembles an open fan. Large
specimens wash up spm.etimes on the coast from Waikanae
to.Otaki and in the Bay of Plenty, , Their appearance
IS sporadic and often a good locality may prove dis-
appointingc Other localities are Houhora, Doubtless
Bay, Ninety Mile Beach, Whangarei Heads, Laings Beach,
Great Barrier, Mokau, Muriwai, Farewell Spit
off Granity. - ■

— oOo —

X.powelli Finlay
Fig.80

Of true pyrum type. It has stone: ‘
spiral grooves and no nodules, often of plain pinkish
fawn colour with weak or absent pattern. Seems to
inhabi t , d eeper water although an odd specimen does wash

Localities.:- Bay of Plenty;,' Manawatu Coast, Of f
East Coast Great Barrier Is, UOths^Guvier Is, '

.

< Xe labiatura,;- .. Pig* 1 0 )Please alter your
Xecollactea - Pig. 2)copy accordingly,
— oOo —

X.hamiltoni Powell
-"Pig, 9.

, A solid_ globose shell v;ith;-a low
spire*. Spine and base striated and with several
deep grooves below suture. No nodules. Colour
pink or light brown with no trace of colour

pattern, ’

Locality Off Cape Campbell in 60 fths#

; - _r ' ;; . . --oOo— .

X, oollactea Pinlav
Pig,2,

Occurs more frequently than
labia turn, often has labia turn colour, that is a "
mottled cream colour, chestnut brown and purplish
shade. Has smooth spire and nodules on last half
whorl,

■''' Localities Ninety Mile Beach, Laings

Beach, Leigh and Bay of Plenty,

— oOo —

X abernethyi Dell
Pig, 1 1 ^

’''This' species combines in part
the shape of hamiltonl Powell with the denticulate
aperture of harrisonae. Prom hamiltoni it differs
markedly in the labial denticulation and the much
heavier labial varix.

. ... ■ . ^ Prom harrlsonae it may be

distinguished by the heavier lip, stronger denticul-
ation, the lack of nodules and the much stronger incised
spiral, sculpture.

Localities Beach shells Castlepoint, '

Trawled off Castlepoint UO fths, off Palliser
Bay, 1 0CX fthso ‘ ;

^ ^ ' ' — oOo* —

\. ? -
'4 • J ■

Galeodea triganceae Powell
Pig,1 2o

• t' ■

Shell of moderate size rather-
globose, Aperture produced into a fairly long
twisted' anterior canal. Spiral lines on body
whorl crossed by apials rendering them nodulous.

Size 42 X 27' mm, • ■

Localities 60-?0 fths off Timaru,

.> . ■ ' Chatham" rise 220 fths, ■

K.Z.Ci^.SSIDS

Part 2

ii .K«Htpkins

f-

■4

\

/

V

-50-

i D . t o Kalh.0 k a

k ' ■ ■ ’'■ •2B.lM;2.ri- -■•■■

'.^•''On NoyernberL13t’a. -MumjDad ■ and-'I^-'-gpent the day at
Kdihoka, '.'on .the ’Nelhon West. _CIaaai^,: collect tng shellSo.

,We, stopped- eikKaiho.k'a: Lal?;es '‘rtroOseardh •■the- bush ‘‘for ■'■■ ■
Pary^hanta g i i I i e S'r >.;§ u b,f •■^js c.g » ^ , Dad- found a number- of
old freshwater Mussels at -;t'h,e- side of the lake, ■■so' I
.;.... decided to see if I '.couldaohtain some' better ones-by .

‘ ''dtvirlg for them-, .. There \^ere , hundreds of ' them, ^allye^j;
in.., six , feet of water, and"- deeper, . so I brought ashore
^..seV.e.ral dozen, pickedho'’ut . the best .ones, • and returned
the rest to the lakeb ■ Unfortunately the shell s- we reO
ratheF-erodedy’-but the . gibhehi:! es were- in good condition*
Meanwhi-le fcum and - Uadi had.t:f. bund about a dozen Paryphantas,
none of them alive, but m,ost^y in.gb.od c.ond;iticno . We
, .were, la.ter told that w’e had been looking i4---t'he- w’P.-ong
place for live ones, '■•eo we; will- go back another- 'd ay
and look in a different plaOe= -Mum -founh^-two litfeie'
riaariccncha pcoimori.. . but she didn’t realise what they
wefe?....ah'd, dicin’ t, ' show them to^ -me at the -timei and they
b,bth G'hawie.d aY^ra)/^ - However, we found 'i'one'-''bf: cthemi.'
again two. days. Th'ter.c ; 'A n- interesting ‘pointf.-abouti this
little..snail "is that when disturbed, -it- writhes pnd jerks
fra’ntichlly,,\ as a 'fish 'wil?. when' taken from the' water:*

, , - A;1 soyf .within ^a -day, '-unlike -other snail Sj.hwhlch

jfemai'n aluve f of some' 'time-f-*- . -u

... ' ; . , ■ "■ :■ _ ,‘

V/e wefe .able to drive most of -the way to";'Ka-iheka
Beach, but Tiad 'to walk the last- half-mif e, 'with a :
scraiible down a steep, lupin covered hill, whe:’e there
seemed to be no track, before ‘'arriving at the beach.

The sandy beach was quite bare at hign tide, and although
. things . d id , not lo,.ok ‘very promising a't first, thefe was
an abundov^c'e of _liyq..,spGGifens *tq be collected ro’und the
rocks at .low ■ui.qe- .2 ’ ' . ’OyfV.D toe on chu s- poroyriyi’ were-rveryn;
common, 'end 1 collected "’byef ' 50 specimen-ft ‘ including
some of the largest specimens 1 have ever seen, The-lniddle
valves of the largest one_ax‘“e_|: inch across. If i’d
realised how .long it was ...going ftp take, me to clean all
those,- .valves * and ..mount them on Gottvn’wbolj-''I wouldn't
; have -.'collected so many GryptocobchuS, . bu't although 'it
took, m-e ‘ d ays and days, it/'was Worth'it.f-as -they are''-
*'.m.f.,l.bv.41y_. for ex changing o Thpre, wef.e ;other kinds of

■'ly Chitons to-o-,i* but "I don't .know "pn.o.'ug'h about chitons'' to
be -su-'re -whi-ch kinds , they are c . ' f'f'h.yn'k. the large-'- ones
are Gu_i-b •i.pgia pjpte^.wta, and the sm'afl ^ o.bes- hcantho--
chiron zeiandTcus V I put a dozen or' more -sea -Slugs
- tin my 'bu.c.ket, in the hope that s.o.mp .pf, themy'Vould contain
'■nshells.- - T.he only slug I: saw t'hat', f^khew' wasya Glospo-
d 0 r i s au r epm.arg '1 not a , v>/hich I left "behind as -I knew' it
had no sne?.l*. 1 collected a number of Onchid ella^fhe
largest ones 1 had seen.,„ Ithink there were two kinds
but cannou be sure.

I

-51-

There were plenty of Hallotls iris; nice big ones,
and we gathered quite a lot as we. wanted them for eating
as well as for their shells. I found about a dozen
live Scutus breviculus. Most of them were in small
crevices, and difficult to get. Their shells range
from 1-5’' to 2f ” . Maurea punctulata were very common,

both alive and crab-inhabited, Maurea tigris is
supposed to be found at Kaihoha, but although I didn’t
find any myself, I was lucky enough to be given a
large live one by a local resident. I found a dozen
Axymene clustered together on a rock. They are the largest
and the cleanest ones I’ve seen, I only found one
group of them. Likewise, I found just one group of
Pa telloida corticata » Collected a number of commoner
shells for exchanging - Lunella smaragda.Neothais
scalaris, Melagraphia aethiops, Cellana radians and
Cellana radians perana ,

We arrived home late that night, tired out, but well
satisfied with our day at Kaihoka,

But my biggest thrill came two days later, I
boiled up the sea slugs, and had examined all but one
of them without finding a single shell, I. had given

up hope' by that time, but was thrilled to find that
the very last -one contained a shell, I was even more
thrilled when I realised what it was - a Lamellaria
cerebroid es. Unfortunately I have no idea what the live
animal looked like, and though I read Suter’s description
I cannot recall finding a slug like that. The shell is
I” by in size and is a perfect specimen,

--0O0 —

Now that all the N.Z. Cassids have been figured we
hope to start in Part 4 of Doirieria , a series 01
illustrations of the N.Z, Volutes - Alcithoe,

Leporemax, Pachymelon and Iredalina,

— oOo —

The collection of the late member Mr.Jeakings (Christ©
church) has recently been presented to the Auckland Museum,
Dr. Powell mentioned that the collection v>/as packed in
20 cases. He jokingly considered that the only way the
large numbers of the scallop shell Pecten novaezeland ia_e-
at least several hundred - could be accounted for, would
be if the collector had a gastronomical interest in this
species as vyell, , ■ .

Dr. Powell mentioned that there was some very good
material present which has been added to the reference
collections.

— 0O0--

.,52-

New P~ubllcat ions.

We have before us a further Number in the Records
of the Dominion Museum; containing an article by
Margaret Crozier entitled " New Zealand occurances
of the Sydney Mud Cockle, Anadaro trapezia (Desha yes)

’’The repeated occurences of Anadara trapezia (Des)
in the late Pleistocene deposits of Northern N.Z.
and the discovery of a well preserved valve in the
Castlecliff ian bed at Te Piki, Cape Runavi/ay, in
March 1962 by R.K.Dell has stimulated interest in the
occurences and geological range of this species in
N.Z. This paper is an attempt to compile the
information at present available"

Prom the locality records inthis paper it seems
that the range of the shellfish extended as far south
as Gisborne on the East Coast and Castlecliff on the
West,.

— oOo —

Mrs. Ward Brown of 1420 N, Lakeside, Lake Worth,

Florida writes that she would like to exchange shells
with a New Zealander. She is the founder and first
President of the Palm Beach County Shell Club, and has
collected for nearly tvi/enty years in Florida, West Indies,
Bahamas and the Mediterranean. Most of her shells have
been taken alive with operculum, but others if not taken
alive are nevertheless perfect. Most have carefully
noted data. Mrs Brown would also like a Golden Volute and
suggested that we might have the name of a dealer who could
oblige her.

— oOo--

Prcm Mr. I . J. Hannah of 7 Hillcroft Rd, Tauranga,
comes a note that he has a collection of 35 Nautilus
shells in a glass case. They are very evenly graded the
biggest being about 6" and the smallest . They ore
not chipped or marked in any way. They were collected
at Mayor Island many years ago.

Anyone intreested in obtaining these shells should
write direct to Mr. Hannah.

— oOo —

Vol. 1. Pnrt 4. -53-

June 1 963

THE CL^SSIFICi^T.IQI^T OF -THE . UHaULIHIHr^E ’-

By C .iA .Fleming, Nev; Zealand Geological Survey.

0 rl -iAndre'> Chavan, well-' -Icnown for his work' on Lucinidae
and .other Mol-iusca, has resr/ently, .published a critical essay
" on the classification of the Ungulinidse in the Bulletin of
the Institute royal d es Sciences naturelles d e Belgique
( vol*3-8->z::no. 23> July 19"^^. He recognises 11 genera, 3
of* .them., divided into 2 subgenera. He repeats his belief
that Taras Risso must be^ disregarded as -nomen dubium because
the type species cannot be determined, the types having been
lost. . J. .

Chavan’s classif ica.tLo:n... ls.....Qf’_,..interest in separating
the two New Zealand grou.p-h_.hhd relating them to overseas
species. .. . .

Not- all New Zealand species ^are-mentioned., but the
follbwi'ng'-classi'f i-cation is proposed i

■ PI ploden'ta Brown -.1831 ’ '

' U; .I I ,'i .f -■ ■ ... . ^ .

Subgenus Zemvslna Finlay 1927 :.i

; Diplodonta- (.LZemysina,) globus .-Finlay

Diplodonta ( Zemvsina ) s t r i a t u 1 a' " F in TaY

.---w . ..41 The. subgenus Zemyslna is also used for Eocene and
Miocene speci.es' from Europe andlfor Miocene to recent species
from iimerica. ' '

— Genual.... Felaniella Dali 1899

.u

. _ Subgenus Zemysia Finlay 1927

• ■ Felan'ieira (:■ Zemysia ) zeland lea (Gray)-

• I ’ .L

In addition to’ the New Zealand ,form(s)> Ghavan
includes in Eemysra certain- F.mericon rMiocene- and European
Pliocene species, and '"suggests that; another. ..branch ranges
from the Lower Eocene o”f Parts and perhaps .persists in
California today.

7-' The earliest members of the family are Upper,-

CretaceGUs amj .'se-verel lgraupa 'h.,a.v.e:;_been ^coeseryat tve pince
thh early- .Tertiary • ' ’In <Nevi Zealand, for instant.' Zemysina
appeSrs- in the .Pareocene and -Zemysia in the .Upper ..Eocene*

c ‘ ‘ V j, v> 3 J

— oOo —

~5U-

SHELL Ni^MES AND THEIR ME/^HIHGS .

Notes from a talk: by Mr, A-.W.-B.PowelT> July 1950,

Generic names are usually based on either Latin or
Greek words, e.g. Turrit ell a from the Latin ( turris- a little
j , . : •• • tower

. i. Xenophora frotn the Greek ( .jX e h os-strange

, , . . V ( phoreub~a carrier,

both these shells being very suitably named.

Shells peculiar to'-'^dertain localities are often named
by adding ” ensis‘* which means of ’* that place’*- e.g#' -^-'-

manakauensis

- wellingtonensis .

chathamensis.

« ’•

Other endings sometimes used are - us, a, i, ae, orum.

We find ’'i’.' added' to a man’s name hvhen the Writer wishes to
honour that man, e,g, huttoni, finlavi,^ swainsoni;' and
"ae” to a woman’s name, thus wilsonae, mouatae; also when
wishing to honour two persons at the, one time we find "orum"
is used Qs in the case of prouseorum . Other endings
often used are "opsis’* Vand' "’oides" both of these being used
as comparatives, e.g. Risellopsis, like Risella;
naculoides, like a o a vel in • -iL

Prefixes are used ocoas tonally ln.'the naming of shells :
e.g. "Para"- equal to - Paratfophon

"Par" -' like Pareuthrla

"Noto’M A '• i ..M:.

"Neo" } - new -(Notoseti a -

( Notoacmaea
(Neoguraleus,

Ex is often used for empha'sfs as in the name ex sculpt a,
meaning, of course, deeply or heavily sculptured. Then we
have names which refer to ,_the colour of the shells, e.g.

rufous - red viridis - green

luteuS; - yellovt/ albus i - white

brunneus- brown atratus - black

caeruleus - blue argenteus - silver

aureus - gold.

-

as well as others referring to the sculpture, e.g, cosjboj^,
striata, Itrata, crenulata, tenuis, crassus, la^ls> or levj^
WHILE OTHERS refer to the- si ze, e. g, maxima, minutu,s_^ ,

V- minutissimus. ' Yet another descriptive, name is ^ulchra -
'beautiful, and its superlative, pulcherrimus.

-53*'

s are based on tlie straight out use of

meanihg a comb,

" an oyster

” a trench

” a ■ knee cap-

a large cask.

Other names have been given to shells to honour certain
well known conchol.ogists , • ‘ '

©og« Verconella - Sir J, Vercoe? well known for
his work on South i^.ustrallan shelisr

Mayen a - Mr, W,iitMay; well known-- for his

work on Tasmanian shells^

"* ■ RoMurdochj a former well known

authorltyion n/z,- Land Mollusca,

Then we find that we have anagrams amongst our shell
names j e,g, Merel ina Linemera ; - Lironoba ~ Nobolira,

1

Wkali. may be ;:i.ermed -as nonsense names occur occasionally
e.g, "Pharlapiscus” is the name given to a sea-horse from
i^ustralian waters, Vi^hat could be expected, perhapsy for a
huge animal' is this name; but -in reality^it is the name of
a smal 1 ' fish tin fvm.er.LC a...- . P a r v r s t oma t i a i c h t h yb o ru s ,

■ : ' — oOo-- ^

i 'Forma albino, . .i-' ' ‘ h-

' . • Some nice albino specimens'- of Laoma

maria'e Hut'ton, were collecced at Mokau' Point, Lake '
Waikaremoana, during the -Easter Holidays, '

The' apeTtural lamellae seem to show up
much more clearly in these than in the normal coloured examples.

--oOo--

■ Rhyj;i-d4r. dr;~ni^ •-

1 * • ' % . / .1 , •

• - ' Occurs not uncommonly at Hunua Gorge-

which is the m.ost southerly recent record I know of ^in the
Auckland area. This *is also a -good place for Li area egea,

“'•-cOo--'

- Several mors ^exam.ples of Tonna hoi i urn - very rare in
N.Z. waters - hove been secured, during "ilae 'fast twelve
monthso All were, as far as- I know, from fishing trawlers,

-- 'oOo--~^ :

i • • . ■ . ■ - •

Seen recently in the col lection' of Mr, E, Willis - a large,
though damaged specimen of i the rare Xenophalium royanum.

This specimen was picked up .-on Wnikuku Beach, uear North Cape
and must surely be the f Irst .'Vknown instance of a v;ash-upc

Several' shell
Latin terms, e,g,
Pec ten-
Ostrea
Scrobs
Patella-'
Tonna

Previous records
Whangaroa area.

were from crayfish, pots in the
— oOo —

Laoma ciliata : - . -

Laurie Price has this new record for Kaitaia.
It is rather uncommon up there and the specimens are smaller
than the average. This tiny land snail of- bee hive shape
and with hairy processes, occurs in the Gisborne-East Cape
area. Suter records it^ also from Vi/anganui and Hawkes Bay.

— oOo —

Several nice speimens of the Paua slug - Schi zoglossa
novaezeland iae, were shown at a recent meeting. These were
collected from under rotten wood in National Park area. It
has a small shell compared v.’ith the more northern worthyl.

Mr. Penneket mentioned that he came across Schizoglossa some
time ago on Cuvier Is. No live slugs were seen but a number
of dead shells were encountered^ apparently darftaged by rats.
•However, four good examples 'were sorted out, . 2 he still has,
and 2 he gave to Dr. Powell, who considered they were the same
' as the Great Barrier species, i.e.S.barrierensis.''

Mrs.Mi tchener writes It was interesting to hear in

January of more specimens of Hydatina physis coming to hand
from time to time. Pacts indicate the existence of a colony
at Port Pitzroy mudflats, although I am aware that this is
not considered feasible. However the fact does remain that
12 live specimens of varying sizes were washed up in this area
last i^ugust. This can be vouched for by Mr. David. Cooper from
■ the guest-house, who actually found them. R friend--of mine,
a non-collector found three specimens in November and December,
one she claims was 3” in length,

— oOo —

Some very fine large specimens of Notoacmea scopulin_a
Oliver, have been collected by Mr. Price at South Head, Here-
kino Harbour. One large specimen measured 22 m.m.

Specimens have a low apex and tbe inside is bluish-white with
. dar.k blotches and a spotted margin.

— oOo — ^ ^

Land snail collectors are a race apart - absolute fanatics.
I hove heard 'tell I No doubt some of their field" trips are
strenuous, some involve risks too II-

A certain Northland member has had a *bug about getting
onto Cape Maria Island, So what does he do - inflate his lilo,
don a life jacket, and on a nice calm day floats across from the
mainland to , the island about a -quarter of a- mile away.^ Here
he spent a. couple of hours amongst the Placostylus snails
'beofre returning tbe same wayl Ever heard of the rip through
this gap ?? ( AS for the Placostylus snails - subrecent

P.hinemoa is there in countless thousands, while P.ambagiosus

/-

ambagiosus appeared to be very scarce indeed on the southern
— f ac-e. • -

--- .. — oOo —

tli^NGONUI Hi^RBOUE - DOUBTLESS B^Y ,

With the low tides of i^.pril near, Mr end Mrs Mathews
Mr Hodge and myself set off early in the morning from
Coopers Beach for Tokerau and V/hatawhiwhi ^ Making good

time we were soon at the Planks, the first road of entry
to Tokerau, for a quick look at the high tide marko Here
were the following wash-ups i

Bassina yatei invery good order
Spisula aequilateralis
iimphidesma subtriangulatum
Mactra discors
Gyclomactra ovata
i^.mphidesma australe australe

i^lcithoe depressa, in good order but not plentiful.
Offadesma anigasi, i badly holed, 2 in good order.

Half valves of the following were, pyientiful, showing
this area would probably regard a shell hunter doing a little
dredging outside the breaker line. ' ^

Longimact'Ta elongata
Resania lanceolata
Zenatia acinaces

Panopea zelandica. Also present were very good
specimens of Struthiolaria papulosa.

Moving on to the P.O.road part of the beach, we found
Panone zeland ioa in thousands, very hoary specimens, extreme
ly heavy, and wonder of wond ers, , some with valves still joined
Many juveniles and adults of both Struthiolaria papplosa & S.
vermis were stranded,' ‘still with the animal inside, and still
.very smelly. Here also were Vemericard ia ..purpura ta. Tawera
spissa, i^lcithoe arabica, a few L .depressa and one of them
a perfect typical specimen. Hundreds of Zethalia zeland ica
made the high tide mark line a feast of beautlf'uF'colour.

Lower down on the low tide mark we were later to” collect a few
fine live specimens of Zethaliao '

■ The tide is moving out so on to the real hunting ground
at Vi/hatawhiwhi. Following the tide down the hermit crabs

provided us with Cirsotrema zelebori . and in the rock pools
were hundreds of large Cookia sulcata of which we collected
^enough for our exchanges for a couple of years, and even then
mad.e no impression -on the numbers present. Haliotis iris
was there but mainly small specimens -although some were large
enough to provide us with fine shells, with prospects of a
good meal at a later tl‘me. Large w'dll marked specimens of
Maoricolpus rdseus spire down in the seaiveed, all alive,
were added tothebdgo

-ao-

Gominello virgata brookesi, fairly plentiful in good
clean condition and well marked, and near' them G. virgata
some of which showed one side pure virgata, tine other as in
C, V, brookesi, ^ Large specimens of Trichosirlus
inornatus were found in the seaweed below~low tide mark,
and also one or two specimens of iignewia tritoniformis«

• On-- the seaweed in the deeper pools were Cantharidus

purpuratus. Just above the lov; water mark I was lifting
some rocks when I spied a large Charonia cap ax trying to
hide from me. This large specimen was carried home
carefully in a bucket of salt water and the following
morning I tried to photograph it in colour. The animal
was well spread out, but unfortunately my camera is not
'meant for close-ups so both slides are a little out of
focus, but nevertheless the colour of the animal shows up
quite well and the lovely blue edge of the mantle fastened
to the outer lip is better in the photograph than in
reality*

Tethys were very common here and exceedingly large.
Also seen were Notoplax violacea on the underside of rocks,
with many chitons in evidence including Amaurachiton glauca
and Ischnochi ton maorianus. Large specimens of the
black slug Scutus breviculus were plentiful in the deeper
dark pools. Leaving this lovely spot with a promise
that we would visit it again later in the year vie repaired
back to Coopers Beach for the night.

In the morning after chores had been done, we set
off for Taimaro on the other side of the Mangonui Harbour,
and after lunch started on the rocks just below the high
tide mark*

Here Tugali elegans vjere in numbers, with smaller
quantities of T.bascauda.

Buccinulum were plentiful, large beautifully marked
B.lineum, less of B* multilineum. B. vittatum exceedingly
white with strong black stripes, and many of mixed B.
heteromorphum parentage. We also collected the less common
B. suteri vi/hich can be identified by the gemmules; and some
more of the little red Buccinulum sp, these being fairly^
common in this area. Prior to this we have collected this
type of specimen from Matopouri, Otara Bay, Whananaki,
Whangaruru and the Bay of Islands. The colour does not
appear to be in only one locality or on one particular
area of rock. It is a small shell, >rather like the B.
heteromorphum "form.

Marginella mustelina and Dafahnella cancel lata were
plentiful, the latter being large clean specimens, strongly
mafked. Mathews here collected a fine young Charonia
capa^x, and a 'lovely bright yellow Pteronotus eos, the
largest I have ever, seen, being 28 niom. in length. Later
on she collected three more spec.imens.;but not nearly^so
large. Mayena australis were here, fine^ clean specimens,
Thank goodness, the protoconch was still intact.

"53-

Penion mand arlnoldes and P» adusta vvere also present
under the rocks near the low tide markr; v

i^:mongst the shells - collected at Tokerau were some
small ■ hi-valves which ilooked like, a juvenile shell, but
on closer investigation, it was found to be full sized
adult Maorimactra ordinarla, These were the 'first I
had collected and were also the first in my collection..

The farmer whose aj?.ea v^e vfere visltl^ at Taimaro
stated that it had been some_years’ since''collectors had
been here and farther along t_he"^Bay, so new ?;e hope to
visit it again in the near future and work round to a
far cape whose rocks looked particularly temptingo

Le Seagero

’ ' BE/\CHCOMBING IN THE HOPOVl/HENUA' AREh of the
WELLINGTON BISTRICT,

During the summer .holiday' peM the beaches a'o
such popular resorts as Paraparaumu,"|Vatkariae, Otaki and
Levin are crew'd ed, but that is roughlymthe-’af ea in which
we spent "a- Very enjoyable and 'reward i'h^'' 'Shelling’’ holiday
from December 22nd to January 6th.

■ However, it mus't .be ~'po inted out that the most
■'reward ing -areas wefe those w/ell^away from-the crow/d ed
beaches, and the whole area with the exception of north
and south of a very stony Otaki river "mouth Vi/ere well
worthy of visitso . .. . h

As, in the past, not only” 'w/ere ' high tidal areas
combed, but also the vast areas of drifting sands, (which
shifted after every strong w/ind storm--) end these too,
were found rewarding in good shelLs of nice colour, clean
and bright, and mostly in perfect condition «

Some of -the shells found alive in this entirely
sandy region 'w/ere rather surprising, and in the follow/ing
lists, w/here shells were-taken alive the fact is stated

One day a visit was paid to the rocks at Pukerua
Bay, and here limpets in abundance were taken as 'V'/ell as H
Haliotis varietiese Mrs 'Voyce also found-'- a large
cuttle-fish bone, Wi/hich was something' new7 for us to
find it on N.Z. beaches,: and later on, showing it to
a prominent trawler fisherman, he said, that it must have
come from a very 'large squid,, for though broken, it
measured ten inches long<« ■;

• • ' j ■

f ' ■ .

-60-

A visit vi/as also paid to Paekakariki and north, but
these areas were not rewarding exoopt for a few Maurea
cunninghami.

We spent a part of every, day on the beaches, even the
day when^ the Wellington area experienced . six inches of
rain, and when the dressing pheds of the swimming baths
were blown into the Harbour;- h

' ' -Alcithbe swainsoni Alive Both plain and ribbed.

Alcithoe swainsoni motutarensis ” '* '' " alive#

A 1 c i the e fusus fusus
Alcithoe arabica

Astrea heliotropium
Haliotis iris alive
Haliotis australis
Matirea cunninghami Alive.

Maurea punctulata
Xenophalium pyrum Alive

Janthina violacea

Gellona radians

Gari lineolata

Barvspira australis Alive

Zethalia zelandlca Alive

Penion adusta

Penion mandarina

Gominella adspersa Alive

Argobucc inum tumid urn

Gabestana spennleri

Tanea zelandica . Alive

Poirieria zelandica

Lepsi a hau strum

Lepsi thais lacunosus

A trina zeland ica

Bassina vatei

Bosinla anus

Solemya parkinsoni

Gookia sulcata

^i rula spjrula

--Pec ten novaezeland iae
Maoricolpus roseus
Struthiolaria papulosa

alive

Struthiolaria vermis

■ ~ ” alive.

Amphid esma sub triangula turn
Mvtllus canaliculus
Austrofusus glans olive
. Zeacolpus vi ttatus
Maurea pellucida.

Aeneator o. cookianus

' ' , A .H.Voyce#

— oOo —

A collecting tip garnered from' the American publication
of the Malacological Union may prove of help , to .members.

" A common s.moll plastic vv'ashtub is a good" thing to take
along when collecting in water not exceeding k feet.
Simply tie it to your waist with a very, stout cord and in
it place your shell oars» lunch tools Then tow

it about whereever you go” Now on top of your other
collecting gear add this washtub to the heap in the

„ 1 1 » t

TKRl£ Kl^iC.5

I,

Vi C^COS Kl/IuS

ii n

bo llo^^s\ boflohsi (Suf^r')
b o i 1 o n s i C ^ p ^r^buS , .

bo^Or^Sl> C\r b L\buS,

-62-

V 'THREE KINGS ISlJiffig ... .QUICK LOOK. ■■

L. Price,

, . . . * ■ ^ ■ : ! J. ‘ ■

• The ^Tliree Kings Island"s, 'a'group comprising four

main islands, plus a number of islets and rqc.ks, are
situated some 29 miles to the N.W. of Cape Reinga, in
far northern New Zealand,* Much of the flora: i and fauna
of this group is quite distinct from that of the Main-
land, and for this reason is of ’’consid erable interest
tb^ naturalists. For nearly 60 years goats roamed
Great Island, and, "uhtil their complete destruction
in 1946, caused terrible havoc amongst the vegetation.

Now, fortunatery, "regeneration is going ahead by leaps
and bounds, and with the whole group_ f ree of pests
of any kind, it is to be hoped these conditions will
continue for all time,

, . For some years, Norman Gardner and I_ have toyed

with the idea of somehow ' getting ashore on the Three
Kings, but until recently had dohe nothing much about
it. However, a few days before Christmas, 1962, it
suddenly struck me that a talk with local fishermen
may turn up something... and so it proved. Several
months before, a partyi of six amateur naturalists had
approached this same fisherman, and things were almost
finalised for a trip to the Islands within a few days.

Panic stations I I hurriedly rang Norman in Auckland,
and he informed me he was practically on his way_ to the
Three Kings, and to see if he could obtain a landing
Permit, pronto, ■

^ ... ' ■ ■

V/ell ,. *. it happened that luck was with us all
the way, and with everything jacked up, including the
weather, we were heading north aboard the 'hihiki*' on the
30th December, Travelling steadily through the night,
we. were cruising off Great Island by 9ici,m. next morning.
Conditions were near perfect. We .were soon all ashore,
together with mountains of gear, at the N.W. landing rocks,
At last our dreams had become reality within the space of
one hectic week! .

,:The first thing noticed on going ashore were
the boulders literally plastered with the well-known
V/ellihgtg'n limpet. CELLANA DENTICULA TA (Martyn ) . , . an
amazing sight to see. these shells so. far froxm home and
in such numbers, _ TheJsecond most noteworthy thing

was the., apparent' compiete absence of the widespread and
common CELLANA ORNaTA (Dillwyn) ,... not a single • speci-
men,could be found.! Apart from the limpets, marine
collecting around the shores is rather d iff icult, _ as,
except for a couple of small areas of king-sized
boulders, the shoreline consists of rugged cliffs.; dropping
sheer into. deep water. .;

-63-

However, we managed to oome up with the following
species, though, our stay was* lim-ited- fe- on-ly -3 days on
Great Island

C e 1 1 a n a d ent icula ta (Martyn) (common, large)

Cell ana radians rad ians (Gmelin) (common small, dark*

ITotoaomea pileopsis pileopsis (Q&G) (common, large)

It H

cellanoides ( 01 iver) (comifion, small)

Pa t ell 0 id a c ort i c a t a g or a 1 1 i n a (Oliver) (common, very

■ . ■ large)

Pa_telloida cort icata -pseudocort icata (ire) (common)

Siphonaria zeland ica ^ ( Q&G )

\

Gad inlea nivea (Hutton)

■( .uncommon Large)
(coitmon)

Hal iot is iri’s (Martyn)

N eothais scalaris (Menke)

(Common, large)
(cOrmition) .

( not uncommon)
( common)

N erita mel a no tragus (Smith) (Commop, very

* large)

■A n 1 sod i'l oma lu'gubris (Common)

f

Our first task ashore was to scale 'the 300 foot
cliffs to find a suitable campsite. The advance party
staggered around for over half an hour- b-efore reaching
the top,' although, within a couple of days we could race
up in 10 minutes and down in' fivel Luckily, good water
was found in Castaway Stream only--'a few yards above the
wreckage of the old depot, and here we thankfully collap-
sed. Recovery was rapid howevef, as Herman and I soon
« began sorting out many choice specimens of the lovely
■Allod iscus Cassandra \Hbtton) This shell proved to be-
abundant over the whole islands

N eothais smith i (Brazier)
Zeatrophon ' ambiguus ('Philippi)

New Year Day, 1 963« we were away oorly^ after deciding,
to visit the colony of Placostvlus bollonsi arbutus (Powell)
on the western side...of . the ialandA-b'-... On- the way, about half
way up Castaway Valley and under a thick grove of trees, we
collected a fine series' of Egestula gaza -(Suter) plus a
few each of Allod iscus turbott i "(Povi/elTT " Thera si el la
pec t i n i f era '('Powel3. ) cmd^ Delos cf -5 je^’dreysiaEaTXpfFJT
Just south of the Grater Head, we', soon^ found the P.b*
arbufus colony, add were thrilled to exa.mine the first
living specimens we had seen.-t.-. undoubtedly, they are
m'agnif icient shells. During several hours, we*, saw at
least 200 living specimens, including approx. 4©^ juveniles.

-64-

Q'uite a gratifying increase on the 25 living specimens
located in 1945i

On our way back to camp, we stopped beside the
stream in the upper Tasman Valley, While lunch was
on, Norman fished out some specimens of a Potamopyrfl:us
these appear identical with the- mainland Potamopyrgus

.ntipodum zelandiae (Gray) ) they were also

seen later in Castaway Stream.

^After a short breather in camp, we headed across
the. saddle to the slopes above the S.E.Ba^, and here,
after a considerable search, located the colony of
Placostylus bollonsi bollonsl (Suter). A count showed
at least 40 living specimens, including again 40?^
juveniles ...« also a healthy increase on the 11
living specimens seen in 1945* In leafmold at this
site, a few specimens of Cytora (Murdochia) solltarla
(p’owell) and Mocella manawatawhla (Powell) were found.

Next morning, 2nd January, we decided to return to
the site of the P.b, arbutus (Powell) colony to search
for small snails, and in particular, the large hairy
Cytora (Murdochia) hirsut issima (Powell), but apart from
more Egestula gaza TSuter"7 we vi/ere out of luck. A small
bag of leafmold each we gathered here, and although not
yielding a sinle Cytora. Norman has turned up a couple
of specimens of a nev; species of Thalassohelix ... the
first of this genus on record for the Three Kings area,

Also of interest here, while collecting the leafmold, I
found two specimens of albino P.b . arbutus (Powell)..,
the first albino Placostylus I have observed.

During the afternoon, we hod a look at the Placos-
tylus bollonsi caperatus (Powell) colony, v;hich is
situated in a shallow valley above the N.Vi/. landing, just
below the crest of the saddle. Like the other colonies,
these are also thriving, a count of at least 4Q living
specimens including 20% juveniles Vi/as made, compared with
40 living specimens seen in 1946, An unusual feature
here being the number of dead shells about, most being
very old and bleached.,., whereas in the other two colonies,
deads were quite a rarity. At the foot of this N.W.
landing slope just above where the vegetation commences,
a large number of Cytora (Murdochia ) annectens (Povi/ell)
vere found amongst stones undet stunted Ngaio bushes.

The following morning, January 3rd, the weather was
beginning to change. Much to our regret, we were obliged
to pack up and descend to the landing, and before midday
all v;ere aboard the boot once more. Our stay had been
nost pleasant and interesting, the weather perfect, the
only fly in the ointment, so to speak, were the hordes of
blowflies that plagued us from the crack of down to black
night. Mosquitoes were hungry at sea-level, but on top
there was not a one.

..65-

- • . ‘f- ■■ ; r '• ■ I r:

' GYl'/lATIIDAE . ' ■■ ■.:■

Some Manakau- Harbour Observation^; ■.

i,;i ■ . .i;.

■ - ,'r r S “ t)y /t;- ;•

.M wiylingc^ ' i ~

' ■ .’V-. i,".‘ ‘ f-

This paper contains observations on some members
of the , Cymatl idae. family found -in.ithe Manakau Harbour.

,It is a joipt paper by the authors and was originally
given as a talk at the Gonchology Section of the
i^. uc kl a nd Institute a nd H u s eu_m o n i^;pr ,11 t'6 th, A $63 i. . ..•i-i;-

■ The approach of „ the -January 1963 ‘Uevi moon v/as'i.the
obvious time to plan trips to the northern shore dfithe
Manakau • harbour, but a;s . usual the useful low tid.es
occurred' at most aukwarl-'times. j _hJll_observei^s.1of \,J
marine life knou the "effort required to ultilize these
, f ru i t f u 1 1 ow : t id e per i Qd s^. On the , Su nday I the -0 . 4 a nd
-O..3 low . tid e occurred; at 5f>2i>amo. and 5"49 p«nl.’
respectively and^ o.ne .■ had the choi ce'.of risi ng before
dawn or upsetting 'the f amily d inner '’s-rraagements,.._ .u .5:
Monday .was a little betJer and "eh Tuesd ay-,.y^^^
much more respectable but, by then the ioj3est S-i 2 inches
was covered with ..water and hopes faded ifdr another month
or p.o,s.sibly six months until the next minus- tides'.

The main purpose of the trip was to continue *
o.b.servat ions of the jaerfibers of the Gymatlidae normally
to be found on '"the North Shore- of the harbour. During
the past 3 years several such trips had been made,

„ observing and counting, always, of course,' v;ith eyes
open for the ^exceptional .sp'ecimeno

Those not acquainted with rthe. Manakau Harbour may
appreciate a brief des.cription of the area' covered by the
i observatlonso It stretc'ies approximately .from Mill Bay
at the eastern base of the Cornwallis BeninsulaLaround the
shore to the'uorth heads, a distance .of some 1-2 miles.

It is •en area vi/ith a most div.er,s.e geography* admiralty
Chart No'. 2726 suppllmented by; the late'- .Mr* S.Hulme’ s .paper
in our Bulletin N00I July .1961, gives some idea- 01 the
vast possibilities of the' area* r Exploration of the ground
soons confirms this and revelas bo-th the-.d iff iculties and
the prospects of the area* Offshore lie the banks,
including p-.art of the Viast Te Tau -Bank and all of the
smaller Huia -bank* :..-Gonverging off Puponga Point at the
end - of the Gornwhll'ls' Peninsula are the four ..main channels
of ■' the Manakau Harbor'", which here jonn and flow to and
from the sea In one great stream*jo.' .. : ■'

CSVaO C*

The collector in the Huia-Kakamatna area and also
in the Mill Bay-Cormvallis area will find vast expanses
of mud flats, often difficult to transverse, covered
mostly by ZOSTERA- of ’'s'esgrass”. These flats are
often broken, especially near the low tide mark by,
rocky reefs standing above the mud. The slightly
sloping surface bf the reefs is invariably covered
wi th" Corallina offucinatus ( a small algae) and '

Hormosira banksia or ’’Venus's necklace".

Around the Cornwallis Peninsula and also from
Lit'tle Huia to Paratutu Island near the Heads, the
coast line is', "“in the main, steep cliffs at the
base of which is merely a rocky narrow ledge exposed
only, at low tide. The edge of the ledge slopes
rapidly into 5 or 10 fathoms of swiftly flowing water,
through which can be seen seaweeds growing on the
steep slope.

Collecting in this entire northern- area is often
reqarding but is always strenuous and sometimes dangerous.

Having described briefly the area covered by this
paper it may be useful to recoil the members of the
Cymatiidae family which one can reasonably hope to find
on the Manakau Harbour and to give some idea of their
localities and habitat. _ Dr. Powell's Checklist on
page 93 in the 1961 edition or page 101 in the 1937 edition
of "Shells of lists the complete family which

contains some of our largest and most beautiful shells.

The most common member found in the' area is
Cabestana spengleri( Perry. 1811). Good specimens
of these are obtainable at or very slightly above the
extreme low tide mark. 'The majority seen to be
uncovered only for a short period and are usually found
associated with the reef outcrops. They are either
tucked under the overhangs or wedged into the funnels
running up the face of the reef or sometimes on the
underside of the fev/ large rocks scattered about the
area. The cleanest' specimens are on the reef, while
the larger but more eroded shells are found at the base
of the boulders and never seem to be unoovered
completely..

i^nother species of this genus is Cabestana
watei house i segregate Powell, 1 933 , of which the
authors have found only one example in this area.

Although at first sight this species looks much like
a small Cabestana spePglerl. it is quickly obvious
on closer inspection that there are several differences.

The single row of nodules so characteristic of G. spengleri
are, in the C.waterhousei segregata. divided or
'segregated' into tv;’o less pro.nounced rows and as a
further confirmation it will be noted that the

' ; .r-68 —

epidermis is continued around to form a flat hairy ' '•

covering over the outer. 'lipo The authors specimen
was found on top of the reef but one find is ’ ‘

obviously no indication of their usual hatai'tatse

Cabestana bolteniana (i\o.^dams, 1 8bh) has been
found in the Huia area but like C ^ w a t erhou s e i segregata
seems to be very rare* ~

■Passing to another genus, Monoplex* the species
australaslae, Perry, 1 8-11 , is fairly plentiful, but is
normally harder to see. It seems to be. found near the
reefs or boulders but usually more concealed by mud
then the Cabestanas,- This shell with* its beautiful '
animal and hairy epidermis is surely a delight to’ all '■
collectors,

■The next.; most commonly found member of the family
is probably Mayen a australasia(Perrv. 1 811 ) . It is
found a little higher up the beach and under, or at the
base of rock, boulders, ^often in muddy conditions.

Two other members namely Gharonia capax, Pinlay,
1927y and Gharonia rubicunda(Perry, 1 811 ) are .founds.
in this area. These two species, . especially the
‘former are found only rarely. Mr. ,H. Jones, of the
Section listed all known finds up to the date of his
'papers in Bulletins Nos, 14 and 14* ' Since then it is
known that four others have been found. The table
below shov;s the original list with some additions. It
will be seen that 15 definite and one doubtful specimen
G. rubicunda and 3 definite G.Qapax have been, found.

/ire they really as rare ad" the few finds would
indicate or is it only the odd. specimens 'that stay too
far up the shore are found ?. Do rhey live in deep
water or in the shallow reef or bank area ? Vi'e have
pfew pointers^ The Late Mr. Hulme of the Geological
Survey, Lower Hutt, in' Bulletin, No. 1 6 reports On :a
rapid one day survey he made of the Mandkau Harbour.

In his opinion little life can Oxist in’ the swift
deep water area^ If this is correct, ' then the area
of search is considerably reduced. Skin divers have
f ound.It he se. shells in 30~60’ of water at Paratutai Is.
and in the' Hauraki .Gulf on the, VVaitemata side at
12--1‘8’, I'he younger author of-t-his psper' has ■ d ived^
at Puponga Point ip. the more sheltered areas using,
aqualung equipment and rf ound -the bottom rocky and ;
suitable, but visibility is "miostly ib.ad., 2^_or so,
and -extended search difficult. More work is . ^

obviously required. ■ ' .! •

I

Otiier members of the family may have been found
in this area and if so -the authors will appreciate any
details that can be supplied,

1 To return to the January low tides expeditions
mentioned at the beginning of this paper amd to the
authors main interest at the present time. Most
shell, ^collectors have probably wondered., at 'times just
how' niany“ animals of a species there are in a particular
area, and whether^ collecting might be adding -to- the
struggle of molluscs .for existence. The rest of this
paper gives some of the' suthidrs ' findings while attempt-
ing to investigate this problem as it relates! to the
Cymati idae in this- area,

A visit to one small reef outcrop and adjacent
area to the east of Puponga Point resulted in k3 C,
spengleri and 9 Monoplex australasiae being located.

In addition another shell collector in the same vicinity
at the time collected approx, 7 G, spengleri. A lot of
the 'C .'spengleri on the reef were in the growth stage with
very thiri and flexible lips. Care was needed to remove
them from the rocks without inflicting damage. They had
passed through from 3 to 9 growth stages as computed by
counting the varix. i-^ssuming one growth stage per
.annum, this would give their* age as 4“9 years. The

number of shells found ,this year was about twice as many
as last year. and the thought occurs ” Where did the
additional shells come' :from and ' why were" no shells”less
than four years old located ? . The wa.ter temperature

was 69 degrees .F, and it would seem that worm conditions
are required for growth.

Many egg clusters were noticed attached to the rock.
In one case a G . spengleri was over a cluster and in
another case a Monoplex australasiae covered the eggs.
Examination of the two animals .seemed to indicate that
these were. actually laying the eggs. Wo growth was
evident on these two shells and it has been s,tated in
connection with other molluscs that egg laying and
growth are not usually ..possible for the animal in the
same season. Perhaps it is so for these two species.

On the following day the two egg clusters previously
mentioned were collected, Examination of the twn egg
sacs and later of the molluscan larvae themselves reveal-
ed no real differences. The question arises, therefore,
were the animals found on the eggs responsible for their
deposit ? If so, Monoplex australasiae and C. spengleri
eggs and larvae appear to be similar. In a previous
newsletter ( i^ug.1959) Mr.Hipkins has given drawings and
some notes relating to G. spengleri egg clusters. Our
examination revelaed a similar picture. I30 to 200 sacs
per cluster were counted, each sac containing 2000 -
3000 larva, giving a total of 300,000 - 600,000 larva
per cluster. The sacs were first examined under a

-70-

microscope some 2I4 hours after finding the animal on
the eggs, and the actual larval shells were clearly
apparent.- Some movement of the shells and what
appeared to be currents set up in the cell liquid
was visible.. The sacs were kept in a aereated
container and after li days most of the sacs had open-
ed, liberating the larva, when it could be seen that the
shells were in the Veliser larval stage. The cilia were
now clearly visibly in rapid movement. Growth continued
for six days with the protuding portions of the animal
seeming to grov;, when the experiment came to a sad end.

A smaller, unknown, microscopic animal bred at a great
rate and many were seen to attack each molluscan Veliger.
Soon, all were eaten. Several larval shells w;ere
preserved for microscopic work.

It is assumed that the larva are usually liberated
into the. plankton to settle later and grow. Where do
they develop and why do we not find shells with less than
three growth stages ? Much more work is obviously requir-
ed, .

C. spengleri have been found ^ on the Western side
of Puponga Point, but usually rather stunted in growth.
C. spengleri & Monoplcx australasiae occur in the Hui-
Kakamatua area and seem fairly plentiful and in good
condition,

G, Waterhouse! segrerrata and C. boltenlana are
found so infrequently that no definite habitat can yet
be specified.

This paper is an attempt to put. on record some of
the authors observations in the" hope that future t/ork
may reveal more of the life cycle of a very interesting
family.

oOo'

The article and illustrations of the N . Z/ Volutes are
being held over until next issue when we hope to
present two pages of excellent figures by Mr, Hipkins.

— oOo —

char ON LA RUBICUNDA MANAK/\U H^iRBOUR

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-72-

The H, Z.Telllnas. and where to flncl them.

0 o d aid & ave li a d lao 7
adaou 5ns , fuo.a
n'so- ■' .-.ton

■ bn 3

diab'io. no

ddioodidlV

n iKd : t®f : a- Jl'tKtid-

3fii'iicj9f> ‘jscfiTidfa; Yfir. - ,s-^Gd'EQ.a

d d fiBho3:l^s . rtiniig,

more attract -jof , ’ ,o P r„ sip,? a ' rno r
the odd excep^t-ion ii^hpi^L are“' noT ©f paTWclIl'B^'"
though somet^yes so that this is one family
we may have, vyell repr'e&enled in our collecttq.qs without
the usual expenditure of blood, "sweat aud tea-rs".

d B rMags-pmf©he I-illaaail r qjd^.a,]^© _rl h ,-,prob,^b fy ^the, c oniii^ es t

*10 iircme^' ■ a aghellf^^hi^c-ib ^;mu-cf,5^j’

usually „fQU^,n'>)n o©s|;qarine .'sf^

to harbours. I have good specimens 'x3dom‘\^fenghte?^
Nelson-iand f/Iahurangi, but the best place of all seems to
be Cheltenham Beach, Devpnport, where really large- ones
are found, and these are usually tinged inside with
orange-yellow, giving them a very attractive appearance.

Angulus is a genus of three species, . spenc-ej?!- ( Suter,
1907} being the rare one. It is mostly found on the^

Bay of Plenty beaches e.g, Whitionga, Ohope, and , -'
Opotiki which is the type locality, Suter lists it-"
also from i^karba and New Brighton and there may be
other pieces where it will be recorded' as well.

Angulus ga Imardi ( Iredole, 1 91 5-) is the one named
in Suter as Tellina alba. This is -a: .very thin shell

of quite large dimensions, in some lights appearing
almost pearly in texture. In this ‘species the beaks
are closer to the anterior end and the ligament is very
short, ■ The epidermis if present at all is very thin.
They mostly live in a couple of fathoms off shore, but
'are often washed up -alive during storms, -Good locations
are Nelson, Orewa, Wai'wera, - and-- sometimes at Muriwai,
although hot : so' common there. It is also recorded from
the Bay of Plenty, at the Mount, V./hitianga and Ohope,

Angulus edgarl is very- similar in appearance, but is
a more solid looking shell, usu'^ally possessing an
epid ermis- of i a_-bro7i/nish- shade' and the. beak's . are mores
central’.' . This, together v.yith: the fact that the '
ligament is longer, is the-most reliable way of .
separating the .two species. In the Manual, A , edgarl
is listed .ias Tellina glabrella. I ha.ve collected it at
Orevva, Vv'aiwera,. Hed Beach (Whangaparaoa ) and have seen
the odd valve on. Whangateau Beach, though no complete
shells. It would be o.f . interest to have record-s 'ef
this species from southern localities.

Zearcopagia d isculus is, as its name .suggests, of
rather circular outline. It is always quite un-
mistakeable with its strong concentric Striations and
patch of bright orange yellow at the umbones. This
one lives in. sand around coastal situations but I have

-73-

more often found It washed up in rocky places than on
sandy beaches. Quite common at Goat Island Beach and
Ti Point, also Mahurangi,' V/aiwero, V/hangaparaoa and
s ome ii uckland beaches. Pound also further south in
the Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Nelson, Has been,
recorded in the Chathams.

Tell Inella is found mainly in deeper offshore
waters though one species, T.eugonia (Suter. 1 9f3)
has been found at extreme low tide at Great Barrier
and one or two mainland localities. Most specimens
are about a quarter inch in length, but a few have"
shown that a fully grown ;Shell can be up to an inch
long. Looking a bit i-mgulus in shape, the

shell is quite unmistakeable as it is covered with
strong concentric str iations. Fresh specimens are
brownish in colour outside and pure white within.

Tellinella huttoni ( Smith, I885) is a' small

translucent shell mostly of a pretty pink or flesh

colour, sometimes 'washed ashore in Golden Bay, but

mostly only obtainable by dredging. It would appear
to be common at Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island,- and Queen
Charlotte Sound. ' This is a very fragile.- shell, easily
damaged, so that good specimens are quite rare. The
subspecies sterrha (Suter,1913) is a variety .of doubtful
value and will likely prove to be a synonym of
T, huttoni huttoni.

— o0o-“

i_±

33

NEW BOOKS .AVAILiH.BLE for lending .

The Librarian

SHELL LIFE. An introduction to the British Molluscs

by Edward Step.

Note; Shell life is a popular introduction to
the Mollusca of the British Isles, Chapters deal in a
familiar way with the principal facts relating to
structure, organisation and habits of several types of
molluscan life, jP-11 the. Natural Orders and Families
with most of the Genera and many species are described
and figured, with much information regarding localities
mode of life and the relation of form, colour and
ornamentation, to habit. Excellent cohchological reading.

— 0O0--

SEA SHELLS OF THE WORLD ; 790 illustrations in full colour.

A guide to better known species.

For a paper covered book of its size, it is’ remarkable
for the amount of informat ion “ it contains. Some 80
Cypraea from America, Africa, Panamic ( Pacific), .t.ustralia
and Indo-Pacific are illustrated as well as the better
known species such as Helmets, Olives, Murex, Conus, Miters
Tulips, Abalone etc.

Vol.1

Part ^r,

-7U-

Sept ember 1963

SHEI.L COLLrCi'OP.S.
S.R, & . M . i-.yling.

While on a recent skin-diving trip to 'li-Point near
Leigh, it quickly became apparent -chat we were not the only
underwater shell collectors^ Some 50 yards off shore, in IQ-
15 feet of w/ater were large rocks, interspersed with sandy
clearings^ The rocks, D^st clear of 1:110 main current flov^
had become the home of an octopus colony. Their homes are
merely excavations in the sand under the edge of the rocks,
or in some cases, a convenient crevice into which the animal
has squeezed. Each ’’home'' is however distinguished quite
clearly by a scattering of newly opened, and cleaned shells
in its immediate vicinity« These fresh shells are in contrast
to the usual bleached debris lying on the sandy sea bottom.

In this Octopus colony there were some twenty animals,
while a short distance up the coast, in similar conditions, was
another colony of about the 3 erne size. Evidently the hunting in
this area was good, ;]udged by octopus standards.

It was evident that two species of molluscs predominated
in the Octopus diet, namely Eqp^gJ,m^;'2ra elongate ( * cz O) and
G-ari st anger! ( G-ray), Some of the former v/ere good specimens,

93 mm X 63 tmi with epidermis in excellent condition, while the
latter reached 53 t:m X 33 nun also with good epidermis. Some
50 shells of the two species were seen around each •'home" and on
disturbing the send in the vicinity, further specimens were
revealed. Evidcntl'^r rhe colonies were well established and
this was borne cub by the size of the animals which were judged
to be 3 to U feet acr'^oss the outstretched arms. The dexterity
of the octopus mast be of a high order for some of the opened
G. stangeri were only 25 mm in length and none of the shells
showed signs of damage. They had apparently been opened by a
steady pull in opposite directions on each valve and not by action
of the hard beal: of the Octopus,

Most of the octopus were " at home" - they have been
described as nocturnl feeders - or perhaps they were scared to
safety by the human invazioHo However, on returning to the
area a litt] e later, one animal was surprised in a sandy clear-
ing sitting in a circular excavation, oom.e authtorities state
that the octopus ei^cavates for its home and unearths molluscs
by blowing jets of water from its siphon into the sand, v-.'e
assume that the octopus sees or senses the siphons of the
molluscs just protruding above the sandy bottom and proceeds to
excavate. It would seem that if successful in capturing the
animal, that she octopus returns to its home and there opens
and eats his prize, afterwards extending an arm and dropping the
shell outsideo

-75-

\'/hlle many hair-raising stories are told of Octopus
attaching ro ones legs \vhen standing in shallow v/ater, It is
the experience of skindiYers thao these animals are very
docile indeed, and even when prodded by the finger, merely
change their colour, probably in -che hope that the new shade
will render them' invisible. In any case if tney keep up the
supply of nicely cleaned shells, otherwise difficult to obrain,
then as shell collectors , we can only be grateful and consider
them'‘f riend s. .

VI..cki I1F3- . Und erwarer collecting can be thoroughly
recoiiimend ed by the authors but rhey feel that any persons
intending to start, should first be fully trained" by
competent instructors and afterwards gain experience with
a repu'cable club. there are many dangers for the uninitiated
both in' the mechanics of diving and in the sea life likely
to be encountered.

— oOo —

.. new met ho a of 'haj^d Snail Cc^llec t ing' ??

Phil '-arren.

x.s many of you are aware our house is at the end of a ridge
and the garden is bounded on three sides by native bush.

Here are wonderful hiding places for "ntrod’^ced pests like
Kel ix aspersa and Oxychilus cellar i~'''s and we recently took
drastic action against these in the form of a well advertised
bait consisting of waterproof pellets containing, -vcpjote,
Lure-204 - for Slugs and Snails'',.

This prepax’ation was liberally sprinkled round the infested
ares ;just before rain in accordance with directions. Some
days later the baits were visited, and to our surprise w©,._,
found not only large numbers of corpses of both the intro-
duced snails, but , in addition unite r few dead 'dhw t id a ■
dunniae, a couple of rhalassohelix telo.jd iae, and a small
Phrixgnathus probably mo el lend orf i • Ho dead Slug's t;ere
seen close to the bush verge but there were plenty further
up close to the house.

One cannot now help but wonder if the method might be of
help in the .collection of small bush species, and Yjith this
idea in mind I have laid baits in one or tv;o other places to
see what happens. ..ny results, either good or bad will
be notified in this publication later on.

— oOc —

-76-

THE TERRES‘JR]V.L OPERCuLu.TS QEL'TUS

, : V Phil— barren.

The snails of tHis ai;tractive group 'were admirably
monographed by D’r. Powell some eight years ago, but as many
collectors may hot have' access to this particular paper these
notes are offered in the hope'y&hal: intending collectors of
these interest i-ng’ I i ttle molluscs will learn where to expect
to meet the different species.,.

. ■ ' J.

Mosl of them are found only north of . uckland, the
three exceptions being L, lepida, L,egea egea> and L.
hochstetteri carinella. Of these lenid a is the most rare
and ver.y restricted in- its range, being known only from
Northern 'aifarapa ( HastertoAL area -) through the Manawatu
Gorge, and Horowhenua, where' odd specimens may still be
taken near Levin, e.g. "'lorida Toad, though it is becoming
increasingly rare, j

It would seem certain that Liarea was once present
in central North Island .localities but has become extinct
during the Pleistocene volcanic eruptions. It may be that
changes in the course of the '.'aikato Piver have prevented
later re-population, from the north of some of these places

The species L. hochstetteri is common in large
tracts of bush from ..'.aeo across to. Kokianga-,-- then -north to
i-iwsnui and Doubtless Bay. further south it can be collected
in places from ’.‘'ellsford down to I/aiwera, L. hochstetteri
4,ND_ its allies seem to .prefer the damper parts of the bush
and.: the shells mostTy ' appear broad in proportion to height,
and shov? rather prominent axial striations.

Lf hochstetteri alta lives . in . hilly country around
Whangarei’ and;/Dargavill.e "where its range would seem . to be
arther restricted. ^.s the naime suggests, the shells are
higher in outline th-an the typical species.

hochstetteri carinella is. . f a i r ly c o.mmo n around the
■ ma i taker es and as far as“'iruriwst:; .:^lso southern ..uckland area
e.g. Hauku, Tuakau, but' continues down through* fait omo to
the i^’wakino Gorge as" well as Ohaupo.i and some parts of the
Potorua area.’ Dr. Powell has also recorded it from Kawau Is.
a most unexpected and remarkable discovery.

1 - L. ornata is another species -belonging to^ the hoch-
stetteri assemblage, ■ This "is a small but very pretty shell,
smcioth to th*e - naked eye, somewhat ..shining and marked with a
zigzag pattern of light and dark brown. ' It lives in a r^hliEr
compact area bounded by V/ellsford, Leigh and 'arkworth, where it
is not 'Uncommon under taraire leaves, in' bush remnants from sea
■Mevel to seven or eight hundred feet.

-77-

Frobabiy the bes'c known species of all is L, egea
egea, a small well pa'cterned one found from ..aiwera down
along the east coesi: 'co Ooromandel; south of ..uckland to
le ^mJv'amutu, and fco-corua, -laimai .langes "and the I'e Puke area*
This one is found on several off-shore islands too, ./aihake,
Great and Li'ctle harriers, and one of 'che Chicken Islands*

r. taller sub-species is L* egea 'cessellata, a most
at'craccive one which occurs at V/ood cocks ( not far from
■■■■/arkworth) near \ellsford, then further north between
h'hangarei and fargaville, Opononi and Kerekino, Like
mos'G of the egea series it favours a slightly drier part
of the bush. and is often in fallen nikau leaves.

In the far ITorthern block between Spirits Bay and

North Cape, lives L_j aupouria aupouria, the largest one

of .all, oft.e.n exc eed i ng i nch in height. It. too, has a

prominent partem of zigzag markings, "‘more pronounced on
specimens from rhe heights of Unuwhao than those from down
the Spirits Bay area. Near Cape liaria this, same species
may be found sub-recent in sand ^unes with the colour pattern
still present although cff ad ed"- an indication that this nov/
barren area v\/as once clothed with native bush at some not
too remote date. :•

Right- out at North Cape is Rerr Feint, the type
locality ,of a smaller and very local sub-species named
L. aupouria tara^ not to be found anywhere- else.

xhe remaining species belong to the turriculata

group; also a northern one L. turriculata turriculata

has a long range from Doubtless Bay down the coast to
B^hangarei with scattered records from B-aipu to Bellsford,
then once again becomes fairly common from Puhoi to - Ibany.

It is a tall slender shell, mostly patterned though some are
unicoloured, usually about a quarter inch in height, though
a population of particularly fine and much larger specimens
is often met with at Llount l.iansia, V/hangarei Heads.

,L. turriculata waipoua is naturally located at
i/aipous Rauri B'orest, and also near Broadv.'ood n^st to the
north. Rhe shells look much wider than typical turriculata
and are invariably reddish brown in colour with, in some
specimens, a darker band at the base.

Of similar shape and colour, though .smaller and
shinier is L. turriculata partula* living in patches of bush
from just south of ‘arkworth to Pukapuka. It has recently
been found as far to the east coast in this small area, and
also to the west of the main road in isolated bush pockets,
though not far inland* . It is hoped that further^ collecting
in these localities will establish more records of this
pretty little shell, which is not so far, well known.

Perhaps it might be worth mentioning here that- quite a number
of bush localities *-in the middle north would repay investigat-

.-78-

-ion and perhaps bring further nei7 forms to light.

In any case, it would helpto increase our conception of the knowr
the known range of the already named species.

— oOo —

fro^ Prank Climo

■' I went home for the holidays and did
a spot of collecting on Farewell- Spir where there were
hundreds- of Ze no o h a 1 i-um .p y rum w/ashed up. One appears
a most interesting shell, thinner shelled with aperture
more oblong than circular and not as s.quat, as usual.

X. Iso picked up- a large .^S-traea hello tropiium, washed up in
perfect condition. ^

r.nother point of interest - twice_ I have found
quite large pieces of fonna^ on the: ocean beach . The piece
I picked up last .time had the cutt-cle still attached to it,

I may find a whole one washed up on the '.pit one of these
days I

— oOo —

Two more specimens of Zenoohal ium, roy anum have been
collected from off ..hangaroa in the last couple of months,

Prom Laurie Price i-

'■ Have had a couple of easterly busters
which have brought up some rather interesting wash-ups on
Tokerau Beach. Have had three very strenuous one-man
field days out there... my best find being 26 Xenophalium
pyrurn, most being alive in choice conditioni .Iso very
acceptable were a large quantity of 3-ar i lineolata t. G-,
stangeri, many being still alive. There were even about
a dozen Tonna haurakiensis. alive, but only a single speci-
men w»orth keeping, all the rest smashed beyond repair... a
sight to make any collector blow a gasket Large

numbers of Glycymeris modest a and Lon.gimactra elongata, all
complete, were there as well as large numbers of the usual
common stuff like ..^Ici thoe arabica ( maybe a few ,d epressa )
Btrutbiolaria papulosa, S. vermis, Penion adustus. Taw era
spissa etc.

— oOo —

X. few days after this blow your Secretary was
also on Tokerau Beach and added to the above collected by
Laurie Price were numbers of -Zenophalium pyrurn in perfect
condition some still with their opercs. Xenophalium
collactea were collected I|.8 of them, perfect specs, one of
which I rescued as my husband reckoned that it would make
a good golf ball 11 Some of the heaps of shells were 4^
deep, but a S.'/.wind was rapidly covering the heaps in sand,
and a front end loader helping to remove shells from the beach,

L. Seager .

-79-

notes OP INTEREST

N . G-ardner

recent addition to the Barker collection some
very nice specimens of Siliquaria maoria trav^’led off
Patea, This interesting member "of the Vermetidae doesn’t
turn up very often as it usually lives in comparatively
d eep water,

•■Described originally from specimens from the Ear
North of N.Z, by Dr, Powell in Trans, Vol, 70,

Dr, Dell once wrote that in the Cook Strait- area
this species occurs not uncommonly in clusters in
a purplish sponge growth, I did sort out a
half grown specimen in shell sand from Kapuwairua
a couple of years ago but so far have not heard
of any others picked up on shore.

Spec, illustrated

3 iliquaria maoria

from the Barker collection.

— oOo —

-30-

Mrs.lvlabey of Okiwi, G-rect Barrier Is. must have ezper-
-ienced a real: thrill recently. She writes

*' It may be of interest to others to hear of the very
good wash-up last week on our beach.

Here is some idea of what I founds it is the biggest
wash-up I have seen for some years and I was only able
to cover a small part of the area before another stomi
blew up and destroyed everything.

3 Maurea tigris

15 Xenophalium pyrmn and a few X.collactea (alive)

3 Cantharidus opalus

50 or more Nemoeard ium pulchellum ( alive)

Dozens of i/iicrelenchus sanguineus ( alive)

Baryspira, several varieties.

1 only Fllatrivia memorata

4 -rchi tectonica reevei

12 Philippia lutea ( alive)

3 I'Totocallisto multistriata ( alive)

2 Longimactra elongate ( alive)

6 Modiolus areolatus

2 dozen Divaricella huttoniano ( ".'hole)

Offadesma angasi ( one small whole shell and one valve

of a two inch shell)

12 Bullinula lineata ( 10 of these perfect)

4 Pupa kirki

1 Phenotoma novaezeland iae
1 .-^.Icithoe fusus

5 -.Icithoe arabica

6 '' " ■’ egg cases

3 Maurea osbornei
6 Model'ia granosa
Dozens of .■.‘anea zelandica

8 Poirieria zelandica ( good spikes)

Dozens of . 'cruthiolar ia papulosa and many more cotimon
varieties of shells."

— po0o —

Musi triton laudandum is looked upon as being a deep water
southern shell. Years ago Dr, Powell recorded the
occurrence of a washed up specimen on the Ninety Mile Beach.
Have heard indirectly that an Auckland fisherman has
recently trawled up a further example from the vicinity
of Pandora Reef off the Northern tip of N.Z. - depth not
certain.

— oOo —

Hitherto all our records for the rare and beautiful
deep v/ater IpJLema peregrina have been from the ..uckland
Bast Coast - Bay of Plenty, Kauraki Gulf and further north.

Me con now list an example from off the Raipara Heads on the
'Vest Coast, fhis fairly large specimen is in the collection
of nne and Blizabeth Burner ,

Some tio_lluscs *are .Left-hand ed .

Bill landman,

i-.lthoagh this is usually considered an unsolved
problem, T.H. Morgan published in 192? a \^ork on ” Itc-
-perimental Embryology'' in which he discussed -che
direction of coiling in Lymnaea - the pond snail*

Since 1927 much work has been done in the field
of embryology and more is known about why some Gastro-
pods normally right handed, develop into freak sinistral
specimensc.

But first a few terms had better be' explained. The
fundamental 'living unit' is the cell, just as the
fundamental unit of the universe is the atom. The

two main parts of the cell are the nucleus - the control
centre - , and the cytoplasm, w^hich is the body of the
cello

Jr. fertilised egg cane be- considered to be an independ-
ent cell* .--fter fertilisation the egg undergoes a
period of CLE^-BG-: GE in which the single cell divides up
into a number of cells called BL, 'TTOMEx.ES. .^-ilthough not
strictly true it can be said that each blastomere is
important in the development of different organs, therefore
the original positioning of the blastomeres is important
when the animal developing is not symmetrical.

Now' a little evolutionary theory - .. long time ago,

gastropods were symmetrical and had a mouth at one end and
gills and excretory organs at the other. I'or a number of
reasons this p?:*oved to be an unsatisfactory arrangement and
a mollusc appeared in which the whole body had twisted round
through 180 degrees, so that the gills ( originally at the
rear) were now situated above the mouth. See Big. 1,

This mollusc had a distinct advantage over its more
conservative brethren and so they died out and all modern
molluscs go through this ' twisting' rpocess early in their
life cycle-. The process is known as TORSION,

xfter torsion, something had to be done with the large
mass of innards" the visceral hump - which had been,
shifted to an unstable position on top of the animal. This
was overcome by spiral coiling which appears in many
gastropodso Spiral coiling reduced the hump into a more
manageable position.

Originally, the spiral shell would have been like that
of E^Ia.norJgis_ or Spirula but gradually it inclined to one side
to present a compact and stable structure, ‘ hy it inclined

to the right and produced a' dextral shell is one of those
mysteries - probably the luck of the draw. But once

r^oci fvA

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^.I^*ter ^toRC;p^N,

-S3-

gastropods become dextral chey stayed like that except
for some odd cases, for much the same reason that Y^’hite
skinned people stay white - heredity.

Because of coiling, the organs on one side, of a
shell’s body are lost or greatly reduced e.g. in many
gastropods reight gill and right kidney are absent.

This assymetry of organs brings us back to the point ■
that the blastomeres are connected with the d evelopftient
of separate organs. If the positioning of the
blastomeres is changed, so Will be the positioning of the
reduced and normal organs. Thus, the blastomeres or
rather their positions control the direction in which the
shell coils.

Morgan -showed that this was so in the work he did from
which the diagrams come.

Diag. 2. 1st division of the egg has taken place

and the 2nd cleavage is taking place. The direction
in which the nuclei are d-ividing is important. The
dotted lines between the two split nuclei represent
chromosomes, which also divide, and ivhich control
heredity.

Diag. 3. 2nd Cleavage has taken place and the
blastomeres with the 'new’ nuclei are shown shaded.

Diag.b. The resulting left and right spirals are

a direct result of the direction of the cleavage , furrows
which are determined by genetic factors.

In shells normally 'right-handed' the nuclei have a
predominance of ’right handedness’ in their make-up.

When one gains a predominance of left handedness, the
shell is termed a ’freak’ because it coils to the left.

It is a very similar occurrence to that causing right and
left handed people.

— oOo —

Mr. Harry Johnston, oeddonville writes of an excursion
back into the Paryphanta rotella area south of the settlement,
principally to investigate a cave in which a moa skeleton
had been found some time previously. He saw only..-one
empty Paryphanta at the type -locality. They seem very
scarce,

smongst the several limSstone rock specimens sent up for
inspection, was the valve of a large oyster and also a
naturally polished saraple of 'sectioned* small shells - some
showing the internal structure.

Editor,

— oOo —

-8U-

The N . Z. Volutes

N .G-ardner,

The Volutes of K . Z. occur practically right round the
Coast line of the country* hovi/ever only two or three
species inhabit the shallow areas where they are obtain-
-able.by the average collector either as live specimens
or wasii—ups.

The rest are restricted to certain areas o’f deeper
water which means we are dependent on fishing trawlers
or scientific expeditions for examples for our
collections.

The known benthic range of the group in IT . Z‘. -*is f rom
low tide to I|00 fathcrims. s-.t this latter depth some very
fine new shells have been secured recently in northern
waters.

i;.

Representing Volutidoe in R.Z. are the following
genera and subgenera.

♦ ;-ilci thoe - 9 species and sub-species.

Leporemax

Pachymelon

Teremelon

4 species and sub-sp^cles,
3 species
1 species

Ired alina

2 species.

^ Ic i thoe

The weil known v.. arabica is the genotype of

j-:lc ithoe.

1. Important features are : - “ becondary- scalpelloid

nucleus, 4 or 5 columella .plaits, sometimes 6 or 7 but •
never below 4 even in brefic stage.

Deep broad' anterior notch' of the aperture causing

a prominent fasciole-k

i-u . arabica Hartyn

Pig. 1 .

Jr. rather large shell, solid, strongly nodulous, usually
fulvous' with dak zigzag markings, often arranged in 3 or
4 bands around the body whoJ?l.

>■

Sprie high, more or less turretted; its height about
equal to half the height of the aperture. Body whorl
is slightly inflated at the middle and contracted slightly
below.

-86-

Columella with string plaits, very occasionally
only 4 are present,"

Grows up to 126 m.ni, and' has strong inner lip
flange.

Lives mostly on mud and sand banks at extreme low
tide down to about 15 fathoms according to 3uter*s
Lanual.

Range iiore plentiful about . uckland but has been

taken as far to the south as Nelson. This shell
has been known as Cymbiola pacifies .Gwainson and was
brought to England by Captain Cook.

■a. depressa Suter

Fig. 2.

This species is distinguished from,, arable a - by the
shape of the low spire. ” - whivh is almost regularly
conic, caused by the suture being almost on the line
of the shoulder tubercles.

The species is considerably smaller than arabica
and is a thick heavy shell. Specimens from the type
locality. Spirits Bay, have a cream ground colour often
without 'markings. It has an inner lip flange as in
other shallow water species. Often confused w/ith smell
examples of arabica .

" Range Restricted to the Far North - Spirits Bay,

Waikuku Beach, Houhora, Tokerau.

Length 80 m.m,.

Fossil specimens occur at Castlecliff, hanganui.

■H. .laculoides Powell.

Pig. 3.

Fiffers from the genotype by having a narrow slender
outline,' fewer nodules, the high outer lip and the absence
of the inner lip flange. The shell is not; as heavy as

arabica and .a .d epressa. Colour pattern somewhat similar
to -^-js.araMc_aj^

The type of ■... naculpides is a comparatively small shell.
Size 109 m.m. X m.m.

Range i.ppears to be limited to the ^.uckland East Coast,

from East Cape northwards in deep water, 30 fathoms or more.

-87-

nohnstoni Powell

. Fig. 4.

Larger than true naculoides and has the following major
points of difference * '

• large evenly flared outer lip.

B. h'eaker nodules and none at all on the last
half whorl.

G. Often with a fairly dense colour pattern.

There is no inner lip flange.

Size 159 m.m. X-- 65 m.in.

Range This species appears to be restricted to the
Bay of Plenty. Many of the specimens kno¥/n seem to have
come from the vicinity of Hotiti Is.

i-. . swainsoni iilarwick

Fig. 6.

'■ Distinguished from i- . arablca by its more elongate
form, the convex, not shouldered Vv'horls and the total
absence of nodules.''

Colour often as in arabica but ^some specimens are
of plain colour without any markings.

Vi'horls moderately convex and body whorl rounded.
Columella plaits 4 to 6 usually 3 however. Has strong
inner lip flange. Grows up to 1 70 m.m. in deep water.

The type specimen is a fossil shell ,from the Hai-
Iwi beds.

Range Tuite extensive, most of- the South Is.

and up both coasts of the North 'Is', to the Ninety Mile
Beach on the i/est and occasionally as far as T/aiheke Is
and Leigh on the East.

Known previously as Volhta elonga Swainson.

■h.* swainsoni motutaraensis Powell

Fig. 7.

r. ppears to occur only on th*e i-ucklajnd ”est Coast,*
mainly between ’-'aikato Heads and Ilwriwai, where it -Is
known chiefly by wash-ups. It is a small short spired
buff coloured shell, without markings..

Size 95 m.m. X 50 m.m. . -

I

KJiipliins

-89-

calvQ Powell

Pig. 5.

i-i large shell with a tall spire and rounded outer

lip.

=- Usually lacking in colour pattern.

EbCamples from the Cook Strait area are generally quite
smooth but those from the South limit of the range of this
species ( Otago Heads) exhibit some degree of nodulation.

Size. 1 65 m.m. X 62 m.m.

Range Otago Heads northwards to the southern

part of the North Island in moderately deep water.

. larochei Marwick

Fig. 8.

<■

" Shell large, strong, broadly fusiform. Spire i
height of aperture, apex \7ith indications of' the blunt
axials. Body inflated. Outer lip convex, thickened,
reflexed, ascending high on penultimate whorl. 4 folds
on columella.'*

No colour pattern, no flange,

I

Type specimen 98 m.m. X 46 m.m,

liange From Cook Strait area up to Bay of

Plenty on East Coast.

She illustrated specimen is from Tokomaru Btiy, East
Cape. Cook Strait examples are larger and appear to merge
with ostenf eld 1 .

Located in deep water.

A-;, ostenfeldi I red ale

Fig. 9.

Ouite a large shell, having a decidedly inflated body
whorl, and the outer lip evenly curved. No nodules even
on upper whorls* Buff colour with no colour pattern.
Columella with 4 folds.

Size 1 50 m.m, X 80 m.m.

Range occurs mainly off, the est Coast of the
South Is., down as far as Greymbuth, 20 fathoms and below,

^-.-Iso recorded from Cook Strait and the ''-'est Coast
of the North Island to ;]ust south of ...uckland*

Illustrations natural size.

-90-

The llaramea

Peter B. Hu’cton

Come to Sunny Nelsoni" The ueather improved to an
unpleasant drizzle this morning - we had a go at the Pass -
bushcrashing in the wet, then out oi the trees and sidled
on to a low saddle looming dimly through the murk. Is
this the Pass ? There’s a hut not far down - you could see

it, if it wasn't for the cloud, Down we go, and then stop

because the creek takes a 500 foot leap into a vtjall of grey
fog. So here we are, camped in the driving rain. Every
movement is a magor operation

This is from a diary written on the first of two
trips to N.W. Nelson.

In Oestland the rain has to be ex'perienced to be
believed. On my first trip, in twelve hours we had •:

inches. The whole hillside behind us became -awash to* a- depth
of some inches, obstructions such as tree roots forming

waterfalls. v/e qdapted ourselves to this b:y placing a-" thick

layer of moss ( We were in Silver Beech Gfoblin -orest ) in the
tents and allowing the Vvater to -run underneath us. .'e

slept in the tents for a whole day while the storm raged. Our
sleeping bags become \n/et, our hands developed, the dishwashing
crinkly look and stayed that way for four days. We kept warm
by wearing parkas to bed, putting our legs in long plastic
bags. Cooking was done in- the tents on a primus. Then came
the day described in the diary extract which ended in the tussocl
above a waterfall. The tents w'ere suspended uncomf ortably
across a water course by our river rope hung' between two rock
ridges. We woke in the middle* of 'che night v;ith sleeping bags
in a puddle of water, but there w»as nothing to do except eat
chocolate to keep warm. In the morning we decided that the los;
of some three days, "and flooded rivers ahead, -would not make
it possible to get to Nelson on our planned route.

V/e made good time on our return down the ridge.

The Little w'anganui miver was flooded and took an hour to cross
with the rope. "''e decided to recross the river lower down to
avoid climbing a bluff, but could not get past the cliffs and
were forced by nightfall ‘to camp at .the mouth of the gorge.

The river was lower- in the morning, and we managed
to corss by leaping ond swift narrow place and swinging the
packs over on a rope, -e stayed the night in a -gloriously
dry hut, tvhere our hands regained their normal texture and we
cooked a steam pudding.

The next day we caught a bus to Naramea and there
decided to walk the sixty miles through the Heaphy Track to
Coll i ngw'ood , I collected Paryphanta superb a hcrvey i just
before coming out onto the tussock, and P. gilliesi nnmesonl
on zhe Couland Downs. Our most enjoyable day was undoubtedly
spent climbing over lit. G-ouland ( 6^ J to a deerstalkers'

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- -92-

camp, where we iver'e presented with venison, Cn our
last night it rained about 7'k inches, -.-'e were stuck on
the wrong side of’ -che Brown River - with civilization
only six miles away I _obout midday the river had dropped
sufficiently to cross using a rope as a handrail. \ie
arrived ar I'akaka by rail car,

I d ec id ed ' ■chat- I wished to try. the karamea .;iver
again rhe following year. I was 'the only member of the
first trip who went on the s'econd. This was completely
successful - we followed the route shown on the map,

I found Par.v phanta lignar ia 1 Ignaria across the
Mokihinul Bridge, and P. lignaria lusca at Glass-eye
Creek, but no snails up the Little v'anganui River or the
headv^oters of the Raramea. They could be there, however,

The presence of a large colony is usually indicated on the
march by the numerous dead shells mult 11a ted by the wekas.

The weather for the first week followed an interest-
ing pattern^ clear skies in the morning becoming overcast
down to 3500 feet in the afternoons. V/e had no rain in
this period. The track over the Pass was non-exist-?nt in
places.

On our first. day past Luna Greek we passed a lake for-
med by 0 slip. In it lazily ^?/am innumerable trout, Bvery
few seconds one would jump. Unfortunately there were also
lush nettles growing by the lake. John was badly stung, but
vi/e did hot realize this iitmed iately . Only later in the
afternoon did he develop symptoms' pins and needles spreading
upwards, total lack of saliva, high temperature and lack of
muscular coo'rd Ination. .'.’e washed the stings with soap and
water, put him to bed and made him drink lots of- milk. He
only vaguely remembers the afternoon. He wore longs the
rest of the tripl The rest of us were stung but did not
re-act, John seemed fit and well next vaorning but after-a-
few hours tired rapidly and started getting the previous
symptoms. . f ter bathing his leg again we divided out the contents
of his pack. Prom then on he went well,

iit ii..30.p.m. we came to a large slip and a series of bluffs.
The river was flowing too swiftly to cross, so we spent two hours
climbing 500 feet over the bluffs,, arriving 200 yards downstream.
There were more bluffs next morning and it took us six hours to
go a mile, T'rom then on paso the Crow River ( a big flood
obstacle) it was an easy scrabble for two days to the Leslie
River, Near the Karamea Bend i . .1 found dead shells of
Paryphanta 1 ignaria o* connori. On all the outside bends there
is a convenient ledge between the river and the hills behind.

The beech forest is open and easy to go through. The difficult
parts are on the inside bends where slips have brought large
logs to lie balanced precariously on the rocks. Here, bush
lawyer, nettles and divaricating shrubs make going unpleasant.

yj-

fhe Leslie Liver has two hu'cs frequented by trout
fishermen. On our eighth day Yve crawled the three-
thousand feet up to the Tableland catching glorious- •'
glimpses of valleys belovi/ us. i/e found Balloon Kut-
was like a cow barn, with large holes in the vvalls and
straw for a bed. The wind was bitterly eold but for the
first time we w^ere not bothered by mosjquitoes or the special
giant breed, of ,/est Coast sandfly. These had been rerrible
especially when we w/ere cooking or putting on our boots.

The next morning, the .wind dropped and the rain ceased,
but cloud still drifted- over the tussock. V.'e set off
carefully by map and compass to Lake Peel k,300 feet, and
down to the Cobb 'Reservoir. "Jo were invited to stay at -. the
Visitors Lodge ( free of charge 1) complete with hot showers
and took a taxi to Takaka next day,

— oOo —

Notes of interest : -

Prom Laurie Price of Laitaia .

^.bout three weeks ago I

took a run over to xvaikohe and 1? miles tow'ords Cpononi to a
place called .'aima. Thought that, if those dandy -Phrix.n:nathus
murdochi are recorded at Rawene and. yours from Opononi, then
they could be here. Sure enough I found a couple of live
specimens. It took me just 2 hours to ’curn up the first one
though, then saw several old dead shells,, plus another live
one in-the next hour and then it was time to be going home.-
have to have another go one day and should be able to get
straight on to them next time.

■^■ine large specimens of what appears to' be P. ariel were
rather coiimon here ~ got 30, *.lso in a bit of leaf mould
brought back were two'^of the rare Gytora eranea ■ , a fine
ribbed Mocella and "a solitary specimen of a v/hite Phrixgnathus
possibly compressa. "

— oOo. —

L a^um : -

is the exterior side of the aperture in univalves.
It is measured from where it joins the body vi/horl to where
it joins the inner lip below.

The following terms,
elated =
dentated =

are used to
expanded ■

describe types

with 1j

teeth

In the
Tucker

Sec t ion
bbott.

denticulated =
digitated
inflected =

reflexed =

— oOo —

Library is now Ca

.. vailable for members

teeth

studded with small
drawn into lobes
turned inwards

turned outwards t thickened.

Pd.

ribbean Seashells by Warimke L

on loan.

Vol.i

Part 6

-94-

Dec ember 1963

METHOD OF PROTECTION.

One of the most interesting features to^f^.g.-. seen in
Nudibranchs ( shellfish without shells ) are the
feathery outgrowths which function as secondary gills*

One group., of these Nudibranchs has these in the form
of a 'ring, at the hinder end of the body. .-.nother ’

has numerous fine fingerlike processes ( cerata')” all
along the back and the third has the feathery processes
growing out of the sides of the body.

The' members of the second group feed on sea-anemones
and such like, all of which hav-e stinging cells on their
tentacles, '/hen the sea-slug devours these cells they are
not destroyed but, as they' pass through the gut are in
some way diverted into the cerata where they accumulate
near the T:op and' can be used to deter enemies,, in the
same way as the sea anemones, the original owners;

— -bOo--

Pacific Northwest; 'Shell News Vol,3 contains an'
interesting article ontheir local Panope which is very
similar to our own. Part of it is as follows

/I ‘ , I , f \ * ' ■

Goeduc C Panope geherosa' Gould )

The shell of this clam is chalky white and marked with
coarse circular grov\/th ringSo Its surface is covered with
a dirty yello?; wrinkled skin,' The shell is almost square,
the basal and, hinge margins being nearly parallel. The
blunt posterior , margin gapes broadly to allow for the
projection of the 12 inch siphon-. The siphon, - _cqvered
by smooth skin cannot be drqvi/n completely into th.e shell,
nor can the valves be closed all the way. The Goeduc
lives from 18 inches 'Co 6, feet below the surface of the mud
or sand, and obtains a weigh t'-bf 6 to 10 lbs. Contrary

to popular belief the Goeduc does not dig deeper into the
ground to escape capture, as the foot of the adult clam
is too sm.all to permit active digging. However, the
retraction of the extremely long siphons give the impression
the clam is going deeper to evade the digger.

The name Goeduc Is thought. to be .an Indian one and is
locally pronounced ‘'‘ Gooey Duck.’' ' . r-

— oOo —

Our next issue of ”Poir ieria" will be devoted to a reviev;
of our Reunion proceedings and will include the lectures
by our Guest Speakers.

— oOo —

-95-

notes OP niTEREST "

-although the land snail Nhytida occurs in one fom or
another on rahst of our northern outlying;, islands, I have
not previously heard of Its presence on. G-reat Barrier Is«

During the big storm earlier this year, an ancient
bleached example was picked up on the beach at Okiwi by
Mrs Mabey, and sent up for identification. Not
infrequently such land snails wash down streams in floods
and then along beaches. .

iit a later date Mrs Mabey succeeded in locating a
further freshly dead example in nearby bush. This is
Rhytida greenwood i with the pale umbilical region.

— oOo —

Speaking of- land snails washing down streams and
rivers - this happens frequently on the V/est Nelson
Coast, where amongst driftwood washed up high one can
gather Paryphanta shells mostly superba type, for the
most part minus, apex and stained black and wellworn,
which have come down some of the big rivers from the“ tops”
of several thousand feet.

— oOo —

We have been in the habit of looking on the golden
volute Ired al in a as typically southern in distribution.

-ris a result of some very deep wa*ter trawls in the Bay of
Plenty and further north, vi/e v/ill have to revise our
present ideas on distribution. These trawls produced
examples of the rarer Ired al ina mirabilis. One fine
specimen is in the Turner collection.

— oOo—

Some of the introduced European land snails certainly
’ get around*, for, in a sample of small sea shells from
the Chatham Is. received recently by Captain Short, was a
specimen of the snail H v a 1 i n i a cellaria.

— oOo —

-96-

Our Kaitaia mernber, Laurie Price 4vho has beea
collecting land snails on Lord. Howe Is. for Dr. Solen . :

Chicago Museum, writes :-

have been on the Island o^st on 'cwo weeks now,

and have been rather busy having a wonderful time amongst
the land snails' etc. Collecting is very similar to our
Three Kings Is. trip - the leaf mould here is almost
crawling with small stuff - mainly Palaina in various sizes,
plus plenty of the Pealiid ae and Zoni t idae and a few
Charopid ae. those these latter seem to be more prevalent
on the two mountains. Have done most collecting on the
smaller peaks up to 800’ and once to the top of lit. Gower,
and 2/3rds way up Mt. Lidgbird - boy I these two are tough
going - beats about anything Ive struck in N.’Z. so far I.l

The landing slope on Great King- would be .similar
only here it goes up like that for 25OO’ and 2800’ straight
from the sea. Much of the time the tops are covered in
white most, so one has to pick the right weather of course.

This whole Island is more or less covered with thick costal
forest and palm groves - out -of 3300 acres, only 300 acres
are grassy. Most of the ‘houses are closely surrounded with
bush and palms and the roads are just tunnels through the
trees. Most of the vegetation is new to me, bur of greater
interest are species obviously related to some of ours in H.Z.

- a Kawakawa, much like our mainland one - a Kowhai with yellow
seeds and looks exactly like'ours - a small leafed variety of
nei-nei growing at about I5OO’ on Moun'c Gower and Lidgbird,
a treefern like a miniature black manuka - water ferns like
ours and a fern like our Blechnum.

-- ■■ , J

There are four species of palms, nothing much like ours
though - a staghorn ferns seen everywhere, magn if icient
specimens too,. Mlso a number of very pretty creepers, all
out in flower at this time of the year, including one clematis
with small vi/hite flowers. Old .bleached shells of Placostvlus
are foupd in thousands all over from sea level to at least
800’ but things don’t look too good as regards living ones -
though I haven’t really looked for them yet. I’ve seen only
a single specimen freshly dead - looks bad indeed, and the
cause appears to be - RATS.

Marine collecting so far ( as expected) has not produced
much - though many species are endemic - one Cellana - one
Hal iotis. both quite common and one o iphonaria. Most places
the rocks appear positively naked, as there appears to be no
erne a whatever, and the Cellana seems mostly to occur in groups.
Haven't had much time to look at the reef yet - though.. some of
the things are also common along the -•ueensland coast. Gominon
bivalves here are the Strawberry Cockle and the Codakia (. Ij-ke
our Dosinia style of thing). ..iso s^en a variety 01 Cardita

under stones, and there’s still a few small Clams around,
i-. bout the best find of all though were Janthina globosa -
literally hundreds have been coming ashore for the past week or
so - all alive - the biggest I’ve ever seen 0 collected a

-97-

hundred or so of the biggest and choicest and have buried
them in wet sand to clean out while I’m staying here - if
even half of them clean up O.IC. they’ll be a Vi/onderful
lot II One of , the biggest specimens I’ve just

measured goes 44 diameter III .

— oOo — c . • -

THE PROELEI;I OI' CLE.:I-:rNO SHULLS .

T.P.’v/arren.

I. suppose everyone who becomes interested in
Conchology begins in some way by picking up empty
shells that have washed up. .on the beach, assuming the while
that said shells have parted with the animals they may have
contained long since. But sooner or later one is bound
to gather either a live shell or one containing a well
concealed hermit crab. These treasures are *ultimately
placed in one’s cabinet or cardboard box or on the mantel-
piece or similar receptacle where they are duly admired then
forgorteh for a ^while until all of -a sudden some dreadful
vi/hiff begins to make itself felt. Luckily the .culprit is
soon located then arises the burning question what to do ?

One can either inter it in a remote corner of the garden, or
attempt to remove the offensive bod,, but how ? The
following notes are an attempt to deal painlessly and
inoffensively with such situations as above.

Quite obviously limpets are no trouble at all, a ‘quick
twist of the knife and the shell is off the rock; another
twist and the animal is out. Chitons may be similarly
treated if of large size though core should be taken to cut
from the head towards the tail to avoid damage to the interior
edges of the valves. Then the shell should be firmly .tied
down on a strip of wood or glass before it is able to curl up.
The loL may then be immersed in meths for a week or two when
the shell can be removed from its support, dried out in a cool
place, after which it should remain perfectl3?' flat. Small
specimens, say under an inch to an inch and a half do not need
to be cleaned out at all, simply tie them down and soak them
well as above and they will remain in good condition.

If your specimens have curled up a bit ir may be possible to
straighten them out after soaking an hour or two in warm
water but care must be taken to avoid breaking the girdle away
from the valves. Best to try w'ith some common ones to start
to get the right- technique. -

Bivalves are also quite easy - if they are smaller size
than half an inch, a soak in- meths. for a week will sufficey
any bigger ones are best cleaned out. Never boil them as that
w’ill ruin the colour if present, i-. much better plan -is to
soak' them in fairlj'' hot water aqd when drowned they will >
open enough for a sinall knife blade to be inserted,

-93-

Slice the adductor muscles through and the valves will
open wide> then the res-c is a piece of cake. If you
wish to display some shells opened out leave them to
dry thus, but- if you want closed individuals put a
rubber band round them and a few turns of string or
cotton and leave aside to dry for a week or two; they

will then remain closed when the tie is removed, Even

freshwater bivalves present no difficulty if processed
in hot water.

Should you have the luck to catch a squid or
Octopus' you may preserve it in a jar of formalin so
long as the creature is not too large. moderately
small specimen will fit into an ordinary preserving jar
but a '’Perfit Seal’’' should be used as a Lin lid will
be corroded by the formalin which should be a
mixture with water for lasting results. Only soft
bodied animals should be immersed in formalin, ITIP/ER
shells as lime Y»ill undergo a chemical change and a
chalky-white and extremely brittle specimen of no value
at all except as garden manure will result. Methylated
spirits is the cheapest and safest brew for shelled
molluscs and for fish and insects too, for that matter.

If you want to bring home samples of shell sand or
fine dredged xnaterial to pick over for small shells the
whole lot should be thoroughly soaked in fresh water "co
remove- the salt then dried in shallow trays. '/hen
completely dried it can be stored indefinitely in
covered jars until required.

Seaweed and stone washings are best washed in water

as above then soaked in half meths and half water for a
couple of days, after which the residue is dried and

stored the same way as shell sand; the meths. treatment
will look after any animal matter that might remain.

In case you should desire to collect our usually
beautiful Nud ibranchs they may mostly be narcotized in
expanded condition by placing them in seawater and adding
small doses of Epsom salts or Napthalene crystals,
xifter that they can be placed in a weak formalin solution
for a day or two, then into a permanent 25 per cent mix.
Various scientific papers give several chemical formulae
for the permanent preservation of these and other soft
bodied animals and all of them stress the need for the
specimens to be kept away from light. Whatever you do,
the animals will eventually fade, and in my own opinion
it is much better to admire the transient beauty of
Nud Ibranchs in their natural haunts and carry away a mental
image of them - in other words do not attempt to collect
them at all unless for dissection or similar purely
scientific study.

“99“

a rtile the raost d iff icult „shells of all to clean
and pceserve are the spirally coiled •univalves. Generally
speaking none should be boiled though large cpmi'aon things
such as Cooliia, Neothais, Verconella, Coniinelia, and
similar dull-coloured ones may be if time is limited
and you have a number to deal with. .. much better plan
is to soak the shells in a 75?o meths 25^ water solution for
a couple of weeks after which you will be able to., acrefully
prise the animal out of its shell with a bent wire or nail,
or a strong pair of pointed forceps. Should a small
piece break off inside you can usually get it ou't by filling
the shell with water several times and shaking v.i-goro'Usly*
If__nqt, and its only a little piece it will usually dry
to a powder in time without noticeable effect. - Having
removed the animal it- is always a good plan to rinse the
shell a time or tv;o in clean water and if encrusted outside
scrub, it v/ith an old toothbrush and coorse soap; never treat
.a she?.l with oil -or acid, this sort of sacrelige is like
boill'iig a goose., you want your specimens to look natural
■not like custom-built jcbso n point worth reme.mbering
is to save -the operculum when present and glue it to a piece
of cotton wool stuffed into the aperture. Nor should' you
remove the •epiderm'Ls f ro.m .’fonna, Monoplex, Cabestana, or
simna-a, shcu'.d’ you be lucky enough to procure live ones.

To rever’’: to cleaning the animals out — small
shells under half and.^inch need not be emptied. Soak
them for a fortnight or three weeks in pure meths- 'chen dry
them in a warm dry place. 'Vhen eventually placed in the
collectich it is a good plan ro sprinkle a little D.D.T.
powder or Naphnnlene crystals under them 'Co keep out moths,
bugs, and siiverfish. If you have some shells of too large
a size to go into jars of spirit the only alternative to
boiling is to bury them in a; box of coarse sand in a ^
secluded pars of the garden and, leave theim for about six
monchS- • Keep the sand moist but not too wet and in time
the' animal will rot sufficiently for you to be able to rinse
the remains out with waterc Of course, yo"U-will have
some s'&e'hch to p'ct up v^Ith .while - this is being done, but as
long as you are keen enough that will not deter you, anyv;ay.

If the nasty smell persists after the shell is dry. .you may
overcome it by pouring shellac into the aperture till the
shell is full, the shellac will solidify fairly quickly.

I have even used melted candle wax and cement but both have
disadvantages, with the former you can get a nascy burn,
and the cement makes the shell awfully heavy. Should you
get shells from, say, a fishing boat that are dead and smelly
but not too ro'G'Gen the meths treatment is usually 0. — . but if
they are too far gone, and of reasonable size, the sand
burial box is really the best treatment. Ones that have been
boiled' always seem to fade out in time no matter how good
they look for a start, and all the natural gloss goes, too.

-100-

Our freshwater gastropods merely require soaking
in meths for a few days, with the very small land
snails twenty-four hours will be sufficients Large
ones such as Placostylus and Paryphanta are best
drowned in freshwa'cer after which about an inch of
flabby animal will protrude* — They may then* bid put
into meths for a few days and the animal will mostly
pull out quite easily after that, but if 'chey are put
straight into meths when alive the animal will retract
violently and you’ll never get it out* The shells
require careful treatment when cleaned - care should
be taken to ensure that there are no air bubbles under
the epidermis before drying otherwise they will break
out into unsightly spots. Shells of Paryphanta
are temperamental and should be loosely stuffed
with cotton wool or else they may collapse, don't
stuff too tightly or else they may unwind at the sutures.
Excessive heat wmll also bring about a similar disaster.
Small land snails which have been in meths may be' found
to have bits of leafmould etc* stuck to them. This may
be cleaned off with a soft paintbrush and a dish of water.
The shells may be stood on a soft towel or clean blotting
paper afterwards to dry them off. They are best stored
in lengths of glass tubing stoppered at each end wi'ch
cottonwool - the best method for all tiny shells, for
that matter.

Once your shells are cleaned out and thoroughly
dried they are ready for the collection. You may keep
them in a cabinet of shallow drawers or in large trays -
12" by 18" is a handy size. The individual specimens
can be placed in matchbox trays if small enough or in
small cardboard box trays. It’s all a matter of
personal taste or/and what is available. The shells
should of course be labelled to be of any value as a.
collection. The label should include - the Name of
the shell, where found, whether alive or dead - high
or Ioy; tide - or washed ashore, dredged, plus the collector
name where knoA^n, To save space I always put tlje name
and locality on the front portion of the label and addition
al details on the back, but most collectors have their
own style of labelling, there is no hard and fast rule
to be observed.

Even if your shells ^re just to decorate the mantel-
piece, or the front shell©! of the china cabinet -in the
parlour, it’s as well to have them cleaned and docketed
and to know at least a little about them, and their
habitats and habits*

— oOo —

-101-

Dentition and Deed In.g In some of the Cymatlldae.

John Lax ton.

The Cymatlldae are a group carnlvors. In most carnivores
the diet is smaller in bulk-"-and feeding is intermittent
as compared .with herbivorous molluscs. The style sac
( the style sac contains the protostyle vmich is a rod
of mucous, plastered with faeces which is continually
rotated in the stomach by strong, transversely beating
cilia) and sorting area have disappeared and the
stomach is itself reduced to a simple bag into which
digestive enzymes; pass from the digestive gland.

Digestion is completely extracelluar, the digestive
gland merely secreting enzymes and absorbing. It is
now the mouth parts and the buccal mass which are
specialized for the task of procuring living animal
food.

The buccal mass in the Cymatiidae is at the end
of a long proboscis

Oesophcxg ^ 5 .

LJ c c Cx
\

c Cv V i .

R ^ d u \ -

O d on To .

; r j

attached to the lateral walls of the buccal cavity
are a pair of chitinous-edged jaws. They help the
animal to grasp their prey. The rsdula is a strip of
clear material bearing many rows of sharp teeth.'

Pood is caught and grasped by the jaws while the
radula rasps pieces off it. This food is mixed with
saliva and passed down the oesophagus to the stomach.

In the stomach digestive enzymes are poured on to the
particles which are digested. The digested food is now
absorbed into the cells of the digestive gland.

-102-

^ I'S^cJ picture of d'O^sTVv/^ KrdscK

Jaw and Radnla of Cabestana spengleri :

The jaws are joined

together by a piece of clear membrane

sharp serrated edge.

V

They have a very

LexTercxI VftU)

\>.ybicb in^ferr^d inl'o TKe.

o ci O la Y'o p b O r ^

S'c/e \//e»^ o/ "RcncIu/^ spengler

of retL^b.

Lo^t. s

Z)orSbvi Xy/c'-^ j^C^beSlb\'~^b..

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1 e d V / e_ cx^ (P

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POIRIERIA

Auckland Museum
Conchology Section

Vol. 2

— GCNCHOLOGY SECTIOIT i^UCICLril-TD INSTITUTE liUSEUM.

r)

do

LJ

JJJ

UjjJ

VOL. 2 . PAR'^

NOTES ^ N^. LITTORDTIDi^E. ,

Phil \7arren»

The local shells of the above group ar-e not on the whole
very popular, probably on account of their small si.'^e plus
the remoteness of the areas in which many are to be ..cv „ r.j,
in some of the Southern Isles. However, recent collecting
has shown that the genus Zelaxitas is more widespread than was
previously supposed; moreover, the number of known species
is almost certain to be increased when the group eventually
undergoes a critical survey. For any young collector who
possesses ambition, a keen eyesight, and access to a micro-
scope, here is a good and so far virtually untouched field
awaiting examination.

Melaraphe is the genus we all know well. Represented by
only two species, oliverl and cincta the former is by far the
most common. But even so good large specimens are not always
easy to find. locality for excellent shells of both types

is the iiuckland V/est Coast area, in particular Maori Bay,
Muriwai; while I have found the beach round about Lyall Bay
Wellington, to be nearly as good. iicross the harbour at
Eastbourne are fine specimens of oliverl but the cincta from
there are smaller. Specimens I have received from Bluff ancT
Stewart Island are of reasonable size and in each case the
colour pattern is very well defined. i\long the Northland eaat
coast oliverl is extremely common but the shells are mostly
and insignificant. In this locality cincta is very rare, and
the shells though large are always eroded and of poor qualityo

Next on the list is Laevilitorina. a subxintarctlc genui
of three known N.Z. species with high conical shells looking a
bit like our Dardanula olivacea but very thin and fragile. The^T-
live in rock crevices near high water and none are known ircm ohe
mainland with the result that they are not in many collectionso

The same may be said for Macquariella. One species is
from the -Antipodes Islands and one from Macquarie Island;

2

however, a third one, auckland lea, is more v/idely distributed
from the i^uckland Islands to Stewart Island and the Ghathams.

In the two latter places, it seems to be reasonably common in
shady rocky spots near high tide. This is a very small shell
with a superficial resemblance- to the -tiny Proxiuber.

Zelaxitas is at present- represented by six species, all '

very small shells which at first glance could be taken for ^

Rissolds except that they have -an almost transparent though
blackish-green appearance when in fresh condition and always
possess a large aperture in similar proportion to the rest
of the shell as in fresh water genus Simlimnea, No certain
localities where the named species may be found can as yet be
listed as some are already known to have a more extensive range
than was at one time supposed; for the present the locality
symbols in Dr. Powell* s Checklist may be taken as a useful guide
for the southern ones though Z. cystophora seems to happen in some
northern places. Two /.upourian species alta and ired alei have
been found in shell sand near \/hangarei Heads together with a
probable nevi^ species which is also to be met with in sand samples
and seawwed washings from coastal areas between Mangawhai and
Waiwera. There is another one that may prove to be different in
a seaweed washing that I took from rock pools at Island Bay,
Wellington, Z, cystophora was found in abundance in the same
sample. But until extensive collections are. made from all
possible localities along both coasts and from the north to the
south, it will not be easy to list just how many forms of these
rather attractive little shells we have, .nor the extent of their
specific range.

— oOo —

Something which should be of interest to land snail enthusiasts i
is the recently discovered examples of a sunburnt Paryphanta f
from the Mt. Bgmont area ( North side). ue understand that j

about U or 5 specimens have been collected from creek beds and
banks etc. The specimen Mrs Duffy had in *.uckland was quite
large. Believe Dr. Dell has all specimens at Dominion Museum
at present.

— oOo—

I

-3-

THE LIMPET

How a limpet is able to cling so tightly to the rochs
that a pull of 70 lbs or more may be necessary to remove it, is
something of a mystery. It was once thought that the whole
foot acted as a sucker, being partially retracted in the centre
to create a vacuum. This however, cannot be the answer because
when a limpet clinging to a rock was cut in half vertically,
each piece remained firmly attached. Part of the foot too is
capable of gripping a piece of rock. In any case an ordinary
suction vacuum would not require such great force to overcome
it.

There is an interesting co-relation between the position
of a limpet on a rock and the shape of its shell. Those living
on exposed rocks tend to have taller shells with narrower bases
than those living in the shelter of rock pools.

The explanation for these differences seems to be con-
nected with the frequency with which the ILmpet is forced to* grip*
the rocks tightly. V/hehever it does so, the mantle is pulled
inwards, and if this happens often, it is thought to have the
effect of causing the shell to be laid down in a circle of rather
smaller diameter than is the case when the mantle is only being
pulled in occasionally.

The limpets high degree of -adaptation to a rugged shore
life is shown by their specialized breathing arrangement. The
ancestors which lived right in the sea and not on tidal rocks,
possessed the usual pair of feathery shaped plume gills which are
typical of the gasteropods. These have been replaced by the
modern single continuous gill which is extremely efficient. When
the tide goes out a small amount of water is retained in the
cavity and this nev;er gill is able to extratct sufficient oxygen
from it.

Even when relaxed a limpet will not raise its shell far
enough to allow this water to run out. The water retained by
the limpbt also prevents its body from drying .out while the shell
is exposed to the air.

It may seem surprising to learn that an animal apparently
so primitive has a well developed homing instinct and sense of
direction. It is a fact, that when it has finished feeding it
always returns to its original position on the rock face where
its foot fits into a shallow depression; the edge of its shell
conforming exactly to the irregularities of the surface. This
conformity may be produced by mutual wear between rock and shell.

Only when if .is covered with water, does a ..limpet be-
come active, although on dull or damp days it sometimes moves
about ?'hile the tide is out. Unless the sea is very rough its
raises its shell after the incoming tide has swept over it, and
glides away in search of food.

-4-

Like many other gasteropoda it is a vegetarian and feeds
on small sea weeds, sporelings which develop from spores that
settle on rocks. Sometimes on soft rock the scratch marks
can be seen - caused by the limpets radula as it scrapes
off these sporelings.

- -oOo —

GOSSIP

Saw Priginatica recently for the first time - in Mrs V/orthy's
collection. She says she now knows of three specimens, all
from Marsden Point beaches. This shell is about the size of
a Tanea but is taller, white and has spiral ribs running
around the whorls.

— oOo—

i^lso saw in the Worthy collection a very interesting series
of Placostylus ho igii obtained from one of the islands of the
Hen and Chickens, These were small, rather narrow, with a
fairly thick outer lip*. h possible new sub-species ?

— oOo —

I wonder how many members have put the new name on their
southern Chlamys which we have for years known as G.celator.

Dri, Dell checked types at the British Museum and found that
Reeve* s Chlamys d iffenbachi (1858) has priority over Pinlay*s
celatori For the full story see Dr, Dell*s paper ” Notes on
Some N.Z. Mollusca in British Museum”. Trans.Roy.Soc.N. Z.VoI,3.

— oOo —

The term i^rchibenthic has been used several times in this
issue. It is used to describe the fauna existing in deep
water over and beyond the continental shelf - 100 to 5OO fathoms.

— oOo —

Mr. Voyce had on display at our last meeting, a further
example of Iredalina from the Bay of Plenty - 200 fths. This
is a tall shell of the mirabilis outline. The specimen is
from Mr. Booth* s collection.

— oOo —

-5-

DREDGING W GQLDM BAY, NELSOIT.

Beverley Elliot,

The folloT?vlng is a list of species dredged in Golden Bay
during the past few months,-. Unfortunately a very windy summer
has limited the* number of dredging trips we have been able to
make, - i - --

Nucula nitidula
Neilo australis^
Monia zelandica

Uncommon - Very attractive specimens, yellow-
green rayed with' deep orange.
Single valves only, but an occasional one- i-n

cod stomachs. “ - ■

Common; good specimens,

Glycymeris lat icostata Very common. Many old valves, and some

live specimens.

Glycymeris thodesta
Modiolus areolatus
Ryenella impacta

Gregariella barbata
Zelithophaga truncata
Pecten novaezeland iae
Chlamys zelandiae
Chlamys suprasilis
Chlamys gemmulata
Chlamys zeelandona
Pallium convexum
Ostrea charlottae
Ostrea angasi
trina zelandica
Arthritica bifurca
Venericard ia purpurata
Diplodonta striatula
Marikellia rotunda

Very common*

Fairly common.

Fairly common, in their" nests" Some very

large specimens, the largest almost

I 4 ,

Not common.

Small specimens.

Common, good specimens.

Common, in cod*s stomachs.- •

Rare, in cod^s stomachs.

Fairly common, in cod^s stomachs,- -
•Uncommon, in cod^s stomachs,
i^n occasional old valve.

Common, good specimens.

Common.

Common
Odd valves.

Fairly common
Uncommon, -

Common, living in dead Dosina zelandica

, shells

One or two odd valves.

Rochefortula renlformls Uncoimmon.

Two small specimens, in dead Glycymeris
laticostata shells ■

Zemyllita stowei

Tellinella eugonia

A ngulus edgari
Leptomya retiaria
Longimactra elongata

Dosinia lambata
Dosinia maoriana

Common, alive.

Fairly common.

Mainly old worn shells, good specimens rare,
have not found a live one yet.

Scalpomactra scalpellum Rare.

Zenatia acinaces Small single valves only.

Common, alive.

Three good specimens, one alive.

Notocallista multistriata An occasional worn valve. good

specimen was found, not by me in a cod

. -6-

Dosinia zeland ica

Tawera splssa
Basslna yatel
Paphirus largi lliertl
Nemo card lum pulchellum

Gari lineolata
GS r^ stangerl
Notocorbula zeland lea
Hiatella australis
Panopea zeland ica
Thracia vitrea
Offadesma angasi
My ad ora striata
My ad ora subrostrata
Cleidothaerus maor ianus

Common, but not many good specimens.
Seldom alive*

A^ery common
Not common*

Common*

Good specimens fairly common in dredge
and in cod's stomachs*

Common.

Not as common as G. lineolata.

Very common.

Not common.

One small, complete.

A few odd valves*

One small specimen.

Not common*

Not common*

Rather uncommon, nice specimens*

•oOo —

Bnarginula striatula
Trochus tiaratus
Micrelenchus caelatus
Maurea cunninghaml

Maurea punctulata

■Hstraea heliotropium

Cookia sulcata

Lyroseila chathamensis
Stephapoma rosea
Maoricolpus roseus

Struthiolaria vermis

Maoricrypta monoxyla
S igapatella novae zeland iae
Zegalerus tenuis
Tanea zeland ica
Trichosirius inornatus
Mo no pi ex australasiae

Gumina dolichostoma
Glaphyrina vulpicolor
Buccinulum strebeli
Penion mandarina
Penion adusta worthyae

Penion neakingsi

;^eneator otagoensis cookiana

■ftustrofu sus glans

Tv/o specimens, one alive, one dead*
Very common*

Three specimens, dead*

One juvenile alive, and a very worn
adult that could be M.g. pagoda
Uncommon, Have higher spires than usu£
specimens*

One only, alive, but in very poor
condition*

u-live, but mainly too encrusted to
be of any use.

Several good specimens*

Rare, very encrusted.'

Thousands of encrusted dead shells,
live sps* also common*

Common, alive, "but lack the attract-
ive markings of beach specimens*
Fairly common, sometimes alive -and in
excellent condition*_

Fairly common inside dead univalves*

A few small specimens*

Very common, good specimens.

Not common, sometimes alive*

One d ead shell.

One large adult over h inches^ and
‘one juvenile, both alive and perfect*
One dead shell.

Rare, alive.

Common, usually rather encrusted*
Fairly common, alive.

Uncommon, sometimes alive, but seldom
in good cond ition. Usually encrusted.

Three perfect live specimens.

Common, alive, but lack the attractiv
markings of beach specimens.

-7-

Comineria adspersa
Polrieria zeland ica
Zeatroph-on amb Iguus
Xymenella pusllla
iiloithoe ^p.

Barvsplra australis
Bal?ysplra mugronata
Cryptoconchus porosus

i^canthochi ton zeland icus
Anthochlton canaliculatus
Notoplax cuneata
Octopus mao rum

Common

^.n occasional worn shell.

Common

Fairly common, usually dead shells.
Fairly common, alive.

Common, alive.

Common, some alive, some o-rab inhabited
Values of deep water specimens, usually
skinned and eroded.

Co'imon, but rather small.

Co'.TTmon. . .

Not common, mainly small specimens.
— oOo —

URCHINS

Heart urchin, Echi nocard ium australe very common, alive.

Apatopygus recens Very common in limited locality

alive. .

Cake urchin , i^rachnoides zelandiae and common sea urchin
Evechinus chloroticus Occasional live specimens in dredge, but
these are more common at low water than in deepwr water.

— oOo —

Brachiopods - Terebratella rubicund a Fairly common but

seldom in good condition.

— oOo —

i^USTRiiLI>iN COiiSTi^L KaZARD.

ii Queensland scientist Dr. Robert Endean has announced
the identification of a marine killer which has been menacing
bothers and fishermen as the ’’ Baby octopus’*.

Hapalochlaena maculosa was easily identified by distinct-
ive bluish coloured hand markings at intervals round the, circum-
ference of each tentacle. It is only 4 to 5 inches from tip
to tip of outstretched tentacles but has a very poisonous
bite if -provoked.

Dr. Efldean said that the octopus .which had recently caused
the death of a bather contained a venom believed to be related
to conefish poison, which throws its victims into a help-
less paralysis. It had been responsible for non-fatal poison-
ing of victims in Melbourne, Woollongong and Lake Mc-uarie,

The recent Melbourne sufferer quickly became paralized after
bening bitten but recovered after treatment. R peculiarity
of the Melbourne case was that the patient, though paralized
was completely conscious and knew everything that had happened
and what was being done to help him”. Dr. Ehdean said " The
octopus lives in shallow waters among rocks, clusters of oysters
and cockles usually in estuaries and bays, but may be located
on the open coast round the entire coast of a.ustralia.

— oOo —

RAIN i\ND R^;.RITIES

Prank Climo;

On V/ednesday the 2nd of January we arose ( my brother
and two university student friends, of mine), at 1.a.m. and by
2* 30, we were on our way. We travelled by car to the ^^natoki
River, which marks the end of the road as one travels south
down the West Coast from the north of t.he„ Island * . It had

been pouring with rain all night, and in the uncertain light
of early morning ( 4.a.m.) the i^^natoki looked a rather
formidable barrier. However, by using a long pole each ( as
a support on the down side of the stream:) we managed to cross
by wading the river where it spreads out over a shingle fan
on the intertidal part of the beach. i^fter a brief halt on th
the southern side of the river (to remove gravel and sand
from our boots) we again picked up our packs and resumed our
walk down the coast. Low.^ea mlst_rolling in over an oily
yellowish surf, at this stage, made us wohder 'what ,v/e had
let ourselves in for. Benhamina is very common on all
high intertidal rocks. The 'leosely arranged jelly-like
egg clusters were a very common sight on each rock. ' .

The next obstacle was the Turianawioi River. This v;as
in high flood and gave us a few anxious moments. Halfway
across the current was almost too much' f hr uSf ' ■ ■"I - think
you could imagine our plight when we found the water too '
swift to turn around and wade back again. However, we
made it - just I Rfter a couple of hours further tramp-
ing into mist along flat sand we reached the .anaweka River. '
Discretion being the better port of valour we decided not
to cross this one, but instead, turned Inland and after
a short stiff climb arrived at the z.naweka Hut.

Preparation of breakfast, drying of clothes, a
sleep, and unpacking occupied most of the morning* It
may be worth mentioning that the hut was occupied w^hen
we arrived - an oppossum made a hurried retreat from the
top bunk, and a weka ran off in another direction*

Lunch finished I explored -the ridges inland while my
good comrades slept, and thawed ‘Out. Lll together
again later in the afternoon we managed to get ourselves
a good lump of venison.

Back at the hut again-'and-feeling very contented
we relaxed on our bunks, and discussed the morrows
ac'Givities. It was decided that we should spend the day
cave exploring and snail collecting. The oppossum
mentioned earlier, apparently thinking the top bunk
was unoccupied, made to bed down there sometime, in
the night, but v;as discouraged by a heavy whack on the
head with the handle of a cut down bayonet. The
fireplace had been ripped „out,_ by the way, thus afford-
ing a means of entrance ( and "quick exit) for the animal.

-9-

The following day found us, by mid-morning in the
’’canyons*' •_ This is truly a spectacular block of
limestone country situated about f mile inland from
the j^naweka Hut. Prom one larger centrally
situated valley, other smaller ones branch off so
as to suggest a mui-ci-toed bird’s foot. The gully
walls for the most part are composed of precipitous
bluffs and these are in many places almost hidden
by a tangle of native forest. The bluffs them-
selves are adorned with stalactites and other more ; ?

grid-like formations of calcium carbonate. They are
pitted, split by great cracks ( which continue as
fissures in the ground below the bases), and are
undercut near their bases forming small dry pockets
running back a few feet, which are rich in subfosill
and bleached material. In the bleached state we
collect in this type of locality,:

MaoricOncha o’ connori ( 12 specs- 6 mm to

1 2 mm. )

Rhy tlda probably patula,

Suterla ide Geminoropa spelaea

Thalassohelix zelandiae
Gerontla pantherina

Fragments of a Paryphanta ( Kahurangica?)»0ollected
alive in leaf mould on top of rocky ledges were :-

Phelussa oconnori ( 5 specimens)

Fhelussa hypopolia ( 1 spec).

Geront la pantherina ( common)

■; Rhy tlda patula (4 specs)

■ Pec tola reeftenessls common

Pec tola tapirlna less common.

Subf ectola caputspinulae Uncommon.

Paralaoma sp. common.

Further up the valley we explored a creek which
flowed straight out of the cliff face. T/e entered a
cavern ( really a great split in the rock touching
at the top) and follov»;ed it about 30 yards, where it
ended in a sheerwalled pothole. small waterfall

ran over the lip through a worn groove and splayed
over the dense mot of moss and filmy lichens which
covered every inch of the walls. The floor of this
hole was covered by a -tangle of logs and small rocks;
the logs so rotten in many cases that their centres
were like yellow oelly. Whilst searching among
these pulpy logs I found ray first live pair of
Maoriconcha oconnori. When found the animals were
curled up in small depressions on the underside of
the log, the elongated part of the foot wrapped

-10-

I

S

around the wider shelled part, for all the world like
a sleeping cats tail. In the same log I also found
my first specimen of Peripatus - a velvety green
animal, oust over an inch long and not unlike a
caterpillar. Large frail shelled Therasla^ s also
seemed to like the dripping dampness of this locality.
Rather regretfully we ( I, at any rate) made our way
back to the hut later on in the afternoon.

Back at the hut when I opened my torch ( batteries
can be removed leaving good carrying space for snails)

I discovered both live Maoriconcha missing. I couldn’t
do much about it so decided to stop over again on the
way back from Kahurangi Point. It does not pay to under-
estimate the writhing power of a Maoriconcha. They
can roll at quite an amazing speed by lashing the thin
elongated posterior part of their bodies.

Mid morning next day ( 5th Jan) saw us wading the
Big River and an hour later we arrived at the Marine
Department house. The rest of that day, the follow-
ing two, and the morning of the next we covered the
area pretty thoroughly. Finds included

Bush north of house P. g. kahurangica ( scarce)

Hill J mile south P.g. kahurangica ( abundant)

Kahurangi River P. g. kahurangica ( abundant)

In all streams Potamopyrgus antipodum antipodum ?/as
very common.

Collected alive on reef and small beaches the follow'
i ng : -

Rrgobuccinum tumidum
Cominella maculosa
Paratrophon patens
Maurea punctulata punctulata
Cellana rad ians rad ians
Cellana radians perana

Xenophal ium pyrum

uncommon - y/orn
very common
uncommon
common

Large specimens 51ni.m57m.m.
Large shells over 40 m.m. had
a distinct yellov^ish colour
like a pale flava inside.

2 sps. broken by wave action

The masses of crab inhabited material included :

Colu zea spiralis small 53 m.m. protoconch slightly

damaged.

Maurea tigris 2 large perfect specimens.

Maurea p. stewartiana
Cominella nassoid es

Mayen a australasia worn. (Since this trip my

youngest brother found me a large living specimen from
rocks at Patarau - 89 m.m. X 54 m.m. ).

-11-

Just before lunch on the 8th. we left for home vv'lth
me determined to get some live Maoriconcho at the
i^naweka that afternoon. I was lucky, and found k living
animals and one shell but I had to roll over scores of logs
to get them. By 5 p*m. clouds had built up from the H.T/.
and the atmosphere was warm and dead still. Before we
reached the i^natoki at 8 p.m. nature really gave us an
on the spot display of her wilder side* A gale from
the North sprang up from nowhere and with it came teeming
rain and fitful thunder, V/ith the help of a car (luckily
going our way) we reached Mangarakau township at about
10 p.m.

By this time the air was calm again but a grumble of
thunder could be heard in the north. as we tramped
( stumbled) on *Dry Road' around the south end of
West-Haven Inlet the thunder gradually built up and the
sky started to flicker. I think the storm that hit us
half way up the Big Hill travelled over most of N.Z. that
night. However the torrential rain did not start (
although it was raining) until we fell into the Ofeen's
Point Hut, on the main road at 12,1 5. p.m. ‘The lightning

was an almost continuous bluish-white flash and the stunning
loudness of the thunder was fantastic. Cramped bodies
were reluctant to move in the morning but we summoned
up enough energy to stop a passing oeep which carried us
the rest of the way home.

Heat, Paryphanta superba prouseorum and the Heaphy
Bluffs will always remind me of last Xmas tramp and
likewise I shall associate this trip with a few things
Maoriconcha; Phelussa. floods. Rain, it rained every
day and thunderstorms. I*m sure it would not have
been so exciting if had had fine weather.

-oOo'

b

Our President Mr. V/alker, happened to be
at the right place at the right time recently. - a
sizable wash up of shells at Paraparaurau - lots of
Alcithoe swainsonl , Maurea cunninghaml. Tanea
zeland ica and many others. There were so many A»
swainsont that he was throwing them away and just
picking out the very best after awhile so he says.
Included in these shells was a small bi-valve
Notocallista multistriata , a rare shell not very
often seen in the wash-ups on beaches, i^>lso collected
were some fine A.^ fusus fusus.

— oOo—

THE CT^iSSlil'TG.ATION OP THE PAMILY VOLUTIDiiE.

D . P ^ McM i cha el .

Of all the ia;nllLes of niar-lne gasteropoda which
are favourites with collectors probably none is so
varied in foriii, nor so co:r.ple” in its classification
as the VoluteSo There are good reasons for this,
which we shall examine presently; but for this reason
my comments are mostly concerning the classification
at the generic level,, rather than the specific ( as
would be the case in Cypraea or Conus for example).

The fariiily is reasonably well defined, though
it is at times difficult to differentiate the Volute,
from families such as Marginellidae and the Mitridae,

( on shell characters at least)o In fact these three
groups were included by Gray in his family Volutidae,
which formed the only member of the ■' superfamily"
Rachiglossa and included as a sub-group of the
Toxoglossa, but on shell characteristics the Mitres
are difficult to separate from some Volutes, especially
the aberrant groups Volutouitra and Microvoluta. l.n
example of the pitfalls of, she'll s as a ’guide to,
classif ication. is the recent discovery by the South
African Barnard, that r.frivoluta pringlei, long
regarded as a Volutid, is in fact a Marginellid on the
basis of its radular teeth.

The early subdivisions and classifications of
the Volutes were made on the basis of various taxonomic
characters, and these scmetlmes conflicted with one
another, leading to’ discrepancies which seemed puzzling.

J.EoGray in 18^5 classified the. group oh" the basis, of i

both shell and animal characters and his classification
seems remarkably up to date when reexamined in the
light of present knowledge^

The Adams bj?others tried to use the mantle,
and later the radula, while J)all (I890) used the
character of the embryonic shell and protoconch.

Cossmann(l 699) used shell -characters, especially the
columellar plaits, siphonal notch and basal fascicle.

The most significant advance in the lost 20 years
was the work of Pilsbry and Olssen 195U, who broke through
the old cla,ssifications and completely rearranged the group
in a dozen subfamilies, in each case taking into account
all known characters such as radula, protoconch, shell
structure, operculum, fossil history and distribution in
space.

-13-

Recent unpublished studies by Clench and Turner
have necessitated some rearrangement but the basic
distinctions between the several groups of >itlanttc
Volutids have been confirmed by the anatomical structure
of the proboscis. It can be anticipated that sub-
sequent studies will confirm the distinctions of the
other groups recognised by Pilsbry and Olssen though
minor rearrangements may be needed®

I propose to run through the various subfamilies
and show pictures of the characteristic genera, with the
emphasis on the iAustralian forms ?/ith which I am most
familiar and with illustrations of a number of rare
or newly discovered species which may be of some interest
to you.

Subfamily Zidonlnae

= adelomeloninae

This subfamily includes the genera Zidona and
Adelomelon from South ^-imerica. V/hen Pilsbry and Olssen
got dealing with these groups their radular slides mixed
up and so some rearrangement is necessary. The subfamily
os reorganised by Clench and Turner will include
Adelomelon Dali, and Zidona i^dams, Janlthoe Pilsbry and
Olssen, and Pachycymbiola, all from South j^merica, plus
the deepwater form from pff the Pacific coast of North
/imerica, i^rctomelon.

The protoconch is simple, except in Zidona, where
there is secondary development of a long spinous growth.

Radula teeth are simple and tricuspid.

Subfamily Odontocvmbiollnae

, The inadequacy of shell characters is amply demonstrated

by the convergence between ^Ad elomelon ancilla and what has
been known as .magellanica. The latter proves to have qulte=
a different structure from ancilla and has been named Odonto-
cymbiola i\ND REPRESENTING a distinct subfamily with the high
curved fanglike cusps on a flattened basal plate.

iAnother recent genus belonging to this subfamily
is Miomelon, based on a deepvi/ater shell from South i^.raerican
waters, and Dr, Powell has described a species from off
New Zealand, Miomelon scoresbyana .

Subfamily Volutod erminae

■ Ent£re7.y fossil and containing a number of interesting
groups but uiuh no clear affinity with any recent species

• Subfamily

Vol-gtcmltrlnae

This- group of curiously siall mitra-like shells
seems to form a link with the f ami .y Mitridae. The
radula is triserial with a Y~shapeo antral tooth and
small triangular labraso' _

We now come to four sub-families which contain
the maoority of the interesting Voluti^ae. These are
the Pulgorarlinae, Cymbiinae, iilcLthoinae and
Scaphelllnaeo

The Fulgorariinae contains a series of genera *
with a characteristically asymetrical or Tnclined
protoconch - radula typically tricuspid* The (

Japanese Fnlgcraria- typifies this family bu*-, it also ' ‘
includes many of the larger *:ustraliah genere, such '
as Livonia (= Pterospire &. Mamillana) Ericusa, lleseri-
cusa, Festilyria ( S’.a-ifrica) Cottonia and Cailipara.

Pilsbry and Olsson included Iredalina in the
subfamily but I regard this as belonging more ^ith the
■rtlc ithoers

Subfamily Cvmbriinge

This group includes the Australian specie^ with
the regularly coiled protoconchs and large body whorls
-including the Balers and their relatives, and as a
sub-group Cyr biidae, the .ifrican Cymbiums with a
calloused protoconch immersed in the spine. The radula
is uniserial, with typical tricuspid teeth of a very
large size,

G-enera include Cymbium from _ frica

Meloid es

Melo, Melocorona, AUlica, -.ulicina, Cymbiolacca, Cyjnbiola,
Volutoconus, Cymbiolena, Volutocorona — all the well known
forms.'

Subfamily iilcithoiinae

These are subfusiform shells with usually a
’’ScEphelloid*’ protoconch - this is one with a few
loosely coiled whorls, with a large initial turn,
a flattened summit and a central calcarella.

Radula unistriate and typically tricuspid.
Volutoconus may belong here.

15-

Typlcally these are New. Zealand forms and genera
Include ^.Iclthoe*

Pachymelon ( Palomelon)

Lepo remax ( = carolluta) and
Ter^ielon.

Probably the genera Gulvlllea and Provocator
should be placed here.

Pilsbry and Olsson included the Ceylonese-
Indlan shells classified as Harpulina - lapponica
( = Interpureta) and arausaica (= vex ilium), but on
geographic grounds and on the basis of the protoconch
they probably belong elsewhere and perhaps with the
Cymbilnae.

subfamily Volutinae - .

This contains only the recent genus Voluta
which has three species on the i^tlantic - ranging
from the Carribean area to the tropical Mediterranean
-iifrlcan Coast, plus some fossil groups.

The radula tooth structure of this speotes
is quite di

coupled with its high, several coiled, pupiform
apex, and atlantic distribution, this sets the
genus off from all other living forms and hence it
is really quite wrong to use Voluta as a generic name
for any other species. This Is quite a contrast
to the situation In Cypraea, Cohus or Strombus for
example where the overall genus is not significantly
di]gferent from any of the more restricted generic
subdivisions.

Subfamily Volutillthlnae

Contains only fossil genera especially
Volutlllthes.

Subfamily thletlnae

This Is regarded as the moat primitive of the
living groups and contains two deepwater genera -
Volutocorbls from iifrlca and Ternlvoluta from East of
Cape Moreton, i-;ustralla. Both have been found In
fair numbers In recent years. They have a trlserlal
radula In which the marginals are still retained.

erent from the other volutids

(

-1 6-

The protoconch is rather simple and not of any great
size. There is no operculum. ' ■ '

There are many fossil genera especially in
i^merica which are regarded as belonging here*

Subfamily Lyriinae

These small volutids represent another prlmatlve
group which, though having the uniserial radula 'typical
of the majority of the volutes still retain an operculum*
There are several living genera, especially Lyria,
Lyreneta, Harpella, Enaeta, and niirabrous fossil forms,
mostly falling into Lyria and Enaeta ss.

The genus Lyria contains some spectacular shells,
especially L. lyraeformis and L. cloveriana. The
Australian Lyrias include, some not, uncommon species
while Lyreneta laseroni is a curiously shaped and rare
shell found on beaches of north N.3.V/. which has been
collected intertid ally. Enaeta are restricted to
Atlantic where there is also one Lyria ss. ( I
propose to depart from Pilsbry and Olsson's sequence
to deal with a" few smaller groups* In any case the ■
sequence is of little importance)* --

Subfamily Calliotectinae

This interesting group contains a number of
apparently primitive deepwater forms - which possess
long slender shells, a uniserial radula with typically
tricuspid teeth, and a well developed corneous
operculum. Mostly with axial sculpture - Some rare
forms here - Calliotectum. Teremachia (= Howell i a &
Prodallia ) Phenacoptygina, iTeptuneopsis and
Eusivoluta .

Subfamily Scaphellinae

This includes the species in which the radula
is Y shaped - in fact with the lateral cusps reduced
or completely absent,.

» /

'

There are three centres of distribution of the
family represented by three tribes, Amorldes, Halides
and Scaphellides. First is x^ustralian and includes
the genus Amoria & Zebremoria, one of the most spectacu
lar groups of shells, plus related genera such as
Paramoria, H annamoria. However the latter may not

belong here but may be grouped ?/ith a number of other
Australian genera with simple protoconchs such as
Notovoluta* Pseud ocymbiola.

.A

/

-17^

Pllsbry and Olsson place the New Zealand genus Parvl-
mltra with Amor la

The tribe Scaphellides includes the ^.merican
representatives of the subfamily - genera included are
Scaphella* Aurinia, Volutifusus. Clenchina and
Bathyaurinia.

Some of these groups are now regarded as sub-
genera but for collectors, most are lumped as Scaphella
or Aurinia and include many nsre forms as well as sought aft
after spotted species .iunonia.

The tribe Halidos includes only one genus -
the Western Mediterranean Halia, v/ith only a single
species Halia priamus, single turbinate protoconch
and radula teeth with sh:rt mesocane.

Evolution of the Yolutidae is obscure. The
species found in the Eocete and Oligocene of Europe
seem quite distinct from the bulk of recent forms*

In the Australian Tertiary a number of groups
are represented from Miocefie onwards, but m«st groups
have no known fossil ancestry. The recent Indo-Pacific
forms, including the dominant Cymbiinae. /^morldes
seem to have no close relationship with any of the earl-
ier fossil groups and the radiation of the family
.remains obscure.

However it seems certain that the general
■picture is one of a whole series of groups on the
verge of extinction with nccterpus small subfamilies
containing lots of Monolypir genera which are ;just
hanging on. Only a few active groups are strongly
evolving today - Amoria, Cymtiinae, Pulgoria,

Scaphella and Alcithoe.

— *Do—

Radula of Volutoconus
grossi. Iredale.

1 • Odontophore, showing
alternating teeth,

2. Rachidfcan tooth

3* Side view of No.2.

— oOo —

-18-

NEVV PUBLIGiiTIQNS .

Prom Dr», Dell was have had separates of
several of his recently published papers dealing
with our Molluscan Paunao Por your information
- they ‘are listed here with his brief abstract of
the contents.

The Molluscan Genus Ranella and the
Distribution of Ranella olearium ( Linnaeus) ”

R.K.Dell & S.P. Dance.

Proc-Mal.Soc.London, Vol.35» Part 4« December 19^2,

Various generic and specific names have
been used for the widely distributed large species
recorded in the literature as Ranella gigantea. •

Cyrina gigantea .Ranella multinodosa and many other
names have been proposed for supposed Recent and
Tertiary varieties. Dance, 1959> Dance & Dell, I96O,
and Barnard, I963, have recently used the name
Cyrina* gigantea ( Lamarck) for this species, recording
it from a wide range of localities including British
Isles, Her’ itcrranean. West i\frica. South j^frica and
New Zealand.

’'■Additional ....^rchibenthal Mollusca‘‘ from N.Z.

R.K.Dell •

Rec.Dom.Muso Vol.4» Nbi6y " Pages m^^G2

’’ Since the writer gave an account of the .irchibenthal
Mollusca of N.Z. ( Dell, 1956) Molluscs have been
obtained from five Dom^^us. Stations in depths hreater
than 100 fths., and from eight Stations established
by Zoology Department, Victoria University, V.'eliington.

■A number of new sps. have been- sorted out from these
stations and seven are described here • Pour of the
Stations are from the Bay of Plenty while others are from
Cook Strait, and off Otago. Because they supply addition-
al data on distribution and Bathymetric range all benthis
mollusca obtained from these stations and identified to
date have been listed.

The Llt-toral Marine Mollusca from the Snares Is

R.K.Dell.

Rec.Dom.Mus. Vol.U* Part 15* Pages 224-229,1963.

’’During January and February 1961, a party
from the Zoology Department, University of Canterbury
carried out a biological Survey of the Snares Is.
Professor C.:'. .Knox forwarded the mollusca, obtained
to the writer for identification. Since there are
a number of new records for the area, and some points
of nomenclature required discussion, it seems
worthwhile publishing a list of material colleoiied*

Mollusca have been previously collected from
the Snares on several occasions by Capt. J.Bollons
during official visits by N. Z.G. 3. Stella and N.Z.G.S,
Hinemoa, and by naturalists associated with these
vessels. Most of this material was recorded by
Suter, (1913). In addition, during the expedition
to the Snares during November 1947, Dr. C.ii. Fleming
collected mollusca. "

Notes on Some N * Z*Mollusca in the British Museum.

R.K.Dell.

Trans. Roy. Soc.N. Z. Zoo. Vol 3. No, 17. 1963.

” /'*s a result of the examination of Mollusc an
types in the British Museum ( Naiiural History)
notes and figures are given here for the types of
species of Pectuncullna.

Ghlamyis.

Kellia

H9-

Tellinella* liyadora, Hicrelenchus, l^Tlglnatica,
Pluerotoma. Paracomltas« ^.ntimelatoma, ..■oteadrlllla,
and -t-sperdaphne.'’

i->rchlbenthal Liollnsca from Northern N . Z ,

NvxVwNeXX*

Trahs.Roy.Soc.I'T, Z. Zoo. VoX.3- No. 20. I963.

” New species of Llarine lioXXusca and extension of
ranges of ..rchibenthaX moXXusca are recorded from
stations in northern N.Z, estabXished by the I.Iarine
Dept. Prawn TrawXing Survey in 1962.

New species of PhoXadomya. eneacor ( EXXicea)
CoXutnbarium. PachymeXon ( '^iomeXon)? Waitara
being the first recent records of these genera from
N.Z. waters. The probabXe ?7ide (distribution of the
archibenthaX moXXusca is discussed."

The MoXXusca of _the genus j-irgobuccinum
( PamiXy Cymatiidael

R.K.DeXX.

Trans. Roy. Soc. N. Z. VoX*3- No. 21. 1963-*

" The forms of a.rgobuccinura are reviewed, and arranged
in the foXXowing systematic framework.

■H rgobuccinum argus from southern S.,.frica.

N. raneXXiformis raneXXiformis from South *.merica.

Ji raneXXiformis ' tumidum from N.Z.cfc South ^.ustraXia.

N. prod i tor from St. PauX and .imsterdam and a new sub-
species from Tristan de Cunha and Gough IsXands. The
two South .->merican species rude and scabrum are grouped
In Priene as a subgenus of rgobuccinum. The d istribu-cion
of the’group and possibXe. fossiX ancestors from N.Z.
are discussed." '

]

o

-20'

Journal of the Mai. Soc, of Australia

No.7« Dec, 1 963*

Probably the papers of greatest interest to us are
those dealing with volutes.

These are

Re-description of .:amoria dampierana

by Clifton V/eaver.

i\ new species of Lyria from Ceylon,

by Cl'ifton Weaver,

Descriptions of 2 new species of the genuis
Cymbiolacca

by Donald P. McMichael,

This publication is in the Section’s Library.

— oOo—

PRESERVINQ SE^i URCHDTS

Norman Douglas,

To those people with a passing interest in taxidermy
the first experience of mounting the common sea urchin
( Evechinus chloroticus) is usually one of disappointment,
y/hereas in life this animal appears bright, with spines
buoyantly erect, in the mounted form, with spines lying
down, it appears altogether depressed and forlorn.

In fact we find that as soon as the urchin is removed
from its salt water home it immediately lowers its spines
and we cannot stand them up again without breakage, - quite
a little problem for a clumsy man I

The writer is indebted to Mr, H.J. Chapman for the
suggestion involving the use of sand which paved the Vi/ay to
success. The method is as follows The apparatus

required to be taken to the sea-side is very simple. It
consists of one bucket, a circular piece of cloth abouth.

18" across, apiece of string about 2U" long and a packing
needle.

Having found a suitable specimen, it is placed in the
bucket of seaTivater* and carried to the beach where the sand
is fairly coafse and^wet. Now ■ for„some quick action I
Lift the urchin out of ' the water and place it on the
beach withs its mouth down in its usual living position.
V/ith the hands, quickly scoop up sand frora around about
and plaster it all over the urchin. This must be done
quickly before it has time to depress its spines. Pad
it all over with sand, completely covering all the
spines, thus preventing them from being lowered. Next
pick up the cloth and spread this on top of the sand mound
for that is ol], we can see novj, using the cloth to hold
the sand in place, and flip the .lot over so that the
urchin’s mouth faces the sky. i. t this juncture more
sand will be required which is padded on around about the
urchin’s mouth, vNnich area could not be reached before.
Having done this, draw up the cloth all around, and with
the needle and string, make a drawstring to hold the
whole in place. The job now looks very like a Christmas
pudding in its boiling cloth, except that a space is
allowed In the opening part of the drawstring a little
FiOre than equal to the full width of the sea urchin’s
moutho In this condition the specimen can be taken
home.

JnS soon as conven5.ent take a scalpel knife, cut
around the jav^s of the sea urchin and with the aid cf
a pair of forceps ( a doctor’s artery forceps make
an ideal tool) renaove the''i^\ristotle’ s' lantern”.

V/ith a hose of water, ''a 'piece of wire curved to form
an open hook ( for a long-handled scraper) and the
I'orceps, rem.ove all the internal organs of the shell.

The shell is not? clean o.n the inside and the spines
held in their natural erect position by the sand and cloth
on the outside. Pill the inside of the shell with 20%
formalin and water solution and let it stand at least
overnight, or longer, in a place where a steady but
slight leakage will cause no harm.

The urchin is now preserved with its spines erect
in their natural life-like position and all one has left
to do is to remove the cloth, hose off all the sand from
the spines and dry the specimen in a shady place.

It will be found, hoY»/ever, that the standard of the
finished job is very closely associated with this final
cleaning rpocess. .(-. water hose ‘seems to remove the sand
best, but assistance can be given in places with a soft
haired clean paint brush.

xiS with cleaning hair, and shells of some sorts
also, the richest looking polish is best obtained by

-22-

rubbing the surface dry, iillov; to dry without rubbing
and it drys with a dull finish; rub dry and we obtain
a polish, A sea urchin* s spines provide a problem
here again, V/e certainly cannot rub them dry with a
rag. Neither can we successfully use the saw-dust
method of cleaning hair* However a careful brushing
with a dry soft-haired paint brush when the spines
are almost dry v^ill be found to help a lot.

So now for a sea urchin which has grown to
a full six inches across*

The poor little urchini

— oOo —

BOOKS m SEASHORE LIRE.

For Children :- Down to the Sea L.R.Brightwell

Pitman 1934-

Seashores H.S.Zim &:-Luihgie

Simon & Schuster, 1 935
The Rock Pool i. . Torrie

N.Z.Dept. Education i960

— oOo —

/Australian Books :- Exploring between tidemarks,

E.C.Pope & P.M. McDonald
Aaust, Museum, Sydney,

for beginners’ - /.ustralian Sea Shells J. Child

Periwinkle Press I96I
Common Shells of the ..ust, Seashore

D.McMichael
Jacaranda Press, 1 96I

OVERSEAS BOOKS,:- The Edge of the Sea R. Carson,

Staples, 1935»

The Underwater G-uide to Marine Life

C.Ray & E. Ciarapi. Nicholas Eaye1938
Between the Tides Univ, of London Press
P. Street 1932

Natural ^History of Marine *'-nimals

G.E. & N.LicGrini tie McGraw-Hill 1949

/■nimals without backbones. Pelican, 1951
R, Buchsbaum.

Life of the Shore & Shallow Sea.

D.P.'./ilson, Nicholson & IVilson

1951

— oOo —

?

i

i

■a

L L* . ■

I

I

•,n

I

y

V-Tr'

Vnl,2,

-23-
Part 2

June

LIMPETS .

I/. E. Ponder.

The name * limpet’ is applied to many very different
gastropods and even to some molluscs from different
classes, for example, the recently discovered
iiplacophoran Heopilina.

A shape rather than a taxonomic entity, ’’limpet*’
can be likened to "worm” a name which is used to cover
animals from several phyla, including some molluscs.

i^ll of the major groups of gastropodss have produced
limpets, in other words, some members have lost their
spiral shell and become bilaterally symetrical. Since
the limpet shell has evolved so many times it is
presumably advantageous in at least some circumstances.

Typical limpets living on the shore, can cling
tightly to the rock surface, their low shell offering
little resistance to the onslaught of waves, whereas
normal snails would possibly be washed away. Some
limpets live in places where there is little cr no force
from waves and have lost the coiled shell for other
reasons. iin animal with a limpet shaped shell can move
about more easily under stones and if this shell is
embedded in the back of a slug, it offers little or no
resistance to the animal forcing its way through narrow
crevices. Thus greater mobility and compressability is
obtained by shell reduction to a simple limpet shape.
Sedentary animals feeding by filtering out the minute
particles from the water ( filter or ciliary feeding)
often develop limpet-like shells if they live .on a hard
substratum ( e.g. Calyptraecea). Struthlolarla. a
filter feeder burrowing in sand, has re tained a coiled
shell and active locomotion because frequent dislodging
is possible in soft waveswept substrata.

Some deep water groups ( e.g.Capulus) are in the
habit of clinging to shells and, by developing a wide
attachment base, become more secure.

To understand the classification of limpets we will
briefly examine the classification of the Gastropoda,.

The gastropods can be divided into three main groups
or subclasses, the Prosobranchia. Qpisthobranchia &
Pulmonata. The differences between these groups and the
story of evolution within them can best be seen by looking
at their mentle cavities - the sac-like space above and
around the head, and into which the head retracts.

It contains the gills, anus and kidney openings.

Because of a process known as ‘'torsion* during develop-
ment, the gastropod mantle cavity usually faces
anteriorly. This means that an undisturbed water
stream can enter the cavity but it brings with it
problems of sani'cation.

The Prosobranchia retain the forward facing mantle
cavity, and putting it to the best possible advantage,
in the more highly evolved groups, as a sort of
smelling device with a long movable sn^iut or syphon
in front, with which they hunt their prey. Some have
used the gill in the mantle cavity for collecting food,
and have taken up a sedentary existence. ( e.g. the
Calypts.

The Opisthobranchia show an increasing tendency
to reverse the effects of torsion and the mantle
cavity has gradually passed dov;n the right side during
their evolution, culmlnaflng finally in the nudlbranchs
with no mantle cavity, and the anus at the posterior
end on the mid-dorsal line.

The Pulmonata have put the mantle cavity to
another use - breathing air. This lung has a small
opening on the right side which can be closed by
muscles. The anus and kidney open directly to the
outside.

Let us now look at the limpets within these groups.
One of the most primitive, prosobranch families in the
Pissurellidae. They are usually limpet-like though this
is always secondary, the most primitive gastropods
having a spiral shell. Typical flssurellids such as
Tugali. Emarg inula and Scutus are all fairly large animals
living low on the shore where they are in no danger of
desiccation. Emarginula has a slit in the shell, Tugall
and Sgrutus also have a slit but this is in the mantle, the
shell being nearly entire.

The'Iveyhole limpets have a hole near the apex of the
shell that serves the same purpose as the slit of
Emarginula. 1*hese primitive gastropods have tvrfo gills
with the anus lying between them ( Pig. 16) Since water

must enter the mantle cavity anteriorly it would also
have to leave anteriorly if there were no other opening.
Excretory matter would mix ¥i/ith the inhalent stream and
foul the gills. ( fig. 1^) One solution is to make an
exit for the exhalent current in the roof of the mantle
cavity just in front of the anus ( fig.l6). This arrange-
ment is a disadvantage as the animal can never be
effectively sealed from the v?eather or enemies. Other
gastropods lost the right gill and thus a left to. right

e.

FIGURES.

1.

1a Hypothetical early gastropod mantle cavity.

1b Fissurellid mantle cavity with exhalent opening.

1c later gastropod mantle cavity with only one gill.

2. Diagrarnatic transverse sections of the mantle cavities of

2a Fissurellid ~ Note the gills have a double row of

filaments.

2b Patellid limpet ( Cellana).

2c Acmaeid limpet ( Notoacmaea ).

2d Maoricrypta Note the very long gill filament

2e Stphonaria Note the secondary gills on the mantle

roof.

— oOo

‘stream of water became possible ( Pig.lC).

■ Pissurellid s scrape sponges with their broad
rhipidoglossan radulae. They are thus grazing
carnivores, living a lazy life in permanently
damp conditions.

■ ■■ The true limpets ( super family Patellacea)
often found high on the shore, scrape diatons and
small algae from rocks. Their radula is long and
narrow with large powerful teeth and their intestine
is very long for storing faeces between tides.

The mantle cavity is only a small space into which
the head retracts. There are two important families
of limpets,. The j-icmaeidae ( e.g. iMotoacmea) and
and Patelloida have a small gill within the mantle
cavity ( fig.3C*) The Patellidae ( e.g.Cellana) have,
in most genera, lost the original gill and developed
a series of secondary gills ( pallial gills) around the
margin of the foot ( fig. 3^) Ciliary currents running
around the foot remove faeces in both families. The
multiple gills of Cellana seem to be very efficient for
limpet shapes, chitons too, having multiplied their gills,
--'i small deep water family of limpets also belonging to
the Patellacea is the Lent id a e ( e.g, Notocrater
Maoricrater.") They are small, blind and have nc gills.

The Cacculinacea, a poorly known superfamily found
in deep water, have a similar shell to the Lepetids, but
have a single gill extending along the right pallial
groove. They also have a copulating organ of-Which.
there is no sign in the Patellacea.

The super family Calyptraeacea consists of the families
Hipponic id ae, Capulidae and Calyptraeidae.

These animals also have a copulatory organ, internal
fertilization allowing egg capsules to be formed within the
oviduct of the female. Hippon jx is cemented to the

substratum by a calacreous plate secreted by the delicate
foot. Thus, the shell superficially resembles an oyster.
It has a long proboscis which sweeps over the substratum
picking up nearby detritus on v\/hich it feeds.

Capulus has a fairly large gill and filter-feeds.
Modifications characteristic of filter-feeding gastropods
are much more pronounced in the Calyptraeid ae' ( e.g.
Maoricrypta) . The gill is extremely large, extending
over much of the greatly enlarged mantle cavity ( Pig.U)

It is modified for collecting food in having a very long
gill filaments and the normal gill-cleaning currents put
to a new use. Mucus is secreted by a glandular ** endostyle''
spread over the gill and suspended material is caught in
these mucus sheets which are carried continU'^usly to a

--2>.

food groove. There ..it is rolled into a string and sent

to a spot^ jus't by the mouth whence it is licked up by
a short proboscis ( figs 2D 4)«

The Calyptraeacea are protandrous hermaphrodites, that
is, they change from male to female as they grow.

Chains of individuals can be found, the youngest and
smallest being being male, the oldest and largest
female, and those in between hemaphrodtte ( f ig.6.ii .B.C. )

Thyca a degenerate capulid, is an ectoparisite
living on echinoderms. It uses its large proboscis
to penetrate the host*s tissues ( fig. 5).

The Opisthobranchia have only one family with limpet-
like shells, the Umbranculidae belonging to the same group
as do the colourful Pleurobranchs.

few Opisthobranchs have internal shells that are
limpet - like in shape but most have lost their shells
and acquired a secondary bilateral symmetry. The small
intertidal Onchid ella is a small slug with a limpet-
shaped body. It has partly overcom.e the problem of
desiccation with its tough integumrnt impregnated with
special glands.

The Pulmonata contains most of the land snails and
many fresh-water snails. There is also a small marine
group. The 8yphonariidae and Trimusclilldae ( e/g.
Gadinalea) both resemble typical limpets closely in shell
shape, feeding habits and ability to withstapd desiccation.

Siphonaria is intertidal, crawling rapidly over
rocks with the edges of the foot projecting round the shell
as a bulbous ridge which contains poison glands. There is
no pallial groove, but instead, a large mantle cavity on
the right side which contains secondary gills, developed
on its roof ( figs.2C & 3P)« These are not ciliated, the
water current being produced by a ciliated strip on the
floor of the mantle cavity. The redevelopment of gills
has alloVi^ed this family to become, once again, fully
aquatic. Gad inalea has no secondary gills and must remain
near high tide mark. The animals react to light and
gravity,' tending to concentrate on the roof of crevices
and caves where they avoid undue desiccation.

There are two families of freshwater- limpets in New
Zealand. The Latiidae -is end^ic and differs from all
other freshwater limpets in having its pulmonary apertures
on the right side. The .:--ncylidae is world— wide. “They

both scrape algae from the surface of stones. Like the
marine .Siphon aria they have developed secondary gills for
respirabion but these are of a different type. flap of

tj-ssue called a pseudobranch or- false gill -projects from the
mantle cavity.

-28-

I^IGURES

Ventral view of Gellana
Ventral view of Notoacmaea

Dorsal view of Notoaiamaea with shell removed, and
the mantle cavity roof transparent*

Dorsal view of Giphonaria with the shell removed
and the mantle cavity roof transparent*

Dorsal view of Maoricrypta with the shell removed
and the cavity roof as if transparent*

Thyca showing proboscis embedded in the integument
of an echinoderm

The change of sex in Maoricrypta (a) male,

(b) hermaphrodite, female.

Ventral view of Ancylus* a freshwater limpet*

Tn some species it become^ much folded thus increasing
the respiratory surface, ( ■p-ig;,7)« Latia i-s. interesting
in being phosphoresces t, "" t . '

.There are
some. 3 lugs have a
b:ac i; , e •, c: , t h e T> . -Z

no real 'torrestrial li.mpeta, although
flat‘*'ch^7 reduced she:.j on ’their
V Sch::io|Ios'sa being an example.

In thi s brie-? d scussion
story of the mcllufc-a only begins
fact mosp .oeviors In-the linnets,
shell may cove"? a-'imals of a very
organ I sat: on and belonging to any
groups of tne gar/.-rdpod at

v?e have seen that ;the
with the she?.l a
where a similar
d if f erent
one of the major

oOo —

‘The H^Z.Shel ?. s _in_the Coll.ectlon of Joseph Banks.

^’'The three -voyages
8 0 a c b i * n es h i v h er-: o
•nustrelis. inccgniis.

cf Captain Cook opened up vast
l:nrwn only vaguely as Terra
from -.rnich plan is and animals

were brovghv back In almost too great a profusion
to *be dealt with by the few naturalisms of the day
';_wfio'^e^ie capable of the task. One c.f the most able
■’amongst .these was Daniel Solander who acconpanied
Joseph Banks on dook'si momentous first voyage round
“the world 1763-1 77V, ”

" These two were keen and naturalists, Solander
the elder by a few. years^ still imbued with the
teaching of Linne.. Bonks, p/ealthy, with his
appetite for travel sharpened by a recent voyage to
New Pou'n.drand were j:-g ir. the mood to join the
expedition being prepared o observe the transit of
Venus from Tahlf', 1. Permission to join the

vessel was obtained w:. 'rh the aid of an influential
friend, bv>t the expense of collecting equipment,
staff of artrsts, see /ants e'cc. were paid by Banks bi.m"e
himself at a cost of some five or ten thousand pounds.”

” there is little of note regarding shells

in Bank’s J"cu”nal during the crircumn3vigati.pn of
I'T.Z. Oct, 3th - r'arc,h,,-^3'lst "I770*j but there~'ar’e one
or two references to the mollusca as a welcome
source of extra food; accordingly on the 20th Nov,
a meal cf. bo tied shags was followed by one of a
different kind supplied to Banks and his party at a
small village in llerc’^ry Bay where they were'‘most
clvally received by the inhabitants who treated us
with hot cockles or at least a small flat shellfish.

-30-

(Tellina) which was most delicious food, "

L-. — - This was probably j^mphid esma'’ ven'tricosum Grey,
the Toheroa of N.Z. said , by Suter ('i913) to be
particularly plentiful on the northern shores,
especially the 'lest Coast and is still considered
a great delicacy* The nextday an oyster bank
was found and the ’Endeavour's’ long boat was,
filled vYith '“' as good oysters as ever came from
Colchester, and of about the same size. The ship’s
company, I sincerely believe, did nothing but eat
from the time they come on,board, , till night,”

These were without doubt the famous ^^uckland rock
oyster Ostreq .glomerata Gould, common to the Hauraki
Gulf and still consumed in quantity from May to
September, : : . _ . ^

Prom .Banks conclud ihg remarks' on N. Z. (Journal
page 227) where he notes o plentiful supply of
oysters, clams, cockles and many other sorts of shell
fish-etc,, one would have expected' rather more than the
eight typical IT. Z. shells found in his collection
and. listed below, but again it is , evident that Botany
was his main pursuit, molluscs being attractive mainly
as a source of 'extra food, .1/ , -f:>

Notirus reflexus Grey - Venus Nova Cambria

‘ ( rln error ? )

.!.ul3comy.a \Tnaorlana' Iredale Mytilus
■ ’ * = magellanicus ^.uct ' ' .Novae Zelandlae

•' r , '.V!. ; - i . I ' • ■ N • Z . Ji B* , B * S •

Mytilus canaliculus Martyn

Musculus ImpaCtu-a ( Herman)'- My tiliJ's -grbbus

..i. ■■ -r- '“‘'PNiZ. Sofi'M^a

Chlone stutchburii (V/ood) Venus antlquata

Sol. MSS,

Nova Cambria ( in
error ?) J.B.

Struthiol ar? a papulosa (Martyn) - Murex

B u c c I n u 1 um^ mult 1 1 i n eum Eo v/el 1 Mur ex

Cymai.Tum parthenopeus ( von Sails) ~ Murex olearium*

The above, quoted from Catalogue and Hlstorial account
of the Banks’ Shell Collection,” by the late Guy L.Wllklns ,
Bulletin of the Brit. Museum, V0I.I. No, 3. will give you
some idea of what these first naturalists to visit this
country overlooked in the way of shells.

-cOo-;—

-31-

ITMiS OF IHFEREST.

Goat Island in the Leigh area has recently yielded
several Charonia capax and at our last meeting John
Laxton had a beautifully coloured example of C.
rubicunda from this locality. i.nyone feeling like
a swim ?

— oOo —

Some particularly fine large specimens of Card ita
brookesi. Finlay, were collected by I/Irs Edwards
at Matheson’s Bay, Hear Leigh. She tells us that
they were quite plentiful at this locality.

— oOo —

A sample of sticky ooze dredged by a local fisherman
from 40 fathoms off Piha, -Auckland V/est Coast, yielded
after being put through a set of sieves, some interest-
ing small mollusca, plus quite a collection of octocods,
Radiolarians and "orams.

Here is a list of the mollusca present

Llssotesta errata Powell.
Poroleda lanceolate (Hutton)
Bathyarca cybaea (Hedley)
Cadulus delicatula Suter

Dentalium nanum (Hutton)

Brookula contigua Powell
Hucula strangel (L.^idams)
Syrnola mend a Finlay

Odostomia sp

The material is in the Turner collection.

— oOo —

Mrs Haywood, Masterton, has recently located
Bucclnulum colensoi at Castlepoint, fine specimens too,
having a taller spire than those from the vicinity of
Gisborne.

From Castlepoint sand dunes we can record a further
occurence of an introduced snail Hellicella caperata.

On a rcent hunt at Joikanae Beach on the Manawatu
Coast, Mrs Hayward picked up a pair of fine eneator
0. cookianus. This sub speoies is not often cast up
Miss B. Elliot of Takaka has had several from Pakawau
near Farewell Spit, South Island.

-Also from Mrs Haywood ’ There was a 7“ nautilus picked
up at Castlepoint last week. Unfortunately’ the finder
was not me.

— oOo

-32-

Have those of you who have done some collecting
at V/hangarei Heads, noticed the extremely large
fine specimens of Jiepslella r.r^o^i na on the inter-tidal
rocks ? I secured some which were around the 1-^”
mark and strongly ribbed. Dr, Powell says that he
thinks Onerahi specimens are even better,

— cOo —

Mrs Waldronof 'hangarei has found a specimen of
the very rare Nassarius particeps, known frcra iT.Z.
by only two or three examples. .although not in
perfect condition the spiral lines are plainly visible.
This shell differs from N. splrltus at a glance by the
different colour pattern consisting of five or six
spiral lines running round the body ?;horl. These are
not present in N. soiritus.

— oOo —

A shell which can be collected locally but one
which is apparently passed over, for it is not
often seen in collections, is Dos inn la crebra. (Hutton)
This shell has been put on and off molluscan lists
in the past.

Probably most collectors would consider the
shell to be just a small rounded Dosinnla zelandiae
(Gray), the heavy, elongate shell with strong
concentric ribs. Certainly it lives in similar
situations but can be recognized by its rounded out-
line, light brown colour, streaks and blotches neaf
the hinge regions, and the ribbing which is perhaps
somewhat less prominent. It occurs at Takapuna at
times but seems to be more prevalent in the Llanakau
Har. Specimens no doubt occur on other beaches in
the general area

— oOo —

Mrs St. John of Nelson writes My husband was
fishing and caught blue cod, and in the stomach of
one he found a beautiful specimen of El la trivia
memorata. The fish was caught in Greville Harbour area
of D’Urville Is. I have not heard of Sllatrivia being
found in this area of N.Z. before, but maybe they have ?

have been fishing here and at Prench Pass many times a
and can always get ChlamTis zeland iae. Pallium convex urn
Limatula maorla and small Haliotis from the cod stomachs,
but have never found or even heard of on Ellatrivia
before. Maybe they have come South and we may be lucky
another time. ” Hove any of our members managed to
collect an Ellatrivia from this locality ? It would
be intereswing to know just how far South these shells
have been found. How about members telling us the
farthest south they have collected this species ?

-33-

glSCiP on I/LaRCH

Maori Bay, Muriwai recently saw an invasion
by the Section’s ’bucket brigade.' ^.bout 20
members turned up to see what this rocky coastline
had to offer. It was a pi easant, fine day with
scarcely any wind. The tide was not particularly
low but enthusiasts certainly made the most of the
area that was available.

Some rather hard labour was put in by those
hankering after the fine large Zed iloina d igna.

Large smooth boulders near high tide mark were
turned over to reveal colonies of these blue-black
Trochoids. Sharing the same habitat were quite a
lot of very nice Harinula f ilholi - normally pink
but here, albino in quite a number of specimens.

Some large clean Zed iloma arida were taken in
the same area.

Paddling in rock pools in search of discriminat-
ing hermit crabs was quite profitable. This type of
collecting netted participants about 18 specimens of
the rare ? Cominella euthriaformis. This small
attractive shell is more slender than G. quoyana
without the axial ribs, and covered with brown spots.
Most of Tche known specimens have been taken at this
locality.

The younger members of the party seemed to be
here, there and everywhere - they located some very
fine large Budoxochiton nobilis and Guild ingia ob'cecta.
Numbers of Qavod iloma coracina with che distinctive
concave whitish base, were seen around the edges of
rocky outcrops surrounded by pools in the sand about
half tide mark. number were added to various buckets.

Vi/hile some good examples of the bluish-white
Buccinulum motutaraense were found, this species
does not seem to be as corrunon as it was some years ago.
These were uncovered from beneath the Codium seaweed
on rock faces, again at about half tide.

Only one specimen of the banded Buccinulum vi ttatum
was reported but ordinary B. heteromorphuin was not
uncommon.

r.n enormous boulder with a dark ’cave' underneath
was found to be the home of the white tent-like
Gadinalea nivea. Here, they were on the roof of the
’ cave^ Mustered tightly together - at times so crowded
as to be one on top of the other. These molluscs

-3k-

alvi?ays seem to choose this type of home. Unfort-
unately the appearance of V/est Coast specimens Is usually
usually marred by grains of black sand which has
become cemented onto the Inside of the shells.

.^s a rule, there are large numbers of small
Xenophallum pyrum in the rock pools ( hermit crabs)
but on this occasion they were scarce.

Para trophon cheesman 1 seemed to be as
prolofic as usual.

On the way bock along the beach, at the water* s
edge, several members gathered up some storm shells -
Janthlna violaceat which had just been washed in,
together with the inevitable Spirula spirula.

Pd i tor.

i^USTIU-,LL.N liETTESl,

Our Northland member who is still actively hunting
material in ..ustralia writes

Left Renmark on 17th March and spent a

couple of days in xidelaide. Called in to the
local Museum and looked up a Conchologist there -
Dr* Helen Lavi?s, who happens to be a Kiwi from
Dunedin - she has only been there a year, having
taken over from Cotton. I spent several hours there
talking and looking at the collection. Next day
I looked up Mr* R. Hall who is the President of the
Malacological Society of S*-i. and he marked on the
maps some good collecting spots down Yorke Peninsula.
Spent a couple of weeks down there collecting some
quite nice stuff, all common varieties, but was quite
happy with it all. Cot a nice collection of
Haliotis - Laevigata, Conacopora, Emmae, Roei, &
Cyclobates. xilso a large Cellana C .rubraurontiaca
(Blainville) Struck a bed of the scallop E.bifrons
they were in the thick seagrass about knee deep 'at
low water and collected about 60 specimens ~ rather
small but in nice condition - had the animals fried for
breakfast one morning and kept the shells - and very
nice too 1 I ; Lmongst thlo seagrass were a few
Phasienella australis but all about half grown,
collected some of the largest and they have cleaned up
very nicely - the patterns on them are fantastic.

Stuck in the sand everywhere were thousands of the
large ’horse-mussels’ or Pinnas - had to be very
careful y/ading around, as they are not too good to
step on - beastly sharp, in fact. ^.^Iso plentiful
in the sand here, just belov/ low water, were the

" 35 -

bi-valves _Katelysia corr.ugata and K. scalarina-
rather* nice ^sBiny7witH’"‘good zig-zag pattern in browb
and about 1-^'‘in size. Good eating, too , in fact the,,
Adelaide people collect them for.. eating, as
cockles and -pipis . ^ Altogether r-'h'ad 'a nice trip dowia
here ab- the -vi/eather was for the most part first class.
From Adelaide I took a different route nearly all the
way»up ' tb Melbourne ,mos tly inland joollec ted a few more
Freshwater specimens. Passed quite close- to the-' Grampian
Mounta-ins in v/es tern Vic tori a-^ . they look very \
intsres-ting too, and. could be worth investigating
at a later' date. I don’t remember seeing anything ' _
recorded' from' this area. The -Grampians are an isolated
group, rising abruptly, out of thr surrounding' plains -
look very rugged with many peaks -very jagged and '
vertiaal rock-faces .The highest peak, is 3$00!-they'‘
are really the tailend of the Great Divide-the other
end being at Cape York

(By the time you read this Laurie Price will .
be back in Queensland with- intentions of tracking
down more species o^ the large Varahadra land snaila

! — oOo —

f

. THE _^W_ZEALMD__VO^^

~ “ N, Gardner.

In this issue we list the smaller- mambers of
this family which belong to_Le£orem^( Iredale )and
Teremelon ( Marwick ) .

While two species . are -at times -washed’ up on
ocean beaches, the others are very rare and from deep
water so are out of reach of most collectors.

(Lcporemax^fusus fusus Q.&G,

Fig."! .

The characteristics of typical fusus are ; -
inflated body whorl without any angulation or
shoulder , long! tudinal ribs on the spire whorl which
fade rightbout on the pentultimate and body whorls.

Colour -pattern is usually longitudinal , zig-zag ^
lines, a Ithdugh some specimens, may be of a plain '

flesh colour.

Size : -up- to , 8, Um., ill. ' '

Distribution;- South of East Gape dovim to r '
Stewart ISj,'o'n the East Coast. On the West Coast-
Farev>/ell Spit northwards along the Manawatu Coast.

This' is the shell \i/hich was listed .asg-gr..acilia
(Swainson) in older publiaations ; I t occasionally
'Vfashes up on ocean beaches after storms, 'and has
been trawled down to 'depths Of 60^70 fa-thoms.. , .

- L .

Alclthoe ( Leporemax) fusus hauraklensts Dell

Pig. 2.

Differs from the typical species in being
smaller, more slender and has a ribbed shoulder,
which angles the outline of the later whorls.

Ribs less numerous on the spire whorls, while
those on the body whorl 8 - 14 are stong and extend
over much of the upper portion. ‘

Colour pattern: also of longitudinal zig-zag lines
but these tend to be arranged in several bands
running spirally around the shell.

Size: 30 m.m.

Distribution :-

This northern sub-species is
recorded from Great Exhibition Bay, Tokerau Beach,

Day of Islands, Mangawai, Great Barrier, Colville
and Bay of Plenty. The Southern limit seems to be
in the vicinity of East Cape and Hicks Bay.

\i?ashes up after storms, but good specimens ore
usually dredged down to 60 fathoms.

iit times good live specimens wash up on
Waiheke Island beaches. Type specimen is from
Oneroa beach, V/aiheke Is.

Voluta ( Lenoremax) dhathamensls Dell Pig. 3*

This is a very rare shell from the Chatham Rise
area, and occurs in very deep water - 130 -300 fathomsi
So far only three specimens have been recorded i
The type and one paratype are in the Dominion Museum
while the other paratype is in the Canterbury Museum*

This species is about the size of haurakiensis
but differs in the total supression of axial
sculpture, the lack of a noticeable shoulder' on the
whorls, finer columella plaits and the quite
distinctive colour pattern which is a light orange
brovi/n ground colour with dark red— brown dashes
arranged in an up and down fashion in approximate
spiral rows.

Size : 47 m.m.

/ilc i thoe ( Leporemax ) hedleyi Murdoch c-. Suter i ig,4*

Similar to haurakiensis but is much more slender
in outline, has a narrower aperture and distinctive
ribbing which appears as long folds on the body vvhorl.

Colour usually of darker zig-zag lines as in
haurakiensis.

-3tS-

51

V

i'

1

i

■ ' r*-

h: ■

Sv' ^

■■

j •

• U--
*i y

<■

V- J

0

I

1

1

I

✓

-38-

Most of the known specimens have been taken from the
East Coast, north of the Bay of Plenty* The type
is from off Great Barrier Is in 110 fathoms.

Other records are off Cuvier Is, 'Vhangaroa and
Great Ebchlbltion Bay*

Size : 61 m*m* ( type).

Teremelort knoxi Dell Fig,5*

Is another deep water species- from' the Chatham
Rise* This Is a narrowly fusiform shell, the aperture
being half the height of the entire shell*. - V/htle the
lower whorls appear smooth, they do have low fine
spiral threads* Most examples are chalky white
and the aperture a biscuit brown* The edge of the
inner and sometimes the outer lip shows olive green
colouring*

Size : 80 m*m.

Locality : 220 - 300 faths*

Chatham Rise.

This is the only living member of the genus
which was, until fairly recently considered to have
been Extinct since the Tongaporutuan Stage*

— oOo— ■

BGMONT P^.RYPHi^NTA.

Prom reports and what we have seen, it certainly
looks os if it is merely a matter of time before we
will have a further race of living Paryphanta re-
corded from the North Island.

I refer, of cburse, to the puzzle'bf the dead
specimens which have been collected over the past few
years from stream beds and banks on the northern side
of Mt* Egmont.

Normally, the supposed occurence of large snails
on the side of a dormant ( supposedly extinct) volcano
would not be taken very seriously for they would not be
e^5pected to survive the periodic eruptions and ash
showers as they are considered to be of fairly ancient
origin* Research has shown that the snails were dis— .
persed over practically the entire country prior to the
last ice age. . ....

-39-'

Though not personally famtli,ar with the geology
of the area In* question, it may he that an outcrop '
of the older 'rock on which the cone of Egmont has
been built up, has,' escaped devastation during
eruptions, . :

That such chance survivals occur is shown by .. . "
the example of a Wainuio on tiny Motutaiko Island ' '
in Lake Taupo - an area which has seen much thermal
activity and which has been blanketted with extensive
pumice showers in the past.

So far all the shells of the Egmont Paryphanta
have been found on the Northern side where the Mangorei
and Henui streams have yielded a . f ew examples - several
in quite good condition apart from the collapsed
apical whorli Being of weak and thin construction
this is always the first to disintegrate, ‘

On looking at a map of this area you will see
that these rivers drain a watershed which reaches
well up into Pouakai Range, This Range goes above
the- bush line. ~

Jit I.Ibkai Patea," inland from Taihape, and. at 3600
feet I have collected numerous specimens of typical.;-
P, merchant i oust inside hush at the . snow-grass levSl,
it seems reasonable to expect to find the Egrnont snail
alive..at a similar high altitude. Nearly all the snails
of the, hochstetteri group favour such a height. Much of
the“ information we have on these dead snail shells’ has
been gleaned from various sources by our New Plymouth
member, Hrs R, Duffy,

. I • '

‘ • i ■>* *

The quote below is from the Taranaki 'Herald*

Marcih Uth* ^96Ut, ■'

*' New Plymouth conchologist Lirs.R. Duffy, said
today, that she sent a number of the snailn to Dr,; Dell,
Several of them xame from the Taranaki Museum "
including two recently found near the upper reaches '
of the Mangorei stream and in the German ‘Hill area
between Kaimiro and Kent Road.

One was found by a High School Boy, Graham Radford,
Kent Road while fishing, and the other by his Mother
Mrs Radford.

Dr. Dell confirmed that the snails were of the
marchanti species. In a leister to Mrs Duffy, he
said it seemed quite clear now that the marchanti
formerly ranged much more widely in the lower portion
of the Central North Island.”

V

I

I ,

' • •

X

, ;> A

1

- < Compared with the largest P. marchanti In my
collection from Mount Colenso 3600^ the new examples
are" a little larger in size. Comparison as below

Mt. Colenso

52 m.m.

57 m’.m.

num.

U7 m.m.

J^:gmont.

68 m.m.
67 m.m.
63 m.m.
60 m.m.

iilthough the colour in the dead shells is probably
bleached to a degree, it is noticeable that the spiral
bands on top of the shell, rather prominent in marchanti
are supressed and show only weakly.

BJd Itor.

— oOo —

Wj->.MDERING mmiL THE WILD V/IHDS BLOW.

Norman Douglas*

The area concerned in this article is the coast-
line lying between the Llanakap south-head lighthouse
and the northern bonks of the Waika'to river mouth.

This is a stretch of about twenty-five miles of our
West Coast’s rugged, windswept shore-line, where the
Tasman rollers almost perpetually pound upon a black
ironsend beach^ and upon the brown sandstone cliffs,
with an ever changing mood and pattern. One- day the
sky and sea may be deepest blue, the surf crackling
white, and the gulls wheeling about with the ooy of
living; yet another day the sky is leaden and the
rollers thunder in on miles of beach waist deep in froth.

One cannot "help wondering how any animal could
possibly survive in such an environment. Thousands
of tons of water rush against the cliff. T/e feel the
ground shake beneath our feet. The frothing spray
shoots high in the air. It is caught by the wind
and soars upon the cliff -d irected updraught. Sometimes
these blobs of froth float hundreds of feet over the
cliffs and are seen upon farm paddocks half a mile away,
i^s one watches in awe, this battle of the elements, this
struggle between the surging sea and the stationary
cliffs, •ne is reminded of that seeming battle of words
said. to be a scientists’ little ooke - the irresistible
force meeting the immovable ob;)ect 1

-U1-

•: Just how could any" lining thing survive in such

a caldron ? Yet we know that when the storm is over
that little, limpet on the rock will 1)e' slid ing along
and going about his business as blithe and happy as
ever! - -That was nothing it seems to say. ■’ I can
cling I — I know a little depression in. the. rock to
which I - return every time I wish to rest, ■' But we
know, too, that not all its kind will* come through
this testing time as care-free as the limpet,. i.s
wh walk along the frothing shore, suddenly, ‘‘ '/hat.;
is this ? ” Ohl V'/hat a violet beauty I Janthina
violacea, 30 m.m. wide and 'complete with the long
trailing bubble-raft of the animal. There’s another,
and another I But this last one is different.

It is Janthina exigua, not so large, but even more
■•'■iolet •chan violacea. These have been cast ashore
from their floating home upon the deep, just as
thousands of Spirula spirula have been driven ashore
after first floa'ting .up when released from the depths.

^-ind we notice too, that comparatively few Of the heavier
shells are thrown up while the storm rages. Rather
'It would seem that they are held back by the -cerrific
under- tow of the huge waves,:.

Now the storm is over* The sea is calm. There
ever about two or .three rows of small crumbling waves
only. It has been calm for days. Now it is so
different, ' 'he"re formerly the storm-waves, had swept
the beach broad and flat, now the scouring eddies ore
working the beach into”holes”. The sand is building
up in one plac’e "^^/hile going down In another, i-.t the
head- of these holes, which may be half a mile or so
apart, and as the tide recedes, we can. see a line of
degris strewn upon the sand,. This is v;here we may find
some interesting shells* Some of these may be alive:
jiustrofusus glans, Zeatrophon amblguus in Its lovely cream
and' pink, dimply shell, “ Zenophall'um pyrdm, j,lcithoe
swainsoni, Hahtra discors, Spisula . aequilateralis,
i'.mphid esma. subtriangulatum, Dental ium nanum, Cirsostrema
zelebori, ' Neobhals scalaris, T.mphidesma australe,

^-Hngulus gaimardi, Dosinia anus‘ and Dosinia subrosea, to
■ mention ..a' few. .

If we walk alo.ng both the low-water and high-water
mark we 'may find quite a variety on this beach. Here
are some species, taken from .the area which ^e' In th^
author' collection; Bassina -yatei,: .Perna canaliculus.
Modiolus neozelanlcus, C.hione stutchburyi, Ostrea sinuata,
i^.nchomasa similis*, Pholadidea spathulata, Lionoplex
australaslae ( broken) Lepsiella scobina, Struthiolaria
papulosa, Scuuus breviculus, Poirieria zelandlca,( 2 alive
after a storm in June) Haurea cunninghami, iiunella
smaragda, Tonna haurakiensis ( broken) Penion ormesi (broken

-42-

i^lcithoe swainsoni raotutarensis, Panope zelandica,
Divaricella huttoniana. isniphid esma ventricosura,

( not plentiful), small), -.ngulus spenseri ( single valves
common, but not alive), Sqlet (Ellina nitida, G-ari lineolata,
Hyridella menziesi ( probably came out of river),

Gffadesma angasi ( usually broken) i^esania lanceolata,
Zenatia acinaces, Myadora striata, .-.mphibola crenata,
I'lelarpaphe cincta, oliveri, Baryspira australis,
Melagraphia aethiops, /.Icithoe eggs attached to
Zenophalium pyrum, to a small Mactra discors, to an
*.ustrofusus glans, to a small Baryspira australis,
to Zethalia zelandica, and to an unidentified shell
something like Zeacumantus lutulentus, but snow-white.

Continuing and taking shells in the collection at random
we find :*Protothaca crassicosta, liaoricolpus roseus, j.‘
Trochus tiaratus# Pecten novaezeland iae, Hotoacmea
pileopsis, Cellana ornate, Gavodiloma coracina, Cellana
radians, Pat©l;loida corticata, iirgobuccinum tumidum,

( not good specimens), Nerita melanotragus> Maurea
punctulata punctulata, Notirus reflexus, Cominella
adspersa melo, Cominella adspefsa adspersa, Zegalerus
tenuis, Pholadidea tridens, Chlamys .zelandiae,

Zeacumantus lutulentus, G-uildingia obtecta, and
Cominella gland If ormis.

i^s we fossick along this beach may find some
interesting pieces of rock that have washed up.

Sometimes these contain many species of shells
cemented together -by sandstone. Or again we may look
up to see a sea-lion, a sea leopard ( very rare) or
just a big glass net-float covered in long'-goode-
barnacles.

The writer has been strdlling along this coast
on and off for the last forty years or more; Wohld
you like to come and walk with me ?

--oOo —

In the ’Pacific Northwest Shell News’ /Vol .

No., an article by Hr. T. Crowley on the strange
freshwater fauna of Central -.frican lakes, made very
interesting reading. /ith due acknowledgement to
the author and Pacific Northwest Shell News, we
include it in this issue of ’Poirieria’

-43-

THE MOLLUSCAN WYSrSRY OF CH'TTRAL .

) . ^ ‘ ^ i \ — iw^l ■ I ll»

: ■• - - T.E. Crowley,

The two, deepest freshwater lakes in the world -
Baikal and Tanganyika - are also the only two lakes
in the world to possess their -own peculiar endemic
faunal assemblages. In very ^ny cases not merely the :
speciesbut the genera are unique,, and the mystery as
to how this came about has occupied scientists for many
years and caused much bitter ..argument.

The strange animals found in these lakes are by no
means restricted to the mollusca: Baikal even has

its own freshwater seal, and Tanganyika boasts
several freshwater crabs, polyps, fish of kinds
unknown elsewhere and the only know'n genus of nonmarine
jellyfish.

The moll uscan fauna of the two lakes is profoundly
different. The gastropods of Baikal^ though unique, are
fairly normal-looking fresh-\vater types, small bfown
and translucent; Valvatas and things looking like
Bithynlas and Planorbids* Many of these found in
Tanganyika on the other hand, are hard, heavy and stony,
especially the prosobranchs. Unless he were
acquainted with the circumstances, even a conchologist
could be forgiven for asserting tham to be marine species.

The first shells to be described from Lake Tanganyika,
were collected in 1 858 by the famous explorer Speke, and
described by SiP*Woodward of the British Museum the
following year* They were mostly bi-valves> but os
more shells came to hdnd and were studied by Bourguignat
in Prance and E.iU Smith in England during the eighties,
it was realised that they represented a most unusual
pattern of ecology, a facies which had sufficient
resemblance to the marine to rule out any likelihood of
coincidence. Bourguignet. gace to the stony shells the
name ’’Thalassoid*' meaning that they had a closb resemblance
to marine types. He claimed, that this growth, habit
resulted from the intense stoimis and high waves to which
the lake was sometimes subject, and to ;the fact thaL its
water w/as brackish, or at least that certain parts of it
were heavily charged with mineral solutions. Burgui^net
saw thac in Tanganyika the \4ctual Centre of Creation
of the x.frican Fauna, while Crosse (1881 ) believed that
the Mollusca were actually marine types which had be-
come modified in same w?ay.

other scientists were quick to point out that most
of the Great Lakes of - frlca-’were subject to storms,
brackish water was common in them, that the waters of
Tanganyika were regularly dr*unk by the natives and
the ^established missions, and that many of the shells,
though unknown elsewhere, were of fragile- freshwater
types, •• ■

' V With the d iscovery . of the medusa in 883, interest
in the origin of the fauha intensified. Von Martens
in 1897 put forward his 'Reliktensee” theory, which
supposed that in ancient times the lake had been an arm
of the sea, cut off by some geological upheaval, and
which then became converted to freshwater so slowly
that many of the , animals were hardy enough to continue
living and adapting themselves to the changed conditions.

J.E.S. Moore led two expeditions to, the lake in the
nineties, especially to study the fauna and explain if he
could, its unique nature. The marine-like shells were
by this time being described by the term * haloliranic'’
inferring their actual derivation from marine species.

Moore strongly supported the ''Relikten-see*' theory, in his
book ’’ The Tanganyika Problem'', 1903* This great lake,
he said, the longest ,in the world, can bq viewed only
as a zoological remains ^of a departed i sea, ; and he pointed
out with some very fine !,illustrat ions the extraordinary
close resemblance between the *' halolimnic” shells and
certain Jurassic marine fossils.

In spite of the painstaking care with whoch Moore
worked out his hypotheses, few of the experts seem to
have been Convinced. Similarity between shells millions
of years and thousands of miles apart, it was pointed out,
is no criterion as to their specific relationship, and
examinations of ~ the~lak-e area. .produced no evidence of past
marine conditions, such as raised beaches, appropriate
fossils, signs of a great geological upheaval etc. In
fact fhe lake was just an extension ■( and the deepest part)
of the so called Great Rift Valley. > Opinion. inclined
once again to the possibility that the shelTs were merely
an .adaption to unusual conditions; at the s^ie time, much
studyf ailed to show in what way conditions were so very
unusual, except of course in the depth of the water (4700 ft)
Germain then pointed' out that most of the unique species
were melanid in character and that other melanid faunas,
not quite so strange but still quite distinctive, occur
in Lake Nyassa and in the streams and pools of the Congoy
in fact that the rather monotonous freshwater fauna of
Africa is sharply interrupted by a band of unusual
assemblages strethhing across the continent. The number
of species involved in this band is considerable - in fact
about a thirtieth of those described from the area by
Bourguignet, Most specialists about this time agreed

-4D-

that the Tanganyika shells had not been derived
from the marine types ( except in early times, like all
other shells), but had slowly assumed a marine appearance
through the course of centuries under suitable conditions;
in fact that they were ’’convergent’’ and not ’’divergent'’;
and that the same sort of thing was happening, though at
an earlier -stage and a slower rate, in other parts of
>ifrica also. But .Y/HY ?

The latest theory, put forv\/ard after intensive study
by Vivian Y'uchs in 193^ also seems the most workman-like and
seems to have found wide acceptance, T'uchs investigated
the history of the lak.e by studying the fossils of the, “

Rift Valley. He found fossil shells in the neighbourhood
of Lakes filbert and Edward which could be reasonably
interpreted as forms ancestral to those now living in
Tanganyika, there was a period of extreme aridity in
Central Africa in mid-pleistocene times and it seems
evident that all the lakes dried right up except Tanganyika;
which is over 2000 feet the deepest. Thus the ancient
lake fauna; killed off everywhere else, would continue,
to live in this lak.e> but would be modified in the salty
concentrated waters and would increasingly take on a marine
appearance* Y/ith the return of damper conditions the other
lakes would receive the modern hilotlc fauna, while
Tanganylka> with a few modern additions# wohld keep
its own*

— oOo —

NEY/ PUBLICATIONS

Just received from the *:cademy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia the first part of Dr. Powell’s
family ’Turridae in the Indo-Pacif ic’ The sub-family
Turrinae. .

This fine painstaking and beautifully illustrated
Monograph is a distinct a^oguleltion to cure Sjeot ion
Library.

— oOo —

I

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lit

i!

“4^t-

"Gi\BESTANA FROM BLUFF"

. cu

Actunl size

Vol.2, Part 3'» December

Cr^LESTi^Nii from DE^ V^TER, off BLUfE
; Foveapx Strait,

Local collectors are inclined to look upon this
genus as b'eing a northern one; however, for the past
few months some interesting shells have been acquired
by our Secretary and others, from a Bluff oyster boat
operating in Foveaux Strait.

Cabestana spcnglerl (Perry) and Gabestana s,
waterhousei, Powell, were present inthis material,

Gabestana spenglerl had previously been obtained
very occasionally from oyster boats by Mrs G., Smith of
Stewart Is, but in the recent catches there are in
excess of 50 specimens all from an, area of approx,
one square mile.

These Bluff "shells' seem to have a rather different
■ appearance frqm the better known Manakau population.

The nodules are suppressed w/hile the axial sculpture
is more prominent and ripple-like; in some specimens.

The vr-rices very large and flat, whe outer lip
being flared in adult specimens, giving the shell a
flattened appearance. ...a.

These shells grow to a very large size, as„in
.one consignment there were four examples of 6| j , 6^”

'6^'^ and Os’. Manakau Harbour specimen of-5’' v;guld
be near to maximum I would think. ,.i.

■Gabestana waterhousei segregata, Powell,

While previously recorded from x-.uckland East Go'^st,
Manakau Harbour and the Ghatham Is. the specimens in
this material provide us with a further rather, unexpected
locality record. : , m

i^ll our northern examples h-^ve been obtained from
low tidal zones inrarcas of rocky shoreline. We do n t
seem to have records of this mollusc having been taken by
local trawlers from deeper water, but : the Bluff Boat has
been operating in 25 faths, and has-.-dredged up a dozen or
more specimens, all in very fine condition, complete
with epidermis and strong h^iry processes.

Mention must bo m'^de of one.specimen of exceptional
size - just on 4 ins., which is -also very much I'^rger than
any we h^.vc had from Horthern areas.

— oOo —

^^ISIT TO STEPHENS 13. & CHETVJQODE I SLkKDS .

0. J.Mrrston,

Most N.Z. ^conchologists ore fnrailiQi’ with the sketch
of stephensis in Dr/Powell's ’'Shells of hew Zenlr.nd”,

but very fev; hove hr.d the opportunity t observe the live
snnils end in their nnturol .. hobitnt too, Per e fortnight
during July - ilugust 1963 I hod the greet privilege of oion-
ing nn officiel working p.prty on those islnnds, with permits
supplied by the Intern r,l ^ffnirs Deportment, .

PRHIGH Pi^S'S. ,

The smell settlement et French Pess is 88" miles by rood
from Picton, vie the 'ojueen Cherlotte Drive, D’Urville Is,
ebout 20 miles in length, forms the northern side of French
Pess. Our leunch trip wes elso ebout 20 miles in e north-
eesterly direction es the Islend lies off the northern tip
ofD’Urvillels,

STEPKIKS ISLi'iND.

Fortunetely for naturalists, the islend is almost
inaccessible to other then- official end expecte-d visitors, and
the islend is quite free of such pests es wild pigs, deer,
oppossums, wild cats and dogs, rets end mice, hedgehogs end
wekes, with the result that flora and fauna survive there.

The cliffs along the western side of the island average at
least 600 feet, end around the rest of the islend they range
from 200-400 feet. Because of the southerly §well we
couldn’t lend on the rocks, so cruised erdund until the
light-house keepers spotted us end came to our assistance.

They lowered slings "from their derricks, ^nd one at e time
we end^ our stores were hauled up about 30 feet to the lending
stage.’ It required good timing to synchronise with the heaving
leunch, end several see-sick travellers were gled to bo on firm
rock again, Froin there there was a haul up to the light-house
compound at 600 feet, but there wes nothing to complain ebout
as the little blue penguins braved the surf, scrambled up the
600 feet, moaned continuously ell night, end trekked down to the
see again just before daybreak.

Stephens Is .is controlled by the Merino Department as e
lighthouse reserve, but now they use only the north east third
for the light, houses end grazing of the keeper’s cows, bull,
sheep. By courtesy of the Marine Depertment the remaining two
thirds is fenced off as a flora end feune sanctuary under the
control of the Wild-Life Branch of Internal affairs Department.
Pert of our 30b wes to check every wire, batten end post to ensur<,
that in the ensuing year there y/.ould be no opportunity for stock
to break through ^into the Roserve,

-49-

Our next ;}oh was to plant 5OO taupata ( Comprosma repens)
trees to help form wind-breaks and link up the existing
patches of ngaio, taupata and poro-poro etOo We weeded
around the plantings of previous years to help the young
trees vi/here the grass is two -co three feet high, and to
discourage the wetas from climbing them and stripping every
leaf* AS I had always been used to finding Rhyt ida in
bushy areas I looked longingly at those areas, but was in for
a great surprise* W'e found live Rhytida stephensis living
around the base of the dense grass almost around the whole
island; the rich soil has never been ploughed, rainfall is
regular, and the grass thrives* The bush areas were shun-
ned by the snails; no live ones Vi/ere taken there, and only
two empty shells turned up after a week of searching under
the trees* My biggest and best shell was found under a
taupata hedge right near the lighthouseo The partly decayed
snail was still in the shell, and must have originally crawl-
ed there from the nearby grass as there were two live young
ones there*

More live Rhytida and four smaller snails were found in the
grass at 900 feet, the highest point on the island, and still
more were found while weeding in the south-east corner. These
areas all have high dense grass*

R* stephensis also proved to be plentiful on the dry ridges
above the cliffs on the southwest side of the island. The
grass growls poorly in the stony soil, and the principal plants
are Muhlenbeckia coraplexa and the native ice-plant Disphyma
australe* The snails were found under large stones, and
especially v;here the stones were piled upon each other in small
consolidated areas* G-eckos and skinks were very common under
the stones too. On 23rd July two Rhytida were found in
copulation, suggesting that the eggs were laid in early spring.

hfter skirting well around the ’’Prog Bank" scree, where
the rare native frogs are found, we came upon a patch of
original bush cover of the island* Long before the island
was gazetted as a flora and fauna sanctuary the rarity and
value of much of the island’s wildlife was recogni ze^, and
this block which had escaped the clearing fires was fenced off,

i he taupata planting around that block is designed to give
cover, and to speed natural regeneration*

I had hoped to find some trace of P. hochstetteri obscura

there, but was unsuccessful. In the 1930 Rec*i^uck.Insto& Mus.
Vol 1, N0.I., Captain J.Bollons is noted as having recorded
P.h.pb^u^ there. Dr. Powell (ibid,po40) states " To the
west of the Pelorus on Stephen Is. and on the range extending
from French Pass to the saddle near Tophouse the sub-species
obscura’ is found, to the exclusion of ’bicolor’*" If
P.h. obscura no longer survives there then it would be an excell-
ent place to reestablish them before they have been exterminated

i

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-50-

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-51-

by pigs, rats and wekas on D’Urville Is., ’and on the
mainland". xilthongh Wainuia nrnnla nasuto are found on
D’Urville Is. too, they do not appear to be on Stephens
Is., although the two islands have obviously been linked
through Cape Stephens and Stephens Passage.

CHETWODE ISLi^NDS .

The Inner and Outer Chetwode Islands are situated in the
open sea just outside the entrance to Pelorus Sound.

Both are now flora and fauna sanctuaries too, but it is
possible to land on them, and there are no notice boards
to warn intending parties against landing. Pigs have
"appeared” on these two sanctuaries, and it is considered
likely that some " sportsmen" are doing that deliberately to
facilitate their pig shooting expeditions. Our local
newspaper has reported this year that the same thing is
happening in Queen Charlotte Sound, and members will be
disappointed to know that Blumine Is. was one of those
listed (the only place where P.h.bicolor is found at
sea level ) . . ■ '

OUTEB CHETWODE.

deputation of six wekas met us on the beagh,, so that
did not augur well for land snails. The island has been
part ially . cleared for sheep farming but groves of Kohekohe
kawakawa, and manuka exist. One living adult specimen of
R. stehpensis was found, and ¥(/e saw a weka eating another
almost beside us. On a scree covering of bracken and
Comprosma lucida I found an empty ;]uventle specimen, and
'"only h ■ f ew feet away from it another Rhytida, apparently
meesoni. We checked thoroughly to see that no pigs were
left to continue breeding.

INNER CHETWODE.

The original bush cover has remained intact, with a dense
canopy overhead. Common trees are matai, kohekohe, nikau
and kawakawa } and on the drier ridge-s manuka and Olearia
paniculata. Our party spent two days combing, the island for
fresh pig higns, so would have noticed any snail too, but
there we no signs of Paryphanta. Wainuia or other species of
Rhytida. This seemed surprising as the channel between the
twomislands is only a matter of a few chains across,
live peripatus was found under a log, and a fev; small snails
at the base of nikau leaves. The two small snials taken
alive on examination prove to be Therasia decidua.

Prom Havelock to the Chetwodes would take a launch at least
four hours each way, so these sanctuaries are safe from day
trippers, but not from longer camping parties. Rhyt id a
stephensis has been reported from a third island nearby, but
I have not yet had the opportunity to visit it for myselfo

ii GQNCHOLQGISTS DRRaM.

A play in two acts. lict 1c.

Act,

Place -A' northern beach.
Place northern horae»

Time - Low spring tide o'

c t . 1c

The first act takes place on a middle northern beach,
where a very rocky area' is exposed by low tides. ^-bowt a
hundred yards apart are two female figures, both busy turn-
ing very large rocks and in the usual position of concholo-
gists heads down and ...coo....

■pirst voice ” Do you want any Mayena australasiae?

Second voice ” Only if it is complete, perfect proto-
conch too.” . • .

first voice ” No, this one can go back,., but ¥/ill look
for another one for you.”

Silence reigns, occasionally broken by the splash of
rocks being retu.rned into position.

>ibout an houj* , later :- 1st Voice ” I’ve got a beauty
for you, spire is perfect right to the last whorl, but ,”
pause ” It's got a funny yellow lip. Never mind, I will puL
it in the bag and give, it to you later”.

Act . 2c.

Another long hunt and both figures return to the car,
have tea and wend their wa^y home, j-ifter dinner, a post mortem
is held and numerous small species discussed'. Supper served
First voice ” Oh’ your Mayena. Here it is”.

Vifith a horrified gasp, 2nd voice ” But... but... that’s
not a Mayena, that’s a perfect i.ustrosassia parkinsonial I” .

Enter male \/hat’s this? an xustrosassia, that’s notl
It' s far too big, we have one in the collection”. Rushes
for tray and brings in' a poor eroded beachworn specimen
with only half a spire, ”See here it is”. Lip compared,
could be? Out comes the conchologists bible Dr, Powell’s
Seashells of N.Zo Illustration compared and sise noted,

36 m.m, X 21 .-5 m.m. ”'what’s the size of' this new specimen?”

Out come the calipers Vi'hat ? I4O rn.m.' X . 27 m.m. alive

and perfect. ■ ^

Curtain goes down with 1st voice exclaiming
” Vi'ell, I don’t think I can give your Mayena to you now”.

" — 0O0--

-53“

ODBS ..ND MP3.

Phil Warren*;.

I’ve just been reading through my notes on Littorinidae
in the last ’’Potrierio” . In passing I remarked that there
is a big field of research awaiting attention among these
shells; since last year when the article was written -
quite a bit of investigation has been done on. Zelaxitas by
Winston Ponder who has found that they are not Littorinids
at all; they belong in the Rissoidae, though just where
has not yet been determined. Just one more example of the
moss of work waiting to be done on such groupsi

Further to my finding Rhytida dunniae and other native
snails among the victims after using “’Blitzem" pellets in
the gardenl I dropped a few pellets in one or two places
in the bush not far from here without much result. Two or
three Phrixgnathus, a Thalassohelix zelandiae, one
Liarea ornata and 5 Oxychilus celloria I ( the latter an
introduced snail). The long dry sunimer could have had some
effect on such a poor bag but now that the drought has broken I
am going to try a patch of bush down the road where Liarea and
Ptychodon tau are often abundant, and see what turns up there*

iignewia tritoniformis.

The range of this rather rare member of the Thaisidae
is now increased. Some time ago a good specimen was
discovered at Tolaga.Bay, prior to this it was not known
beyond East Cape* This specimen is now in the possession
of Winston Ponder. Five years ago I found one fragment
in' shell sand at Goat Island Beach, a year later 2 empty
shells ( one adult, one juvenile) were found in the same
place, namely at the northern end of the beach among the
large boulders where washups are common* Last year we
discovered 3 live specimens, 2 adults and one half grown,
under rocks in a channel below the cliffs on the way round from
from where the Field Station is towards Cape Rodney.

Last Easter a group of students came up f^r field studies
with Professor Morton and Dr. Gilpin-Brown. “They had a most
interesting series of aquarium tanks in use at the Field
Station with a fine array of Zoology specimens as well as
algae. Many active molluscs including one angry octopus,
some Scutus, Limpets, Cominellas and so on, but in part-
icular the Nudibranchs were well worth seeing. It’s only
since the University come up here that I realised we had so
many species of Nudibranchs in this area*

I was invited to accompany them over to Pakiri Beach
which was unfortunately devoid of shells as is so often the
case these days. The river has cut a nev; course and now

runs furtih,©]? north, thon befors^ but it's much ©nstcr to
cross then it used to be. Professor Morton gav© us an
extr©m©ai^7inter©sting series ©n insight into the botani-
cal features of the sand dunes. There are a lot of
plants there when one has them pointed out. There were
masses of dead Helix aspersa which had been trapped in the
dr7 sand after the adult lupins had died, down in the •
summer, Paralaoma and Elasmias still thrive in the
middle dunes under a covering of Muhlenbechia and
Tetragoniat.

— oOo — .

POSSICKING ..ROUND T^ EL-.ST Ci^PE.

. • Norman Douglas*

It was during the May holidays, i 96U, ■ Heathe.r and
Murray were home from. College, most ''of the cows were , out.

The weather v;as fine and it. seemed a good time to examine
further-shores, so out came the c.oncfio legists low tidal
chart. Times and dates were studied and plans drawn up
for a t.en day break-away from work. Perhaps we' worked
harder than ever I in any case, in company with the
Boase family, our little cavalcade of cars and trailers
arrived at Mt, Maunganui jjust in time for the mid-day
low-water of May 1N th. This is a very interesting area
for the sheller. Under the Pilot Wharf there v;ere over
tv^enty Xenophora neozelan ica alive. Some with live specimens
of Terebratello haurakiensis attached' to their bocks. There
was also a live Murexsul ctvierensis,* 72 m.m. long and many
Pen ion adusta mandarinoides crawling over the rocks «

Other shells found in the vicinity were :- Phenatoma novaezel
novaezeland iae ( a few); Cominella vira;ata virgata were
abundant and o.f large size. There were a few Very fine
specimens of Paratrophon stangeri at lov? water in muddy
sandc Gari stangeri, in .many fine specimens of multi-
hue were found at the entrance of octopus hideouts in
the channel near the beacon , ..mongst the rocks there, too,
Cookia sulcata v;as commonly seen alive and, of course, the usu
usual multitude of pipis, carpeted t,he beacho

Next day, v/hile passing along the Boy of Plehty
w'e paused at O^ope Beach, but found very little there.

Perhaps the most noteworthy shells were the toheroas, but
none I sow reached 3" in length, ..t nightfall we camped
on the shore of V/aihau Boy, beside a Pohutukowa tree vi/ith
a branch spread of forty yards, V/e visited Mrs halker
and sow her splendid collection of New Zealand and
.i.ustrolian shells. We were directed also to a place,
where next day, we ’vvere thrilled to find ten specimens
of Ellatrivia memorata. These v;ere found in the 'shell

deposits near high water mark and -at the high woter end of
shallow channels in the rocks leading out to sea, Charonia
capex and Charonia rubicunda are occasionally found alive
in this area and their weather beaten shells were seen
upon the beach* Live specimens of Mayen a australasiae
and Murexsul octo-gonus were seen among the low~water rocks
and the pink form of 5l o t o c o rbu 1 a zeland ica ?/ere common in
the sando To name all "the shells we saw there would nearly
fill a page, i^ltbgether we were loath to leave this
lovely bay=

^bout thirty miles further on, at Te ^’.roroa, one capps
within striking distance of the East Cape area v;hich was f^ll
of interest for us all^ The slate-grey towering cliffs
were dotted with white fossil shells, some of large size,
like the i.rca shells of warmer seas. One of these appeared
to be Cucullaea wglhaoOTsj.s^ The high water shells deposits
at points along the road that leads to the Cape, are filled
with minute shells as well., as larger types, I found another
Ella trivia memorat a and there were a few beachvi/orn Vicimi tra
maoria on the sand. The beautiful golden limpet, Cell an a
rad ians f lava * was abundant, living on the tidal limestone
rockso They wear out little depressions in the soft rock, in
which they 'rest while the tide is out. Because the golden
limpet appears to live on the so-ft limestone only, this seems
to cause a sharp division in the limpet species according to
the rock type of an areac Cellana ornata and especially
Cellana denticulata* obvi.ously preferred the harder, rougher
rocks and shunned the soft smooth, mudstone localities. One
of the golden limpets we saw was carrying a Eotoacmea helmsi
helmsi upon its backc

^is the road does n.o.t. reach the East Cape, we walked
along the beach a mile or two, to where this headland and
island could be seen. The beach was strewn v\/ith huge
beachworn Cookia sulcata and paua shells, and dead n rgo-
buccinum tumid urn were common on the midlittoral zonen Under
rocks at low water hundreds of Buccinulum colensoi are to be
found. By far the most common form of these is a grey one,
having- nine deep lines around the body whorl. It has axial
dark markings betw'een nodules and reaches about 18 mcm. in
length. But the large;? type, 25 m<,mc. of greyish-yellow
and having about' 18 or 19 fine lines is present there and it
is conspicuous by its contrasto ^jIso, - among the lov»/ tidal
rocks, crabs v;ere seen using the shells of the deep v^/ater
Bucc inulum f u s c o n zo n a t um . .-ibout half a dozen of these were
found.

Undoubtedly the most interesting discovery we mads
near the 0ape was the finding of a variety of Cominella,
which proved, to b-e unknown to Dr, Pcv;ell» These shells are
almost identical in shape to Cominella nassoid es, of the
Forsterian Zone ( even having the same number of axially
elongated nodules on the body whorl) but they are heavily

granulated and finely spotted in da-ek brown all over a
creamy-yellow base colour, i-sll the specimens
found were dead shells and they were being used by the
hermit crabs of rock pools at low water, '"in all, -
a total of ten specimens were found, the largest being
a very handsome one of eight whorls, 33 m.m, X 18 m.m.

Travelling down the coast, we stayed a night 'at
Tokomaru Bay. The cliffs in the north are fossllif erous
and beaneath the rocky headland, just north of the wharf,
and at lo\7 tide, a fine clean white specimen of Bu c c i nu lum
suff latum was found alive in a rock crevice,

ht Gisborne, about half a mile east of the Cook
Memorial and in sight of the historically famous white
cliffs of Nick’s Head, there is a most interesting low
water rock shelf. Here we found Penion adusta adusta
were abundant in the long, shallow rock crevices,
hlso, Buccinulum colensol were again plentiful, but quite
differently coloured to those of the East Cape. V;^hile
the latter are mainly pale grey, thin lined in black,
the Gisborne variety are mainly very dork - dark brown
to nearly almost navy blue all over. However these dark
types appear to intergrade completely with a spirally
broad striped kind, strongly reminiscent of Buccinulum
vi ttatum vi ttatum. The Gisborne Buccinulum colensol
apppar to be all nine-liners, with the lines broader
than those at East Cape, The larger pale liners appear
to be absent.

Then, as if to prove that all need not be different
at Gisborne, some hermit crabs were seen, scuttling along in
the new variety of Cominella shells vi/hich we had found
firstly at East Cape, It was interesting to notice too,
that these shells were quite indistinguishable from the
East Cape specimens. We can deduct, therefore, with
almost certainty, that this odd apparently new Cominella
is distributed over at least eighty miles of the coast line.

In retrospective thought, I think one of the most
interesting features we noted at Gisborne, is the great
number of wekas thriving in the surrounding districts.

In some areas they are so munerous that they become a p©et
to the faa^migr and hd’ives” are occasionally made upon them
to reduce their numbers.

Our homeward journey took us through many miles of the
magnificient Urewera bush, but we could find no large land
snails there« Even the man shovelling the roadside water-
tables knew of none. The minute bush snails seemed very scare
also. However we did find Therasia traversi. alive on a tree
at Wa ika remoan a .

Now'll home again on our V.’ciuku form, we think of the^many
beautiful boys of the East Coast tha'G we had no time to visit
and wonder how many new species maybe lurking there.

..57-

j

,of an EQCLOGY L~^OTin:s'
given by V'/c Pond er ^ - 1 6/U/ 6k per

The Sandy & iinddy Shore -

Sand coarseness., wave
characteristics of the habit-atc.

§Lh?J^f

while h sub trio’'; vvlatrni
ventricosrirn. inha.-itc ocea
adapted to lia"e in their
siphon of

in r ns table conditions..

a^.e in confined to sVieltcred beaches
is fornd on more open shoreso Ao
n b caches r. All ar.o especially

own pa*:*'.. icalar .environment « . The
ivn is strong' and stojtj for living
Aoaust'^aie - sinhon snail, ,

L U

Mud dm bo.ach e<

Fbvicl:.

animals,

Growl i.ng Ga_s t;.*_onp.d s ;

Has a great variety o.

On the high, tide
One V a r i e s y „ Ophicarde 1 u s

level several puimonntes are found,,
costellcrls cra’wls on the stems of the mangrove^ These
molluscs breath air and are bclieo’cd to have developed in
mangrove swamps-

;hc

j^mphibola crenata is found slightly lower down the
tide line and is also a pulmonateo Amphi'oola belongs to the only
pulmonate family that h^s an operculuru

Tn mid-tfdal regions lives ^.nqucmanJ,iJ3,n, This mollus
is a micro-herbivor and leaves a long faetal” trail behind it
moves o

a o

-58-

Cominellr. p;l:ind If o mis also 3.ives in this zonoo It has
a long siphon, n large foot and long tentacles t’ith eyes at
the basco current of water is deflected into the mantle

cavity onto the osphradiurn. It detects dead and dying cockles
by this methods It can be noticed that these molluscs gather
very quickly around the dying cockle showing that their detect-
ion sense is very sensitives

Zediloma subrostrata lives on stones slightly lower down,
iimong the Zostera ct low tide level of the mud-flat, Pec tens
can be founds They have evolved into a swimming animal and
use their siphon and velum for this. The velum acts so as
to deflect the water downwards giving both upward and forward
thrust, and also steers the animal which can m.ove both
backwards and forward So

Bullomorphs such as Haminoea live in this zonco It is a
deposit feeder and lives at the surface of the mud, the mus-
cular gizzard being used to crush the food. It is a blind
animalo

Quibulla quoyi moves over the surface and strains mud for
its food. This animal has eyes and its parapodia are not
well developed, ..Iso in this region lives the more highly
developed Philine. It has a str ong gizzard and burrows under
the surface of the .mud to feed on small bivalves - e.g. pipi-
juveniles.

i^nother Opistobranch, Bursatella ( ITotarchus) glauca
FEEDS ON THE Zostera. It has only a small mantle cavity and
no eyes to speak of. The trend in Opistobranch evolution
seems to be the reduction anf finally the loss of the mantle
cavity. Doxlds have not a mantle cavity,

elongated form of the small limpet Notoacmiea helms i
lives on the Zosters grass, but the more typical form of this
species lives under stones,

Micrelenchus huttoni also feeds and lives on P.ostera, Occ-
asionally Lunella smaragda can be found there tooo

iimong the bivalves of the luddy beach, Solemya parkinsoni
can be found buried in the Zostera zone. This primative
bivalve has a horny epidermis and ffeeds by pumping food into
its mantle cavity with a pumping foot. Its gut is smallo

A very common inhabitant of the muddy shore is Chione,
the cockle. It has a muscular foot, h variety of animals
live on the protuding part of the shell. For example, a barn-
acle, a sea-anemone and algae are commonly found on the shells
of Chione,

Macomona liliana lives deeply buried in the mud. This
animal has long separate siphons. It does not take in

sorting devices.

i\nother biValve is Hncnlao This animal is primative
and has only a small gill vhich is nsed exclusively for
respiration^ The proboscis is used for feedings It is a
deposit feeder,

G vclomactra ovata is a suspension feeder. It has a long
powerful footc The long siphon takes in planktonic foodo
Dosinia subrosea has long semi-fused siphons and has filamentous
projections around the mantle edge.

There is on interesting example of commensalism found on the
muddy shore, Scint illomr, zeland icus lives on a sea oucumber.
Scintillomo' is.:.never found’ without' its sea cucumber. There is
a similar example with i.nchomasa , the large rock borer. On the
shell ?;here the two valves join in front many little bivalves

the inhalent siphon is used
the surface layer

’’vacuums”

ov'^n

suspended food materials, but
like a vacuum cleaner. It

of the mud.. The mantle cavity has vei^ymeffiiCLient

uSO-j .m,. :^ij ona -

_.ijOorio-n . (ao
■o

'i 0 1 i ri 0 onri

our-

fiponpon r/o 1

k

-60-

■arthri tica may liveo . ' . .

In the zone below low water to about 6 ‘feet deep, many
of the larger gastropods are found o Barypsira lives here as
well as further up the tide lineo It has a long s|:phon and on
operculum which 'is unusual for animals in this group. It
crawls in the mud leaving a trail and feeds on small bivalves
- ITucula and spat Ghione. .-ilcithoe has a massive foot
and uses it in feeding to smother animals, V/hen they are
dead, it sucks the animal juices out with its proboscis.

The ciliary feeder Struthiolaria and bivalves which get their
food in the same way build a tube of mud from the edge of
the lip to the surface^>

Struthiolaria has a long powerful tubular foot,. It uses the
spine on the operculum to grip the substratum so that the
foot can be contracted luicly, thus flipping the animal right
way up. The same ;thing is found in tropical Strombus and
Xenophora. See illustration No. 2,

^ <

Each animal has its own feeding type - its own niche.

Take a hypothetical stone - say, at Leighc , Under it can be
found many types of animals, starting with- the ciliary feeders,
we have such bivalves, as Chlamys zelahdioe. Chlamys is attach
ed by a byssus but it can retract this and swim -just like tts
relative, the Pecten, Primitively, the byssus emerged from
the middle of the shell, as is still found in Rochef ortula
remifprmiso ■

G-astropod ciliary feeders- are, for. example, ; Siliquaria.
Sigapatella and Maoricrypta . .Siliquaria has an operculum witt
bristles, Cirolobis feeds by a mucus stream. It uses its
large gills like Struthiolarioc

-61-

Carn Ivors

Wo, No. 4*

iiustromitra feeds on simple ascidians. Tugali feeds
on sponges. The alimentary canal 03? Tngali has zo be able to
accomodate the calcareous spicules from the sponge. The
Opistobranch, Pleurobranchia, feeds on polyzoans and compound
ascidianse

Kyd*roid feeders such as certain Opistobranchs pass the
stinging cells ( Nemocysts-| of the hydroid, through, the gut to
the tips of the lobes. Here they function as a weapon just os
they do on tho hydroid,

Buccinulum feeds on polyzoans as do certaib Doxids (
Opistobranchs), i-\rchidoris \7ellingt0nensis feeds on sponges,
Taron dubius feeds on polycHaetes, -mong the gastropods
are some Ectoparasites such as minute Chemnit zia. It has a
very long thin proboscis with which it pierces the tentacles
of the polychaet without the host suspecting anything. It
sucks the body juices from the tentacles.

The lobes are unequal because of unequal development.
Is developing towards an equal condition ns is seen in Pectens®

-62-

\

il

The History of the bV'ssus - • ' - ■■ ■

In Eochefortulo reniformis the byssus
is in the centre of the shell.

No, 6.

//O^S 1^0^^

p'^e(<e6v| ^

In the mussel it lies to one end lecving the ’business’ end of
the nnimol free. This is useful in the economy of spcce on
the shore.

n^Lxd

There hns also been a reduction of the anterior end as is seen
in iHrina.

oOo —

NOTES OP PTTEREST.

N. Gardner,

J\ g;n ew i a tri-coniformls

While numbers of this mollusc have
been collected at Whangaparaoa during our various field
days, no other record closer to riuckland has hitherto
been known . Just recently a fine and very large shell
was collected at Beachlands,

— oOo —

Introduced Land Snails : -

Miss B. Elliot has a number of the
introduced Vallonia excentrica (Sterki) from river beach
drift at East Takaka.

— oOo —

During Toheroa survey' opera t ions on Ninety-Mile Beach,
Mr. E. Willis did some collecting at Manganui Bluff. Perhaps
one of his most interesting finds was a squat form of Comen-
ella virgata - low spired and tumid,

— oOo —

Prom Mrs Giffney

"The fishermen brought in to me some time
ago a piece of spongy stuff which I think might be Siliquaria
mooria. I managed to get some whole ones out, but most were
badly damaged. It comes from deep water well outside the

Parewell Spit ” ( Yes, this was the more rare grow’th. *

This shell was illustrated in a previous ' Poirieria ’ , ) ,

Prom Mrs. R, Mathews of Opua

I have been discovering

that fish gut produces some species of rarer shells. By this
means she has secured quite a number of the nice bivalve,
Scalpomactra scaj)pellum. The late Mrr G.Vi/illiams of
Tauranga used this method to good advantage and secured
a large list of species, among them .quite a number of new
ones. The fish he considered worth while were Terekihi and
Porae.

— oOo —

The Drawings in this issue of Poirieria were all
drawn by Mr. Norm Gardner.

— oOo —

~65-

Vol*2e Part 4* ■ February 1965-

LORD HOWE • ISLE OP PALMS,

Laurie Price.

Lord Howe Island is situated some 420 miles to the
north-east of Sydney^, and is administered as a part
of New South Wales, Australia, It is a small
crescent-shaped island, roughly 7 miles long by half
a mile wide, the southern end consisting of two solid
mountains, Mt.Lidgbird, 2904’ and Mt, Gower, 2840*.

Most of the lo'wlands are covered with dense palm groves
while the higher ground carries thick evergreen forest.

In ages past, the island vi/as possibly connected with
New Zealand and several other groups to the north-east.
This is indicated, not only by the presence of ,the large
land snail, Placostylus, but by the striking similarity
of some species of birds and plant-life. However,

Lord Howe is chiefly noted for having the world's ^
southern-most coral reefo,*.., an out-lying part of the
Great Barrier Reef of Queensland,

Formerly, the residents' main occupation was the
world-wide sale of palm seeds, from the four endemic
species. Today tourists are the mainstay of the nine
guest houses on the islands impart from an occasional
cargo ship, all freight and passengers to and fro are
handled by a twice weekly flying-boat, based at Sydney,

For such a small island, Lord Howe has a very rich
land snail fauna, ranging in size from the large
Placostylus, to the minute forms of Paralaoma, and
numbering at least 75 species. Quite a few collections
have been made in the past, the most up-to-date account
of the specimens being given in ” The Land Mollusca of
Lord Ho?;e Island'' , issued in 1944? by Mr=, Tom Iredale of
the Australian Museum.

During 1963? I was fortunate in obtaining a grant for
the purpose of travelling to the island, and making an
extensive collection of the small land snails for the
Chicago Natural History Museum. The specimens were to
be gathered alive, wherever possible, and preserved in
alcohol. Thence they were to be despatched to Dr.Solem
of Chicago, who is currently working on the ” Endodontids"
of the Pacific region.

-66-

Thus, early in September, 1963, saw me ' stepping
ashore on this lovely island, where I was soon
installed in the nearest guest house ’’Ocean View”.

So keen was I to get going, ' 'that, after a fast
change, I took a stroll down the lane and dived
into a palm grove for a quick look . Next
morning I hired a bicycle from the guest house and
was away pedalling furiously,, During the

next few weeks I was a familiar sight on the island
roads and tracks, and was sometimes mistaken for
one of the locals, by newly arrived tourists.

i^t this time of the year the weather is cool and
showery, providing excellent ground- conditions for
picking up small snails. The most prolific spots
for them is under dead wood and stones, but aft.er
heavy rain, dozens of the specimens can be seen,
crawling around on the underside of fallen palm
and pandanus leaves. hmong the small t5h>es of snails
the most abundant are the many varieties of Diplommatini-

dae tiny, sinistral, Pupoid-^shaped shells.

These are found everywhere, from near sea 'level to the
tops of the mountains-. Also plentiful are several
species each of the operculate Pealii(3ae; the thin,
glassy Nitoridaej andthe slug-like Heliparionidaeo

Mts.Lidgbird and Gower, ever dominant on the
island scene, are two great blocks .of volcanic basalt,
connected by a 1000’ saddle. Their tops are often wreathed
in cloud, thus prod-id ing abundant moisture, and their
higher slopes are covered with a thick growth of palms,
stunted trees, ferns and mossc This is the favourite
haunt of the Gharopidae and it’s allies. I spent a
good deal of time scrambling around these mountain slopes,
in company with a motley collect ion of wild , -goats, . Due
to a series of vertical rock faces, I d idh’t quite make
the summit of Mt .Lidgbird , However MtcGower is slightly
easier, and I vws able to make a good search of the
plateau on top.

Scattered plentifully over the lowlands are bleached
remains of Placostylus. In ma'ny areas, these are
constantly being buried and exposed again, by mutton-birds
burrowing in the sandy soil. I found a. single recently-
dead specimen, but though I kept a sharp lookout, not one
living shell could be seen. Rats arr.iyed ashorq from one
of the early shipwrecks, became vi/idespread, and today are
probably the cause of the near extinction of those fine
shells.

-67-

The endemic marine species include one limpet,
several Siph<5narias, a Haliotis, and several bivalves.
Most of the remaining seashells are similar to
species found,,. on the Great Barrier Reef and
adjacent seas. ' ■ '

^Altogether I spent five weeks on Lord Howe,
and although it was one of the most strenuous
collecting trips in my experience I simply did.
not wish to leave. So friendly were the people,
so pleasant and peaceful was the island, that I
would have been happy to stay on indefinitely •

However, on October 19th, I boarded the flying
boat and said farewell to this Pacific gem.

oOo —

HERE i^ND THERE.

Tourists sightseeing at the Lighthouse at Gape
Reinga in the Par Korth, can purchase a souvenir
for the occasion - specimens of Placostylus
ambagiosus priscus which have been collected from
the sand dunes at Gape Maria, sweral miles away.

These shells are suitably franked with a rubber
stamp and sell at 5/- each, or if you prefer un-
stamped specimens - 1/6 each.

With a supply of hundredd; upon hundreds of
these subrecent snaill , shells available for the
picking up, this should be a very profitable
enterprise! I

— oOo-- .

Prom MrscMitchener, Great Barrier,

"Shelling has been very much at
a standstill, very few opportunities for beachcombing
and a great paucity of material on our local beaches.

The only- find was an excellent specimen of Gabestana
waterhousel - my first and the only one found so far-
by local collectors".

— oOo —

To Dr. Powell's list of records for the N.S.W.Gassid
Xenogalea thomsoni , ( in his recent paper mentioned

under new Publications) we can report the finding of a
further example during the Xmas holiday. This is a
small, thick heavy specimen which was washed up at

-68-

Great Exhibition Bay and is now in the collection
of Warren Jnddo

—oOo —

Mr. J. Walker, looking through washed up shells near
high tide mark at Cape’ Maria recently^ asked Is this
one any good ?" i\nd what was it ? only a
beautiful, large Mammilla simiae!

— 60o—

Also picked up at this spot ( by the writer'.) was
a Globisinum drewl. rather a rarity as a washup.

Several others have been collected from this beach in
the past. . •

- --oOo"-

Miss J. Coles collected a very nice Cabestana
waterhousel at Vi/eymouth -on ■ the- Manakau Harbour,

— oOo —

Mr.K.Hipkins, who holidayed at Whangaroa again,
secured a further fine lot of Pteronotus eos from
intertidal rocks, but was not able to do any
dredging this time^

— oOo' —

Exomilopsis 'hlpkinsi Powell ■ . h..-.

Already a further specimen of this recently
described shell has turned up - this in the Turner
collection - from shell sand at Cape. Maria. This
specimen is a 9 mm In length and is the third known
specimen-

— oOc —

Speaking of Mammilla sim.iae. more specimens seem
to be turning up these days. Besides Mr,?/alker’s
find we know of three or four other examples found
about the sarnie time - one from Great Exhibition Bay,
one from Merita, Doubtless Day and another from
the coast opposite Cavalli Islandso

— oOo —

The cutting and running off of thr stencils for .all
issues of "Poirieria’’ to date have been done by Mrs
Seager - quite apart from her other Club activities.

The Editors would like to record their appreciation of
this willing assistance. It has taken a lot of her spare
timev , We were floored recently, however, -for on handing
her a' sizable bundle of articles for one issue and thinking
'That will keep her busy for three months' we were immediate-
lyasked ' how soon could she have the next one I ■-

Incidentally Mrs Seager has again helped us Y'/i'th this

;j;: . REEF POINT, .AHIPi^RA ,

Nom.Gai^ner.

Although Reef Point is somewhat, off the beaten
track it is quite Vi/ell known to conchologists as a
place where our small very local Ellatrlvla memorata
washes up fairly frequently'c

To reach this ^ shell beach’ as it is called
entails a walk of some five or six miles along a
shore line of low rocky reef, interspaced with
small stretches of loose sand and shingle. It is
an area well known 'to the local' Maoris as being rich
in sea-eggs and paua, and they often go after
these prized foods; sp, if you happen to be
tramping in the right direction at the right time,
you'll be offered a lift in the ’bomb' of one of
these carefree parties - as we were^-

*»

Our conveyance in this instance was a light
truck of almost vintage, model, and the experience
of bumping over the ridges of rock, zigaagging
across the areas of loose sand in low gear - motor
■ revving at absolute maxo, was really , something I

: Our burly driver volunteered the information ,

that it was somwwaht hard on the clutch - rather
an understatement, we felt I

• Our benefactors eventually, stopped at their

favourite hunting area and gave us full directions
for getting to the shell beach which was about i
mile p^st the limit f or - vehiclesi*

The beach is at the head of a ‘Bight’ in the
large area of reef, which makes a very effective trap
for shells and general debris. This piles ‘Sp
several feet high, but os is usual ^in such situations
t’he. shells are rather wornc . * . /j .

. /although we were prim.arily interested in securing

a supply of shell, sand .from which to sort out micro-
scopic specimens, we oi'd spend an. hour or so looking
for larger shells and the results showed that this is
-• .an area of considerable promt se^ For our short period
of beach combing v/e hod amongst other things, 9
Ellatrivia memorata , 3 Vic imitra moor la, 4 Phillipla

lutea, 2 Maori crypt a youngl, 3 Zeacolpus ahlparanus.

-70-

2 Pervlcacla flexicostata,. 3 P-upa alba, and
numerous very large Tugali s.bascauda.

Perhaps the, most interesting find was Paratrophon
cheesmanl which is quite common there. Previously,
we had seen specimens only from the /luckland Vi/est
Coast as far north os Muriwai.

. It is certainly a place worth some intensive
collecting plenty of rock pools and Interesting.
ledges, exposed at low tide. .

— oOo —

SHELLS SELL WEIRDLY ^ STOi . i -

( A newspaper cutting which wasi
handed in recently). . , -i

Not only unsuspecting tourists are sometimes
paying exorbitant prices for local sea shells at Suva.

Local shell collectors have to pay almost as
much to complete or add to their collections.

•I A trip round the Suva Market, yesterday reveal-
ed the top rpice, for a pair of whelks - one with a
right-hand aperture and the other with a left aperture,
a s £30 •

Though such a set is not common, the price was
far in excess of their value, a shell collector said.

. Top pri^e for a single shell, a rare 5" long
auratus cone of a pale red-brown shade v^as £25.

But it is not the prices of rare shells that
ore causing concern. Some of the , commonest shells on
the beaches, reef.s and Islands near Suva, are: fetching
as much-as£i/lO/-; 'With a little time and effort any
amatunr collector could find many of them for himself.

The commonest variety of cowrie, the tiger, was
fetching 5:1/5/- at some, stalls, while other stalls were
selling them for 2/- each.

A Fiji Times.^ reporter who wanted a deer cowrie
after lopking at some priced at £l/5/~ eventually cffound
the some_ shell for l/6 on another . .stall.

-71-

3ome stalltioLteers were selling damaged or imperfect
shells, which are useless to the collector for prices
between 25/- and. X2/-/-, '•

A map cowrie which was damaged and worthless, was
priced at 25/-.

^ TEREX PRICES.

shell of a poisonous fish, a 5” long Geography
cone, which is a deep purple colour was selling at I/IO/-
at one stall, i4/6 at another, and 7/6 at a third.

Tiny shells,' no Ihrger than a finger nailj such as
cribraria cowrie, were selling at I/5/- end 1/10/-
yet a shell expert managed to get one for 11/6 ataanother
stall yesterday,

A s trombus priced at I/5/- was shown to the reporter
the stallholder explaining that it was a real bargain,
because he had sold orte during the Pacific Games for
£7/10/“. A dark aulicus cone on his stall wqs sold .for
£7/10/-,

Textile cones, which are marked with small tent-like
triangles and are poisonous, are common in Fiji waters,
yet they are fetching £2/1 o/- at some stalls,

A small tesselate cone fetched 2/10/- and a top cone
was £4/-/-,

Prices for the spider and scorpion conch shells
varied from 5/”/~and £2/l0/-»- for perfectly formed
specimens to 1/- for immature or chipped shells at.
other stalls.

An ornage mouthed spider was 2/l0/- at one stall, but
a Pi;jiian stallholder, included one free - he admitted
it wears' immaisu re - with a parcel of shells for 5/6., ,

The larger^ -more common eonch, or triton, often used
for making lamps, was a much as £4.or £5* '■ -

They can be found quite easily along many parts of
the reef, _ . * . - • .

, A giant tun shell was £3/10/- - a partridge tun'-B/O,
and fig shell £1 at several stalls, but a partridge tun
was ; eventually purchased from another stall for, 1/6,

A to‘)na sulcosa at £5 made a shell collector shudder.
The price was ’’Par too high” she said.

Spiny murex shells are being offered for I/IO/- at some
stalls and 5/“ on others.

72

An Interesting looking smootti purple sh'ell, - like''
a cowry, is on sale at most stall’s 'for anything between '
5/- and 10/-, .,..

It is one of the commonest of Fiji shells. The I
top .layer has been burnt off with acid, leaving a
purple surface. Some stallholders are sellingvat as
a ” bargain shell, very rare in F'iji‘7

There is no uniformity of price.

A stall may have prides 50^ cheaper than a stall
3 feet away, but tourists and even loocal people have
no way ,of knovnng thisc . ^ .

\ • ' *. • . i. .

Though some stallholders are conniosseurs of
shells they often overcharge the unsuspecting. "

■ On the other hand, many F'i^jian Stallholders who
knovi/ nothing about the relative values of certain
shellsj are selling shells at mubh below their true
value, ■'

This enables the shell collector, with a llttl'e
hunting to get excellent valuer

— oOo —
PUBLICATIONS .

Records of Auck»Mus'eum» Vol.6. No.1. ( Dec, 1964)
contains a further paper by. Dr, Powell entitled ’’New
Zealand Molluscan Syatematics with Descriptions of ' -
New Species, Part4»”

Abstract ” In this part, two new Species
of N.^. mollusca are described - MaUrea turn era rum '
and Exomilopsis hipkinsi, the latter as type for a new
genus. ;Twq-,. other species, Limulatys religuus Iredale,
1936, and Xenophaliuni' (XenogaleaT thomsonl (Brazier,1 875)
make new records for the N.Z. fauna.

Still another record of an ei:otic species, Temp eta sus
liberatus (Pease, 1 863) requires confirmation before an
admittance as a true, member of the fauna. The remained of
the paper' deals with other records of exotic species,
moat Without, legitimate' claim for inclusion in the- N.Z.
fauna, and finally two items concerning rectifications
of nomenclature,”. :

— oOo —

Eggs from paper nautilus shells collected
more than three weeks ago by Tauranga big, game launch
skipper Mr,R.3.G-ray, have produced tiny nautilus fry.

The discovery was made yesterday by Mr.G-ray
when he . noticed a sump hole on his property where water
used for cleaning the inside of the nautilus shells had
been thrown - was teeming with tiny nautilus. He
immediately contacted Mr.K. Fraser, District Inspector
of Fisheries.

Samples of the nautilus fry will be sent
to Professor J. Morton of Fuckland University, one of
New Zealand's leading zoologists.

V\fhen informed of the discovery by Mr. Fraser
yesterday, Professor Morton showed im.nediate interest
and requested that efforts be made to keep the nautilus .
alive.

exnlgined that, when sh,e w, as cleaning
m inside uhe shells, she had Tshrov;:'

in the sump to avoid blocking household

T - G" - — _

the eggs' and sand" from" in sid'e the”shells, Hhe had thrown
the dirty ‘water
drains.

" 0?he eggs were quite small and dry and
appeared quite lifeless’* she said.

Now nearly a moth later, thousands of the
eggs have hatched. They have lived during that time
in an open sump, in water far less salty than the sea,
and without any apparent source of food.

-74,- ■

The nautilus range in length from about
1/16 inch to about one inch and ore almost trans-
parent. They have featureless elongated ' bod ies
and a relatively long thin tailo Under a
magnifying glass they appear to propel them-
selves by pumping v;ater through their bodie's in
the fashion of squido

The nautr.lus is a member of the squid .
family and the female develops ..a delicate embossed
shell which is highly prized by collectors through
out the world.

The species is peculiar to Ne\/ Zealand
and has been found., only at Mayor Island, Great
Barrier Island^ and to a lesser extent, in the
Marlborough Sounds,. ' •.

Mr^Gray, who collected between four and
five thousand shells in two recent "runs” at Mayor
Island, said the body of the squid was contained
inside the shell with the tentacles complete with
"suckers" projecuingo One tentacle was always hooked
in tbe apex of the shell, presumably to act as “an
anchor , he said.

Mr. Gray said that it was originally believed
that the nautilus were blown on the beaches where the
squid left the shell, leaving the eggs to germinatso

" But last time we saw the nautilus they
actually propelled themselves through the water on
their way to the beach. They could also submerge
and surface at will." • .

He said the nautilus appeared bo pnopel
themselves by squirting a ;jet of water out. Many
times the squids squirted water, and somet lines • an
inky substance, when he picked them up on the beach.

He had formed the theory that nhe nautilus
reached the beach on a high spring tide, the eggs
germinated on the warm sand and the newly hatched
nautilus returned to the sea on the next high tidot,

It was once thought that the shells only
"ran" once in about 13 years, but it now appeared to
be more often than that, said MroGray, The last run
had been only four years ago., ‘

"Snapper and kingfish have been less plenti-
ful in Mayor Island waters this year. Maybe that has
sone bearing." he said.

-75-

The follovring article is from. th:e Conchologlsts
Newsletter ( The- Conchological Society' of Great .
Britain & .Ireland) and acknowledgement is made-
to this paper and i authoro

■ T.E* Crowley®

V/e all know who', it was mode the very controversial
remark that

"That which we call a rose
By any other na.me would, smell as sweet",
and it is possible that the lines we,re written
with a certain am.ount of personal feeling,' since,
the ind teat ions , are that Shakespeare had far more
trouble naming his plays .than writing them;
where it is not possible to Bestot/ on the play the
name of its principal character, you will note
that the titles are uninspired to the point of
helplessness® ;

.'Beware .therefore if, as a lesser mortal
than Shakesoeare, ( I hope I write without
overmuch presurepti on ) , the duty devolves upon you
to name a shel.l; for the pitfalls are many and
almost the whole of the subject of systematics
consists of investigating the reasons why scient--
ists should not ha've named animals and plants as
they did® Once a name is in print it may not be
ignored but ho-wever frivolously conceived, unless
it con be proved to run counter to the Rules of
Nomenclature, it must be entered permanently upon
the synonymy of the creatures- to which it is meant
to apply® Undcubtedlv in uhe pa'st ( and even,
regrettably enough in fairly recent times ), there
have been sc lent '.ssts with a most irresponsible
attitude to the naming of- shells - and, no doubt,
of other creatures as well® Species have been
described on the evidence of a. single beach-worn
valve, even on nothing but an operculum, but the
main 'pitfalls a-U'd gin.s which bese^j our paths are
perhaps provided by the zoologists w'ho have seized,
upon chance small variations , usually in .an
inhdreafcly variable group, and given them new names.

It is not truly possible to give a specific name to
a shell, .with, .any honest conviction that the name
is correctly ' applied , u'nless one has seen such a
■collection of jspe.cimens . from various localities
that one con be* sure of, and con describe or
figure, the fall range, of variation of the

-76-

newly suggested species. Only if the thing is
utterly nnd obviously different from all known
forms may one dare to describe it on the basis
of one or two specimens, •leaving ( rather
unhappily ) an assessment of the reasonable
variability of the species to be assessed by
someone when more examples of the thing turn up.
Neither a splitter nor a lumper be, but let
shells, in sufficient quantity, speak for
themselves.

One conchologist , in reviewing a few
melanid snails obtained from Lake Nyasa in the
early days, ascribed them to about forty
species divided among four genera which he
described as new. Most of the shells were
just slight variations of normal forms, and
there are certainly not more than six species,
all in the genus Melanoid es.

One hopes that one day a brave worker will
resolve to revise and monograph the family
Thi arid ae in which these shells occur; when
such a star arises on the conchological horizon
he ’will, on the conclusion of his vi/ork, deserve
some scientific equivalent of the G-eorge Cross,
for true it is that the conclusions of most of
those who have laboured on this ( and many other)
family, provide little help to the man who nov;
attempts to put things in order, but rather they
have, by the very energy of their over hasty
conclusions, made his task difficult as to be
well-nigh hopeless.

Perhaps you believe that your nev; shell be-
longs to some genus which has not yet been
described; be advised, try and get somebody
a long way off, whom you do not know very well,
to undertake the work, A great many genera have
been described in the animal kingdon - certainly
over a million, I imagine - and if your name has
been used once before, for whatever kind of
creature, then your name is invalid. There are
lists of course, but they take a great deal of
going through before you can be sure of yourself,
remembering always, that there are those who do
go through them for the academic pleasure of poirrc-
ing out scientists’ mistakes in such matters.

The South i^merican snail subgenus Microborus, as
readers of the Journal of Conchology will know,
recently had to be renamed Austroborus, as the name
was previously bestowed on a beetle. The well
known genus Cerastua, and Sarama Godwin-Aust in
i908, preoccupied by a Pyralid, was renamed

-77-

Ragama by Laidlaw.- ^ Examples, are .commoner than
you might think.

What you may. do to avoid this trap is to
think up a name so horrible in its ingenuity
that you' may be morally certain that nobody
else could have ever have used it before.

The result . Is however, unlikely to be ‘
euphonious-. - - Kerkophorus^ Limacolariopsis,

etc. .belong to this category, and I think,
even Scrobs7' while the excrutiating Halolimno-
hellx~"is certainly unlikely to have been given
to anything but, .a snail with an inferiority
complex •.

/Another fairly safe thing you can do is to
invent a name of your own, not derfeved from
Latin nor any other language, ' and which neither
means, nor is intended to mean, anything at
all. There is no objection to this.

ClanculuSf for instance, is an honourable
example,, and Vanikoro, which, is supposed to
have been inspired .by some native word, and is
hence- classified as 'barbarous’.

Perhaps it is merely a species which you
wish to name, and in certain ways your task
this .ti.me""ls easier. You must be quite sure
that an identical ■ name has not been given to any
other species within the genus, and that your
proposal cannot offend any personal, moral or
religious susceptibilities; .jehoveh for instance,
has been rejected. It may strike you at first
glance that the names given to shells are in
Latin - in ^f.act you may have heard some speak
respectfullyvof the 'latin names’. In actual
fact this ■ ls""not so; many names are horrible
mongrels of latin and greek. -No objection can.
be raised to names in any other languages such as
arabic for instance ( asghar Biggs) and others,
by employing the names of deserving scientists
with unsuitable patronymics, nod haughtily at
; 'the latin usage by adding a letter or two at the
end to reach agreement in gender with the generic
name. hs examples I give you macgillivrayl
and milne-edwardsi. Pevv* Romans would recognise
such flights of fancy, and when it comes to
desmoulinsiana or deslongchampsia. I am un-
certain whether to pronounce them in latin or in
their, native tongue . I cannot recollect anybody
naming a,. species after Tapparone-Canefri,Moquin-
Tandon or Della- Ghia je.

-78-

Such. tongue tv;isters are necessarily frequent, .
and goodness knows how many people have been
put off the study of zoology by theme They
engender a suspicious attitude at least in my
own obstinatel?/ perverse type of mind, which
persists in considering eyen the honest latin
name Ena mohtana more likely to refer to a
female i^merican film star than -to a snail; I
would however, be the first- to admit that- the
reverse would certainly be true of Sna obscura. -
When condronted with j^oteadrill ia wanganulensis
Hutton or J^jzymen e waipipicola~TWebster )
the mind refuses to function further. I am
waiting for a valid species of the genus Helix
to turn up in the hope that some young
scientist may happily bestow upon it the good
latin appendage felix. ■

Many v;ill no . doubt consider all this an - ' '

egregiously frivolous attitude to the learned > ■

science of systemotics, but'I must repeat'. L.

that cavalier treatment is by no means rare,
it was Iredale for instance, perhaps because
he had temporarily rtin out of names, and wish-
ing to pay tribute to his wife, who named a
shell beryl sma ; another rather stunted little
holotype became possessed of the label pooret-
chja. Beware, however; as you' probably know,
there is an International Commission on
Nomenclature which sits on these things; and
although some have expre ssed their opinion
that it does not sit hard enough, it does have
its limits.-, As Mayr points out in the standard
work on the subject, names impossible of
pronouncia t ion such as A cages or Zyzzyra , or which
sound identical when pronounced ( as cocana and
kok^ana of Kearfott or which are merely

saucy such, as Polychisma , Peggychisme and
Nanichisma ( Kirkaldy, 1 90Ul ai’e not to be regarded
as sufficiently responsible to uphold the reputation
of zoology among the sciencesc .For a similar reason
the Commission, taking a deep breath, threw out'
Cane ello id okytod ermo gramma rus ( Loveninskytodermgam-
marus ) loveni Dybowsky 1926. Luckily, these
last few examples were not culled from the phylum
Molluscac ■

• Suppose you' new Pisid ium or what-not is
slightly larger and rougher than any known be-
foreo You could call it maximus or collossus
or spinissimus and the' name would probably be
valid'i but think of the difficulties- you bequeath
to a successor, p ossibly not born et, who finds
a larger and more prickly species still, and who

“79-

has b7 you been denied the use of any super-
latives- Your shell may be the first to
come from China perhaps, or Japan, and
sinensis or .japonicus might be excellent
trivial names but for the possibility that a
dozen more species may yet be discovered
from the same areas, none of them more or
less ' japonicus’ than yours. Lots of creatures
have in fact, been named after New Zealand,
for instance, but the latinised forms of this
delightful country bring to mind the devil in
being legion« They Include novaezelatid iae.
neo zelanicus. zeland ica. zeelandona, zeland iae,
novozelandica, Zealand icus, novo Zealand ica.
and novoseeland ica among the molluscs alone.

It may occur to you if you have read this
far, that the field for naming shells is not as
wide as might have been thought; or alternatively
that I am presenting the situation in a mood of
disenchantmento How then, you are entitled to
ask, con we safely and effectively name our new
discoveries ? This in fact, I am quite unable
to tell yoUe Perhaps after all it v;as a good idea
of Bourguignat ’ s to name species after his friends’
daughters, just because they were beautiful girls;
for myself, it may yet come about that I shall
have a shell or two to name during the rest of
my conchological career, and I have no ideas in
. store for these, let alone any to throw away on
other people^ It might be for me, a fine idea
to name my next shell munchauseni - at least I
should be sure of somebody quickly and automatical-
ly relegating it to the synonymy

oOo

Vol.2.

Fart 5*

June 1965 •

DREDGING AT KA¥AU ISLi\IJD

: Mrs. Otto.

During the third week in February 19^3 I stayed at Algies Beach
with my Sister and Brother- in -Law. Every time ue went fishing my
dredge was used as an anchor, and the contents emptied into a bucket
for me to sieve on shore, much to the amusement of passers by I

Unf ortunately the vreather was not very good and so most of the
material I got was from between Mullet Point and Algies Bay in 3'2 to
4^ fathoms, except for one dredgeful which came from the channel
between Goat Island a,nd Mansion House Bay in 5 fathoms. This contained
soft "oozy" mud and in it I found Cne large, two vory small and three
half Notocallista multistriata, 2 Nomocardium. pulchollum, several
Zeacolpus pagod£-, many Pleuromeris zolandica, a single Tellinella
ougonia, Loptomya rotia,ria, Emarginula striatula (dead), Cominolla
quoyana and a half Cuspidaria fairchildi.,

All the material from the coastline in 3'a fathoms consisted of a
little muddy sand and a great deal of dead and broken shell. In it I
found many Zegalerus tenuis, Neoguraleus species, Baryspira
novaezelandiae , ITucula nitidula and hartvigiana, Pleuromeris zelandica,
Zeacolpus pagoda and Epitoniumi pliilippinarum (dead.). Less common were
Cominella quoyana, Nemocardium pulchollum, Baryspira australis,
Chemnitzia sp. , Resania lanceolata ( ^oall) , Notocorbula zelandica and
one dead Phonatomia.

' ■

In 4~k fathoms a little further off shore, a lit'tlo more mud was
present, but -.still plenty of broken shell, coral nud sand tube worms.

The common shells in this area xfcre as in the 3'^' fathoms area with the
addition of Venericardia purpurata, Taxzera. spissa, Notocorbula zelandica
and Cominella quoyana. Less common were Myadora striata, Cylichna
thetidis , Baryspira novaezelandiae, Nomocardium pulchellum. , Zomyllita
stovjoi .and juvenile . scallops and Glycymoris. In smull numibers or single
specimens, were Notosinistor ampullus, Neogurralous murdochi, Neoguraleus
interruptus, Muroxsul mariae, G.ari strangeri, dead Epitoniums , Xyraenolla
pusill.a, Diplodonta zolandica, S'oletellina siliqua, Hunlgydora australica
tra.nsonjria, Aoteadrillia rax^itionsis , Daphnclla cancellata, Cadulus ? ,-
one doad Trichosirius inornatus and onp dead Emarginula striatula. There
were meuy very small specimens of Turritellidao -and Neoguraleus that
I haven’t been able to identify, and among the very smull shells
kindly identified by Mr, G-ardner were s- '

Zemitrella chaov.a. • Marginella aoteana.

Guniina dolichostoma. Dardanula limbata. ' ' ' '

Arthritica bifurca, Maoritomella albula.

-81-

Nozeba coulthardio
Peculator hedleyi,
Marginella larochei.
Dardanula olivacea,
Agatha georgiana«
Estea zosteroTohilao

Xymenella pusillar
Zebittium ezile.

F r oziub e r au s t ral i ,
Rissoina. fuccsa,

Ri 3 s o ir.a aclic^o ina .
Notoslela terebelloidcu.

These additional iteiris were also secur'^d iron dredged r.aterial
during the Section's lleekend at Kawau in October -

Melliteryx parva. RT'-.la c::"

Anti solarium egenum, llarginclla la-.'jc::ca.

Liratilia la,rochei»

— oOo —

THE H.A3ITAT OE SOME SI'hXL SGUTHEF.d 5IhT'F';'-o

Fra k olzo,

I've struck very fruitful shelling ground lately '^cc;lcgicall,>'
speaking, these rich areas are the outcrops formed by the tilted vJeka
Pass and Amberly limestone series » Molluscs are very abundant here in
a variety of environments which I'll try to portray below.

N/ekn

I Th e s7b n (g I ~ T

V’/L. \

My'

V !^V

-■xW'Aw;', I'

V//

UK

i Z’' . .

V f f . . ‘t

I ■ .1 1 1 I .z

I

/ cFro, it Ibc CL

/'I/

h'xpOS^d ,^/cJjS ^

fljcA Ujitls.
sA ru( h> S SofyyQ.

)r//

i/'

X

shcHouJ n-^O/hf ^^ou j/)
> CcpfoSy^a

Sonn e />-, OSS <2. S ..

^ ///cA /)')S>Cci\''io

••> ,^'r, '•

J>‘-\ .-I . (■' ^

c'

-82-

1-

»

liotinct species of snails appear bo "bo nost abundant in
particular areas,

2 ° 'fb.erasia tliaisa

In lon{:, ig'rass around the edges of rocks - very common,

2, On the dipslope edge of the orposed slabs of rock near the
scarp edge, hhere the hiscaria or Coprosma lives on the
rock, the snails uere found in the f olic,go, (Therasia
thaiseO ,

3» Under thin slabs of limestone (3” - c”) in depressions

among the exposed slabs of limestone - very exposed and
the only vegetation is short grass (2")’ (Probably the
introduced Vallonia pulchc-lla)

The area 1 and 2, wore from, the middle Uaipara Gorge, Area 3 (not
very obvious at Uaipara) present on the same scries of limestone
at ffoka ?c.sSo (Further Uorth by about 8 miles).

_4, This same limestone series is exposed as a vertically tilted
razcrback ridge about 1-g- miles xfcst of Broken River.
Broken River is betiireen Portous and Arthur's Pass, The
tjgpe of shell found in area 1 is found at this Broken
River locality but the specimens are much smaller here.
Under loose slabs of rock at Broken River is the snail
Phrixgnathus haasti.

— oOo —

N

SXTPUiCTS FROM EgVFRLUY ELLIOTT'S LETTER

Several years ago, Beverley Elliott and Franli Climo camic across
some very dead specimens of a strange tiny, rather globose fresh
xater univalve along the edge of a creek at Takaka,

These specim.ons mere shuttled back and forth with no one
venturing a definite e pinion. Then Beverley came across numerous
specimens in beach drift along the river's edge. Just recently ue
had this communication from, her c-

" Yes, I have found live specimens of the mystery frcshxrater
snail. At Dr, Dell's suggestion, I sent half a dozen up to
Mr, Ponder, ..and T get a letter from him this morning. Ho says
they are c.irtaijily e, noxj species, e.nd they are the first
undoubaod recerd of a subterranean species from, Hex-; Ze.c.l.and,

He thinks tho^. are Potamjop.yrgus , but has not yet mounted the
radula, Vihon I first thciight they might live underground, I
tnought it x-ras rather a far-fetched idea, and x-7as very
surprised and thrilled to find out I x/as right, I don't knoxj
x-.”hi‘thor I'll ever co]'’.cc''' ny more though, as it is the most

-83-

nightmarisli place I've ever teeili^in, and even the experienced
speleologists with nc agreed that it was one of the most ax’o-
inspiring caves they've boon in. Until February, nobody had
over been very far in the Gorge Creek Cave, as a waterfall, not
far inside, blocked the way. In Fobru2,ry members of the Ilelson
Speleological Society found a way past the waterfall, and told
us of the wonderful cave beyond it. That day, I found dea.d
specimens of my, little snail inside the entrance of the ca/c,
and could hardly wait for March 13th, , when the Spelocs came
back for another exploration of the cave, I was determined
to go vrith them, although if I'd knoxm what it Xiras going to be-
like ------IJlll It was v/orth it though, to find my

little snails alive. They v7ero' approximately a mile from the
entrance - that's not m.y estimation, as I lost all scn.ee of
distance under ^hcre, "

— oOo —

a

OUR TYPHIS *

N, Gardner,

As you have thumbed down our rather raegre list of Murox in
Dr.Pcxfoll's Checklist, you xiill have come tc , and no doubt, paused k
Typhis pauperis and xircndered vrhat manner of mollusc could deserve
such a. pathetic sounding name.

— This is truly a

most attractive little

shell, very much like
a tiny Foirisria but
about long, whitish
or pale pink, wixh one
special and prominent
charac t e ri ot ic wh i oh
assigns it to the genus
Typhis, This is the-
construction of the
spines - hollox7 little
tubes just like tiny
drainpipes. In Pcirieria
the spines are r.harp
and solid with a sinus
running along the
underside.

Typhis is not a
shell you are likely
tc encounter in shore
collecting, but rather
is it an inliabioant of
deep xirater. ITcxfhere
does it seem ''^o occur

-84-

with any frequency - just occasional spociiricns trapped in a dredge or
tangled in traul debris.

All the specimens I have cone a.cross have been from material
brought up from Bay of Plenty^ Hauraki Gulf or liorthward and it is
certainly one apecies that gets a second look during m.icro- sorting,

— oOo —

SCENE s SI'IUGGLSRS BAY, PWdlGARSl HEAPS,

M, Belph,

In the middle of the beach I spied tuo men in the prostrate
position of Iloharamedans at prayer (but not facing Mecca), -
faces about six inches from the sand. On getting nearer they turned
out to be Professor Morton and I)r,Berna.rd Bouden, equipped with
strong lenses discussing one of the minute Poraminifera I

But no doubt of much greater interest to members, was a find
of large numbers of live Zethalia - a joy to Professor Morton who
needed them for study, I have a number ha,ppily established in a
tank and already have miade a number of obs elevations. As on the
beach, they are just below surface, with the black 'plumes' at the
sand surface. Placed on the surface with the apex downward, they
quickly put out the foot to its. full extent and deftly heave them-
selves over, than at once dig themselves in with short 'plunges' ,
the whole process taking roughly thirty seconds to a minute. Or,
the animal ma,y take the opportunity to move to a new pla,ce before
diggin-g in. They seem to be able to discern another animal before
they actually reach it and then stop and dig in.

— oOo —

HOW'S THIS EOR A SPELL STORY ,

Mrs, J,Bos'.7c11,

While I was gathering a few shells on the Waitarere Beach one
day a fox; x;eoks back, a Surf Casting Competition v;as being held
between the .Levin and Wanganui Clubs,

One Levin member xAiorn I knoir quite well, said "Nox? la,dios,

don't go taking rany Toheroas, they are out of season and too small".

Having picked up some live Tuehuas on the viay up, I put some
on the boot of his car. He immediately pounced on them and told me
to put them ba.ck, as it xras against the lax; to take Toheroas at that
time of the year, and they xfere also under size. There xxere a lot
of both varieties all alon^, the beach. Ho calls himself a fisherman,
but he did not knoxv the difference betxrcen a Tuatua and a. Toheroa,

It nalces one u^onder I

— cOo —

-85-

notes OF INTEREST o

No Gardnero

A tuToe of small land snails taken from Lady Ellice Is. (Hen
Chickens) and sent in hy MrSoLkrthy for identifications included
numerous species, namely s- Tornatellinops , Elasmias , Therasia
Ophelia, Laoma celia and the ever present Raralaoma lateumhilicata.

— oOo —

From MrsoSeager, v;e learn that Mrs-Nalker of Naihau Bay,
ge,thered up to 100 Ellatrivia memorata and a dozen Argonaut a during
December 1 1

— oOo —

A further Tonna Maoria has been taken from the Southern end
of Tokerau Beach, by MrsoBoswell, our Wanganui member,

— oOo —

The "rare" Mammilla simiae has devaluated still further, for
during Easter, several collectors in the Par North robbed hermit
crabs of at least sir specimens.

— oOo —

Xenophora apparently occurs not uncommonly on the fishing
grounds off Wanganui, Specimens seem to have mainly valves of
Glyc.-\mneris attached, with a few Dosinia and Pallium.,

— oOo —

live

Hr, Douglas reports the collecting of sevcral/Nassarius
cpiratus , on a recent trip to the East Coast of Northland, This is
the first record of this shell taken alive in New Zealand, as far as
wo know

— oOc —

Mrs,Stoneham came back from a Northern trip with some rather
rare specimens - a beautiful, large, true specimen of Ca,bestana
bolteniana, Nassarius spiratus , Mammilla simiao and Philippia lutoa
( Whang are i Heads )")

— oOo —

-86-

Possibly the most outstanding finds recently'" have been from the
Poor Knights ISc ¥e quote Dr» Poxi-ell in his Museum Report,

" T%Jo outstanding items received, both new to the

New Zealand Fauna, were a specimen of Ravitroma belonging
to the xvell known tropical co^.jrie shell family, and a
large species of Polinices, also of tropical affinity.

Both were collected and donated by Mr, Palmer of
Nhangarei, who obtained them whilst skin diving at a
depth of 120ft, at Poor Knights",

— oOo —

REARING OF MOLLUSCAN LARVAE
RESEARCH REPORT SURVEY

S.R,Ayling,

A research report published in Volume 1 of 'Advances in Marine
Biology', editor F,S. Russell, xirill interest many of our readers. The
report 3 entitled 'Rearing of Molluscan Larvae' by Vic, L, Loosamer
and Harry C, Davies, is based upon some 20 years of experience and it
will undoubtedly form the basis for much future research, A very
extensive bibliography, international in scope, makes the report even
more valuable.

The summary below is intended only to indicate the field
covered, and apologies are made in advance for any inadvertent
distortion of the actual report.

Introduction

'Until recent l5r rearing of larvae and juveniles of marine
bivalves, on a basis where repeata,ble results could be expected, xiras
virtually impossible because of the lack of satisfactory, reliable
methods. Thus, although culturing of larvae of bivalves was first
attempted in the last century, few xjorkers succeeded in rearing them
to metamorphosis and, as a rule they xrere rarely groxaa beyond early
straight hinge stage.

The availibility of such methods would immediately offer the
opportunity to study tho effects of numerous environmental fe,ctors,
singly and in combination, upon the growth of larvae, thus helping
to determine the physiological requirements of these organisms. It
would also offer the moans for studying the genetics of bivalves e.nd
initiating properly controlled experiments on selective breeding of
those molluscs. Moreover, by growing: larvae under different con-
ditions their diseases and parasites could bo studied and methods
for their control developed.

-87-

Finallyj ‘bcccuso tho larvae of many species of bivalves are
much alike in size and appearances it was virtually impossible to
identify thems vrith any degree of accura,cys in plankton collectionso
hitii the recent development of methods of roaring larvae in tho
laboratory, hovrever, this difficulty should soon disappear because
larvae found in plankton can now be easily and accurately compared
with preserved samples a,nd photomicrographs of larvae groxen from
knoxm parents under controlled conditions' ,

The importance of being able to carry cut breeding experiments
has been mentioned by "wF. Ponder, Tano VoldO, 1964? "The Frcshxvator
Follusca of Now Zealer.d" , xjhoro ho says s- 'Modern systematists study
shells of whole populations from; as r.any localities as possible to
try to gain an idea of the variability seen xiithin one species » o . . . »
Breeding experiments, however', are the best test, (oog» Boray a.nd
Me , Michael , I96I), By breeding different forms under different con-
ditions tho range of variability 'of the species can become deductive
rather than inductive^'

opocics Studied »

The species studied most intensively wore s-

Crassostroa virginica Gmclin (Eastern Oyster)

Merconai'ia, merconaria Linn6

Ostrea edulis « . o , . (European Oyster)

while among others the common mussel Mytilus edulis Linn6 was studied
GO a lesser degree.

Nat or troatm.ent

Largo diatoms, free sxrimning crustaceans, gastropods, xirorms etc.,
x-;crc prevented froci entering the larval cultures by filtering all
particulate matter larger than 15u (0,015 of a millimetre ) in diameter
from the water and also by passing the Xijater through ultra violet
light. This latter treatment had a narked effect upon the survival
rate of the larvae,

Oalinity of xfater,

A salinity similar to the larvaes natural habitat x-7as employed
and for the species considered X7as approximately 27 parts per
thousand,

Spaxm Conditioning.

If full use is to be riadc by e::pcrimentors of breeding methods
it is convenient to have suitable spaxxn e,vailablo at all times
during tho year. This involves conditioning the m.olluscs to produce

-83-

spawn at a prcdotorr-ined , but probably unnatura.1 tine, Tho autliors
carriod cut many oxperinonts into those , nctbods and spa^.-rn can now
bo obtained throughout the year, A conbination of tenporature
control and chemical methods have been emplcyod.

Spaxm Quality,

Once the techniques had been mastered 5 the quality of the spaun
was not adversely affected by conditioning to any degree, heither did
the age or size of the animal seem to effect the condition or
fertility of the spawn, . .

Oyster Age,

Mature o.^'^sters of all ages produced spaxm, but the oldest group
responded more quickly to stimuli. The age of the three groups
considered was as follows :-

Oldest group (9” x 4") ,,,,,,,, betxveen 30-40 yrs.

Marketable group ,,,,,,,, 5 ~ 7 yrso

Small group ,,,,,,,, approx. 2 yrs.

Oyster Sex and Grox-rth.

The sexes amongst the oldest oyster group seemed to be evenly
divided and the ability to grox-r Xfas maintained throughout life.

Clam Culture,

The culture x/as established by mixing approximately 30,000 eggs
per litre of water ejid this produced say 15,000 larvae per litre of
xrater. The larvae were left 2 days x/ithout food and then collected
by screening (44u opening, 325 moshs per inch). They were reared to
metamorphosis in I8 days xjhich X'7as probably normal in nature. Hoxj-
ever, temperature and food are important and the time can vary
betxveen 10 and days. Settling:, due to uneven larvae development
continued for a period of 27 days, although larvae from the same
batch and female etc, were used. The reasons for this big difference
is not yet Icnox-m,

Reaction to Foreign Substances,

Bivalve laivae proved very sensitive to traces of certain
substances in the x-;eAor, It is not certain as yet x-hether the
foreign substances directly affect the larvae or xdiether essential
grox-;th promoting substances are first attacked, B.D.T, proved the
most toxic, the small quantity of O.Op parts per million causing
nearl5’- total mortality in oysters. However, Lindane, even in a
saturated solution of 10 p,p,m, caused little or no mortality and
at 5 p,p,m, , faster groxrth xras observed,-

-89-

KetalDolities 5 released by sorae micro-organisms j especially
dinoflagellates 5 seriously -.ffccted adults, eggs and larvae. Again it
is suspected that the metabolites removed substances necessary for
the larvaes development.

Varying Salinity,

It was found ths,t species varied greatly, i,c, C„ virginica
can develop and gxoxf to metamorphosis in a much lower salinity than
can M, misreenaria.

Turbidity Effects,

Again the effects of turbidity or sediments in the water affected
different species to a different degree. Some species were strongly
Affected by only light concentration of silt.

Food Effect,

The colour of larvae to a large emtont depended upon food. It
could be changed in some instances in a few hours bjr food change.

It is obvious from this that colour is not a safe critorie, for use in
identification of bivalve larvae.

Too large a concentration of food supply resulted in cabnormali-
ties developing and also in less rapid growth,

Ove rc rowding .

Danger from overcrowding in well m*aintained cultures m.ay not be
as acute as once supposed. Nevertheless, overcrox-rding is undesirable
because it decreases the rate of growth of larva-o and obviously they
are more susceptible to diseases.

Metamorphosis,

In oysters tho metamorphosis was cloarly terminated by tho
attachment of the animal, but in some other bivalves it xias difficult
to determine the precise or approximate moment as it seemed to be a
gradual process. Some have both a velum a,nd a foot i,o, they sxirim or
crawl and are termed "Pcdiveliger” , They are able- to postpone
metc>morpliosis for hours or oven days if conditions are unfavourablo.
Temperature and both the quantity and quality of food are im.portant
details in the process. An increase of temperature quickens the
process.

Partial metamorphosis was characterized by the disappoarenco
of the velum, but retention of a functional foot. These crawlers
showed another common characteristic, namely a definite narrox-f band
on the shell, which indicated the edge of the prodissoconch or larval
shell and the beginning of dissoconch or post larval shell.

-90-

Piseasos.

Both larvae and juvenile molluscs were found to be retarded in
growth and eventually killed by Bacteria, while in the ea,rly stages
of the authors experiments much mortality was caused by Fungus growtho

Ultra violet light treatment of the water, filtration and
other inhibiting chemicals brought about good control of the fungus
and bacterial growth and increased the survival rate to as much as
80^ in latter experiments,

— oOo —

VISIT TO CMTHAJi ISLMDS - January & February 1963,

CaptoFoU. Short,

The Chatham Islands situated about 5OO miles East of New
Zealand, is a most difficult place to visit owing to lack of trans-
port, I planned for about 3 weeks holiday and got a booking per
R,N,Z,A,F, Sunderland from Eva,ns Bay, Wellington on 13th, January
1965, I tras booked for the first boat back said to start trading
about the third week in January, Hox^ever, the boat did not leave
Uaitangi, Chatham Islands until 27th, February and so I wa,s forced
to stay 7 weeks. There was nothing I could do about it. The boat
only carries 12 passengers and by that time there were over 50 people
awaiting passage,

I was mainly concerned with the endemic varieties of the
Chathams and those said to be common there but rare in the remainder
of Nev/ Zealand, My main source of information being Dr,Powell's
work on a visit in 1932 and published in Records of Auckland
Institute and Museum Vol,l,No,4o Sept, 1933 > and also Shells of New
Zealand by Dr, Powell,

I stayed at Uaitangi where a very long sandy beach was
available, I had som.e long walks here but never got to the end of
it. I X7as first stiuck by the number of Cookia sulcata Gmelin,
alive and dead along the bOu.ch, This was easily the most common
wash-up. There were no other shells in quantity though I found an
occasional Modelia grenosa Martyn, some with animals complete, a few
dead shells of Cabestana spengleri Perry and odd valves of
Anchomasna similis Gray, The foreshore hero v:as flat, with cracks
in the floor filled with the mussel Aulacomya maoriana, Iredale,

Later I found a largo colony of Haliotis iris Gmx-lin and in smaller
numbers Haliotis a.ust rails Gmelin, I secured some of these but the
Paua (H.iris) X7erc mostly poor shells, being thin with a lot of
air spaces.

-91-

In this area a Maori and his wife came along’ collecting Paua«

A long pole with two prongs on the end being used and in a very short
time they had tiiro buckets fullo Tliey gave us one xdnich T:as trlcon
homo for cooking by being minced, and I thought later this method
could be ir.xproved upon, vliilc there, a Blue Jod of about 5 6 lbs

came into viex-7 and after some skilful work this was also caught on
the prongSo hith visions of Chlamys I was anxic-’us to see the ctcmn,ch.
The Maori woman opened the fish and I felt something hard in the
stcmacho It turned out to be the operculuri of a Cookia sulco.ta xfith
about an inch of flesh attachedo Hoxx the fish got this I do not icnow,
unless it was a dead Cookia or one broken by the gwlls as I was told
they sometimes talee them and drop them, on to the rocks »

Shortly after by arrival I had an opportunity to join a picnic
party to Port Ilutt , said to be about 2p miles » Ily map showed a road
but this developed” into tracks and then open country, IX’cntually x;o
had to leave the Landrovers and after walking about a mile I cnepuired
how much farther and was told about 4 mile, I felt this '..'as too much
sc I stayed at a nice sandy boacho Nothing here except c. fov: Ijr-xpots
and the tide against me but when the party returned, I found they had
secured specimens of Cantharidus opalus canneni Pcojcll some with
animal complete » I later found x/ash-ups in various places, h’at hard
to got complete o This variety seems x^ell distributed, chcro being-
large areas of Icelp on the Island for grazing and pieces of shell
washed up.

On the X7ay back x;o had another X7alk to see an area of Basalt
rocks said to resemble those of Giants Causexray in Ireland,

I was particularly keen to collect the endemic Buccinulums
Bowaitangiensis Pox'xcll, B . charac t c ri s t i cum Finlay, B, hie cine turn
Hutton (2 colour forms) but practically all I secured x:erc . x.^ash-ups ,
The same applied to Bu c c i nu lum marxv i c kj and B, pallidum Finlay,

While hunting at W.aitongi a Maori boy became interesto.T and
when he found I xxas collecting shells ho x:ent axray and camiC brek xjith
a preserving jar x/ith shells cemented on it, , The Buccinulums were
in evidence and tx;o fine specimens of B , xrai t angi o n s i s xrerc stuck in
the middle of the jar. Most people here seem, only interested in
decorative xicrk x-rith shells.

Some varieties seem to grox7 very large here, A very large
Arg obuc c inum tumidum X7as secured alive. Others noted x7orc Oella'na,
Pliynella , Mel agraphia , Gari lineclata. Barb at ia and f ,u s t r o x u su s g 1 an s ,
My first Haliotis virginca r.ioricria Pox/ell itc.s found on Maitnngi
Beach, I never found them alive or anyone that had,

OxiTcnga, ' about 14 miles from. Naitangi is probably the best
collecting area on the Island, My first visit there x:as only a
short cnc, I was shox-xn over the Freezing 1/Jorks for fish out a'b the
time it X7as being overhauled o.nd net xrorking, I had hopes oi getting’
aiiicng the Blue Ood ’uhich are noted for sx7allox7ing Ohla-mys etc, from

•r

-92-

iG'-" uator= I t-ct EciT.c sar.plcs of CGllc.na sfrigilis oliathcjrr.onsis
Pilsljury, '•.■liich grcT/ tc a good siao lioroo Tlioy taicG on difforont
slia,poo and it is hard to rccogniso tho juvonilos a,s tho sano varioty
it is said there is only the one on Chathan Island, It is

jd that Collana £o foraging' a.nd cone hack to tiiO sano spot to

live, 'There nero sene fine oxanplos at Gwenga in which they
.appoa.rod to live in depressions. One was aheut deep and would
have heen inrcssihlc tc renovo with a knife without danago, Neod-

'■ rv T* H

■CO

in ‘00

with c :.r
?-athrrs who
husiriosr

:S no puhlic transport sc I was depondent on scnocnc
f^'r trips to Qi^enga, Tlio local Doctor and two R,G,

:vcd er.ch ether wore a greed help hut as they had
-t^nd to 5 ny stay v;as lir.itcd.

dowevci sene trips wore rex^arding. At one place a little
North of Owcr'''ga5 vast quantities of shell are banked up and I
undorsr aid t.^j.s had been used for roads. It was the only place on
-ho I land I sex; shell in quantity, mostly do.ad and blGe.ched, Anong
thei wore Ccninolla irodaloi Finlay, Gor.inc-lla adspe-rso. Drug,

Aus' refusus chathanensis Finlay, Lepsithais squanatus Hutton,
^^ssrofusus glans Hooding (very large but all bleached), Gari
lined at a Gray, Zeatrephon ambiguus Phillipi, Glyo,7Tieris laticcstata
Q, & 0,, Dosrxnia. nicaoriana diver etc, etc, A large nunhor of
Hal tot a? wore on the beach which appoared tc have been marketed

for the Frcoscr.

Ocean 3oo-ch, with a large reef off shore and for some reason,
deep water madcrial gets washed up here particularly after stcrmiy
weather oiid after some days of 3, F, winds. After such conditions
IIrs,l .Prenderville and I had a chance to hunt there - cnl^'’ a limited
tim^o available as our Driver Father Doyle x;as in a hurry to return.
Among items col loot od alive were 2 Astroa holiotropium Martian,
Hodv-lia granosa Mai'tyn, Argobuccinum tunidumi Dunlccr, A.ust refusus
cdiathamensi s Finlay, licnia selandicc. Gray and a few Gari linoolata

,'W

Among dee;i slid Is, mostly damaged xjorc Pachymdon x;ilsona
Pca'dl (l about 4/5 j 1 juvenile), Xenophaliur. pox-jolli Finlay,
Kauroa titgris C-mdin, I'laurea punctulata Martjm, Panopoa srnithao
Po'jdl, oomplotc, Ghlanys diffenbachi Heeve, in sponge, Ca.rdita
acteana Finlay, Lcngii.iactra olong.ata Q, c: G, , coripletc, a singl
valve of Cyclomactra trisxis Re eve and one cf Ghlamys dolicatul
Hutton not listed for Chatham; Islands, Also man^^- odd valvos of
Glilanys probably threx/n out x;ith cod stomachs from; the Freezing
Forks o

o

A Goa Leopard about 12 dot long caused some excitem*Gnt
b;-. coming ashore in tho rxeutli of a small tidal rivor at Haitangi,
■appeared tc hove been badly injured and stayed there until it
f'od end was buried in the sand by a Eulldozor,

-93-

1 did not enjoy tie "bost of Lcnltli during xrj stny ;
boon Licro r.ctive I rdghx h'.vo done bottor,

I would liko to enpross ryy gro.tcful tiioriks to Mr« i
Heines, Mr. L Mrs, P, rrondorvilld , Pr.G.P.Proctnlos rnd
O'Connor end Doyle for tbeir kindness end .nssistmeo giv^

:ind knd ±

: MrSoD.L.
Podkors
in to no.

-94-

P 0 I R I S R I A.

Vol.2, Part 6, September 19^5 •

FIELD BAY,' TITIRAI'TGI, JUI7S 1965.

At 1,30 poin. on Saturday 20th, June, some 20 odd enthusiasts assembled
at Titirangi Beach before m.oving off into the bush to search for small land
snails. The area selected was of a cold coutherly aspect; nevertheless
some nice species were taken, including- a few items considered to be
rarities.

The small v/hitish aboreal snail Serpho kivi seemed to be unusually
common in the area and most members were able to secure a nice series from
the leaves on the undergrowth - particularly on Geniostoma (pig^.food) ,

One collector was successful in finding several live Flammulina
perdita under the loose bark of larger trees.

Scores and scores of fallen nikau fronds were searched for specimens .
and these were profitable, as usual. Beautiful, large Allodiscus
dimorphus and numerous Liarea hochstetteri carinella, Laoma poecilosticta
and Phenacohelix ponsonbyi xrere living in these.

Several of the strange little Otoconcha slug were found. This
mollusc has a small glassy, paua shaped shell embedded in its back and
its rather long, slender tail is at times curled along its back, cat
fashion.

The loxfer undergrowth, which was beaten vrhile a cloth was held under-
neath, gave up numbers of Cytora and Phrixgnathus in the main.

Possibly the most coveted items so far reported from miaterial taken
on this outing were Charopa titirangiensis (Suter) and Laoma pirongiaensis
Suter - most certainly desirable items, even if the latter grows only up
to 2mm.

Species recorded were s-

Cytora hedleyi (Suter)

" pallida (Hutton)

" cytora (Gray)

" torquilla (Sute: )

Liarea hochstetteri carinella (L,
" egea egea (Gray)

Charopa ochra (Webster)

" titirangiensis (Suter)

" coma coma (Gray)

" anguicula (Reeve)

Ptychodon tau (Pfeiffer)

" pseudoleioda (Suter)
Thalassohelix ziczag (Gould)

" propinqua (Hutton)

Suteria ide (Gray)

Serpho • kivi (Gray)

Allodiscus dimorphus (Pfeiffer)
Phenacohelix ponsonbyi ( Suter)

" pilula (Reeve)

Flammulina perdita (Hutton)
Pfeiffer)

Flammulina costulata costulata

(Hutton)

Flammulina chiron (Gray)

" zebra (Le Guillou)

Fectola buccinella (Reeve)
Paralaoma lateurabilicata (Suter)
Therasia d.ecidua (Pfeiffer)
Therasiella tamora (Hutton)

" celinde (Gray)

Phrixgnathus ariel Hutton

" fulguratus ( Suter)

-95-

Phrixgnatlaus celia celia Hutton Elasraias subperforata (Suter)

" glaHriusculus (Pfeiffer) Tornat ell inops novoseelandica

" erig'one (Gray) (Pfeiffer)

" rnariae (Graj-) Omphalorissa purchasi (Pfeiffer)

Laona poecilosticta poecilostiota • (Pfeiffer) -

Suter Delos ccresia (Gray)

(Pfeiffer)

Ed.

" pirongiaensis
Otoconcha’ dinidiata

— oOo —

AH UM5UAL PARASITE.

Adapted from "Erelim's Animal Life"

J oE.RosenlDaumo

In the intestines of certain song-hirds - especially such as live
near xrater, and are insectivorous - lives a worm (Urogonimus raageostomus)
which belongs to the same family as the liver-fluke.

It's eggs are shed with the birds' droppings ' and these frequently
land on the leaves of plants bordering lakes and streams, Herej an
amphibious snail (Succinea amphibia) abounds in places, Wiile feeding
on the leaves the snail swallows the worms eggs.

These develop into a many branched sac, which surrounds the
snail's intestine (large one). On the inner v;all of the sac arise
numerous buds 3 which detach themselves and form the second stage of
metamorphosis. Finally they turn into the last larval form, a
"Cercaria" ,

The Cercarias are then tightly packed - like a roll of coins -
into the blind end of one of the sacs. The sac is banded with white
and green, its tip a dark brownish- red^ it has the pox^er to expand
and contract o • It-pushes itself into- one of the snails tentacles -
distending it considerably - its colour pattern showing through the
skin.

VJith the movements and the colour pattern the sx^ollen tentacles
resemble the larvae of certain flies. They are quickly seen and
swallowed by the foraging birds, which of course don't realize that
they are infecting themselves with the parasite.

The snails' tentacles grow again, and thus the play can be
repeated several times. The sac even hibernates with the snail.

This is one of the few cases - if not the onlj’’ one - 'where an
animal is provokingly coloured to ensure its being' eaten inste-ad of
being shunned.

■f

-96-

Sl'IAIL-iaLLIl'IG FLI5S,

L,'I, Stratton..

Harpenden, Herts ^ England,

Th.0 Scicn;^.''zida3 is a faiiiily of dipterous flies long lcno*m to
scieixce and gcnGrall;>* called Iaa,rcli Flies, There are sorae 440 specie^,
of xdiich 34 endemic mo Heu Zealand, so that some remarks on their
lives and habits may be cf interest.

It vras in 1950, uhile in Alaska, that Professor C,C,±>erg, of
Cornell University, began an intensive study of the family. Some early
entomologists had found puparia of Scicmyids in snail shells and
thought that there might be some connection bet-reen flies and snails,
though others denird this. Prof, Berg has established that the lar\’-ae
of all Scionysids feed on molluscs, of one sort or another. Since 195©
he has visited Europe, AustraJia, South America, Egypt , Israel and
Afghanistan, and his assistant, Br,L, V.Knutsen has spent tuo long
periods in Europe a'orlcing- out the life cycles of these interesting
insects. The author has had some small part in these resoa,rches and
has watched uith interest their pattern as they unfolded.

It has been found that "uithin the Sciomyzidao there is an
astounding range of larval feeding behaviour e,nd of rolcdcd adapta-
tions to the host snails,” (Knutson, I962), At one end of the scale
the larvae arc entirely aquatic o:nd predatory, at the other
terrestrial and parasitic; bctucon them are many species uith
intermediate halits. In the first group the eggs are laid on
vegetation. The larva is entirolj^ aquatic, a,ni on hatching at
once attacks fcrooiouslj a snail, quickly killing it and feeding
upon it for only a short time. It then goes on to attack many mcro
snails, often of different species. Pupation takes place outside the
snail, the pirparium being adapted for floating.

At the otLor entrome the female fly lays her eggs cn the shells
of snails, usuallj^ Lgciinaca ex-stivating in leaf litter or Sue cine a on
xratorsido vegetation. The eggs are laid along the suture and at right
xcnglos to it, I'Jhon the larvae hatch, only one ostablishos itself
uithin the host snail. It t;iccs soveral days to kill it, and
continues to feed on tin; dead tissue. It finally pupates ’.."ithin the
shell, the puparium being modified fer this purpose,

Botv'cer- those tax oztrcmes are species irhose larvae cx-c partly
paracitoid and partly predatorj-; some pupate within the snail shell,
some outside. Some seem to prof or a particular spccios of snehl
(host specific), others are quite catholic in thoir tastes.

Dr, Knutson quotes •''ji example ? "The only snail host observed qn
nature of Sciornyza dorsata Zott. was Planorbis planorbis Linno, but
in tnc laboratory these larvae killed and fed on all 28 speciGs of
terrestrial and aquatic sne,ils offered to them," UTien Prof, Berg
visited Englo,nd in '1959 first expedition was with the author
to high chalk do'^mi , whore ho obt .lined Ditaenia cinerella Pall,,
which could Lave fed onl^i on lend snails. Ho sent some flics to
Cornoll. On the way they laid eggs. The resultant lair/ao were
reared entirely on American aquatic snails, A further development

-97-

has taken place during 19^4. DrJCnutsen discovered tvro species of
Sciomyzids, one in Denmark and one in Sngla,ndj Tchose larvae feed on
slugs.

So far over 100 Sciornyzid species have been studied, so there
is still a long vay to go, hut already the practical implications
have been recognised. There are many dobilitating and even lethal
diseases both in man and animals which are caused by parasites whose
life cycle takes place partly in snails, Sciornyzid flies have been
introduced into Hawaii in the hope of controlling liver fluke in
cattle and some positive results ha.ve been achieved. There is a
wide range for experiment, and the problem of Bilharzia, a disease
from which one fifth of the world’s population suffers, has not been
overlooked, so the study of the Sciomyzidae is no larger one of
m.erely academ.ic interest.

The author is indebted to Dr, Knutsen for permission to use
material from his paper, "Snail-killing Sciornyzid Plies," 19^2,
published in "The Cornell Plantations , " Vol, 17$ Ho,4«

— oOc —

From Mrs. Dunn of Napier g-

"These winds and beaches are a m^ystery
to me. Our beach here at West shore is a bivalve beach. We usually
say a Westerly washes it clean, a South-east, North-east or
Easterly, brings it up.

The xjinds have been wrong all v.anter. I usually pop out

on Saturday or Sunday just to see a clean beach. Yet last

Saturday morning with the tide just on full and no wind at all,
coming; in by the hundreds, were live Struthiclaria papulosa,

Ale it hoe and many Xenophalium -pyrum, some quite large, but many
with the protoconch damaged. One Alcithoe I got looks mighty
like Alcithoe depressa to me, the lip coming right up on to the
first row of nodules, I understand they don't come doxm this far.
Also got a number of medium sized Phenatoraa zelandica, hut here
is the strange thing - there wasn't a bivalve on the whole beach".

— oOo —

-98-

visit TO sts;;art islaiTOo

Jo Coleso

In January I965 I was one of nany holiday makers fortunate to
spend a XTOek on Stevart Island in almost perfect x^reather conditions »
Even notorious Foveaux Strait provided tuo very calm Crossingso

I went primarily to attend the New Zealand Forest and Bird —

Protection Society's camp which offered a wonderful week's programme
of walks j launch trips j lectures, films, slides etc,, in this area
which is so xrell Icnown as a naturalist's paradise. Participation in
these activities left only a limited amount of time for shell hunting,
Hoxrever, the good weatli-er and suitable tides enabled me' to take
advantage of what time xras available and gave me some appreciation
of the range and beauty of the marine life.

Ifithin easy reach of Half Hoon Bay are a number of fine beaches,
ranging from sheltered ones within Half lioon Bay and Paterson Inlet,
to moro exposed ones such as Horseshoe Bay and Ringaringa,

The following '.rere among the shells seen and collected in the
various localitiess-

HALF HOCIJ BAY

Cantharidus opalus
Cantharidus purpuratus
Stirooolpus s;j-mmetricus
Xymone inferus
Hodclia granosa
Aloithoe sxxainsoni
Melagraphia aethiops )
Lunella sma,ragda )

BATHING BEACH

Dead

II * -

n

Dead and alive.

Alive JOnim x TOxm,

A small live one in e, tide pool.

Numerous and of large size.

Here a x/ash up of a x-xide variety of sea,XTCcds lia.d recently
occurred, Tho x/hole length of this small sheltered beach xras covered
to a xxidth of a.pproxima-tely six feet and a depth of one. foot. Attached
to this xrcrc found ;-

Taxrera marionae

Myadora striata
Thracia vitrea
Gari stangeri

Several xrere complete and four
X7ere found xfith Alcithoe egg
capsules attached. One of these
ha,d recently broken and txxo
embryonic shells xrere found
inside.

One complete and numerous halves,
Tx>70 complete and several halves,

A few complete.

-99-

T

HORSESHOE BAY

Alcithoo sw:iinsoni

St rut hi ol aria gigas
Hodclia granosa
Diplodonta globus

Threo, gppd, spocinens wore found
uashod up alivo. An ogg capsule
was found attached to a
Stiracolpus synnetricuso
Hashed up alive.

Small, dead.

Dead,

GOLDEN BAY

Alcithoe- swainsoni
Buccinulum flavescens
Lepsiella scobina albomarginatc

Mytilus edulis aoteanus - ' Alive
Aulaconya maoriana - Dead.
Perna canaliculus - Dead,

Common in muddy sand a.t low tide,
Alivo,

Alive . .

and dea,d.

RINGARINGA . -

Haliotis iris • - Alive, washed up attached to a

kelp holdfast ,

. Haliotis australis - Dead,

Maurea punctulata anpla - Dead,

Mauroa " stewartiana - Dead,

Pec ten novae zelandiac rakiura - Dcs.d, ■ ■

Lepsithais lacunosus - Alive,

Paratrophon patens - "

Buccinulum littorinoidos- ”

Buccinulum tenuistriatum- "

Buccinulum strcbeli ezsculptun - Alive
Co liana radians - . Alive

Cellana ernata _ ■ ”

Cellana strigilis redimiculum ~ Alive
Siphenaria cockiana - Alive

Siphonaria zelandica - "

Siphonaria, australis - " . . -

Modelia granosa, 1 large 1 small, - .Alive
Leptomya retiaria,. complete - Alive
Chlamys celator, complete, embedded in sponge - Dead,
Terebratolla inconspicua - Dead,

Hemithyais nigricans - "

Cominclla nassarius - Alive and dead,

Barbatia novaezelandiac - Dead

Tanea zelandica, largest 26m.m a 28nr.i - Dead,

Xynene pleboyus
Gari st3,ngori
Solctellina siliqua
Ryenella irpacta

Paphirus largillerti, largest 65m;m a- 50mm - Dead,
/uiisodilcma lugubris . - Dead

Zethalia zelandica - "

Glycyr.ioris modesta - "

jilive and dead.
Dead

_ tr

-100-

Although. . this is a very inconplote list of the species to he
found j I hope it will give those of our members who have not yet
had the opportunity of visiting Stewart Island, some idea of the
range of species. There are a number of other excellent collecting
areas, access to which is difficult hy land, and also hy sea,
except in calm weather.

Although the most southerly of our islands, the impression
remains of an exuberance of colour - the vivid rata in full bloom
highlighting the sombre greens of the native vegetation, the varied
hues of many species of seavjoeds forming a constantly changing
pattern in the startlingly clear water, the iridescence and richness
of colour of the many native pigeons present in large numbers even
close to the settlement, and the golden- 5'cllow of Buccinulums,
Alcithoes, Cominellas with the brilliant splashes of colour of the
Chlarays - who wouldn’t wish to return ?

— oOo —

A further note to our comment on live Nassarius spiratus
in the last issue s-

MrSe Worthy has showed us a pair of specimens, taken alive and
now in spirit. These were living in a tidal rock pool with a
sandy bottom (North of Whangarei).

Live examples have also been found at Gt. Barrier (Mr. P. ’Warren)

— oOo —

Mrs. Boswell, 1/anganui, has had two live Fteronotus which are
apparently Fteronotus zelandicus Hutton, She ^rTtes s- '

"They were trawled in 10 - I5 fathoms,
out from Whangaehu. The size of the larger one is I9. mm x 12 mm.
complete with operculum. The other one is only half the size.

Dr, Fleming tells me that there has been only one other live
specimen talcen from New Zealand waters, that being obtained by the
Nej Zealand Marine Department Research Vessel 'Ihakatere' dredging
9-10 miles off Cape Farev7ell in 45 - 52 fathoms, August 8th,1963.*'

— oOo —

-101-

EAi^SLES IN RAROTONGA.

L, PricGo

In Cep-jemTer-OctcIej-'j 1963? I Nad a trip to Lord Howe

Island j collecting small land mollusca for the Chicago Natural History
Museum. As this proved to he quite a success, I x^as again asked to do
a trip, along similar lines, • this time to Rarotonga, main island of
the Cook Group. Ccnmenci'ng la be in 19^4, I x^as to spend 2 months on
the island. To go hy air, via Fiji and Samoa, I x-xas required to have
a passport, an entry permit for Samoa, an entry’ permit for Rarotonga,
amd vaccinations for. smallpc:: and typhoi^ , Also, enough spare cash
to cover a £100 hond' (x-diich- included the remaining value of my air
ticket) to he deposited cm. avrdval in Re-rotenga.

TIlus, armed x-ri+h ad pocketful of red-ta,pe, I left Aucklamd on a
cold, shoxfory exmning in Novemher. Some 4 hours later it xras a

delight to step out into the soft, tropical air of Nandi, Fiji. After
a leisurely tour of inspection .around the airport lounge, xtg XTere off
again - time 1 a = m. It seem.ed nc time, x-rhen vre xrere treated to a
hird's-eye viox; of a Pacific dax:n and just after sunrise, dropped
belox/ the green m.ountains to Pago Pago, Eastern Samoa, Another in-
spection, plus a long x-rait oind x:e changed to a tiny LC3 for the short
hop over to^FaloCilc .Westenn ’S'amoa, From here, a fleet of modern
Ar.xerican sedans soon xrhisked us tlic 20 miles into Apia, horns blaring,
at 60 m.p.h.

As I had the next 4 days to x:ait fer another air connection, I
took the opportunity for a passing lock at Apia and the surrounding
districts. Installed at popular Aggie Grey's Hotel, I hired a bicycle
for a couple of full-day tours out along the coast road, but I had to
be c?,reful to rJde on the xxrcng side of the rc.ad, xdiich is right in

these parts, iHiilc poking around hero and there, I came up xrith some
very nice fresh-vexter Norj.tinas in the numercus mountain streams, also

a fexr marine specimens .amongst the rocks. Altogether, I rohher liked
xdaat I sa,xr in and ...arcxind l.pia, specially the profusion of flcx;ering
bushes and trees, including the r,:agnif;LCont hibiscus and fragrant

f rangipani ,

In due ccureo, 'jo r.;tu-.’ned to Falcclc airfield and took off
■again in the sar.c IC3, dircca for tlio Cook Island's, After several
hours with nothing but the blue Pacific belcxr, x-ro passed over lonely
Palmerston Atoll and a, short tiroc later touched down in. a cloud of
dust at Aitutaki, a northern island in the Cook Group, Here, x/o had
half an hour's stret.h in the blinding sunshine, on e;':cho.nge of
passengers, then axray on the last log to Rarotonga, Nithin an hour
XvG x-;cre there, zccr.xing xxp the airstrip carved cut of a forest of
coconut palms. Leaving the baggage to be fumigated, I joined a taxi
for the 2 mile lun into A-'^araa, xrherc I x/as soon installed in the
Hotel Rarotoxiga, lay ho..'xdqxxartG.r3 for the next 2 rnenths.

-102-

Rarotonga is a compact, oval island, al)out 7 miles long, "by
4 miles wide, completely surrounded by a narrow coral reef, which
drops down abruptly into very deep water. There is a level coastal
strip averaging a half mile wide around the island, while the
interior is completely miountainous , Although the highest mountain,

Te i-'Ianga, is only 2140 feet, the ridges and peaks are extremely steep
and narrow, being composed of crumbly volcanic rock. Vast groves of
coconut palms occupy most of the coastal land and lower valleys. The
mountains are clothed in a dense mat of small trees, shrubs and vines,
plus a fine variety of ferns, including a magnificent king fern, with
leaves up to 15 feet in length. Movement through the bush here is
pleasant enough, there being no thorns, no snakes, leeches or vicious
ants. About the only discomforts are numerous m.osquitoes, specially
after rain. Also common are large nasty-looking centipedes, but I
was vrary of these and had no trouble x-rith them. Indigenous birdlife
is extremely scarce, those most noticeable being' 2 species of pidgeons
and 2 species of terns, which nest high in the mountains, Hoxvever,
the cosmopolitan Indian mynah is common over the xvhole island.
Originally, it is said to have arrived as a stox^away in ships. At
first, I xras intrigued to hear, while ax-^ay in the interior, a rooster
crowing on some nearby ridge, but later, I often disturbed a hen and
chickens or a rooster scratching about in the underbrush. Of a dark
brown and red colouring, somexvhat larger than a bantam, no doxibt these
were domestic poultry "gone bush".

The collecting of land mollusca in Rarotonga seems to have been
rather neglected over the past 80-odd years, nothing having- been
published about it since 1872 and l88l, xvhen Garrett apparently
collected and named a number of nexj- species from this region. Even
then, unfortunately , no exact locality data x-;as given. So my task
was to make a good coverage of the island, collect the snails alive,
and at the same time, pinpoint each locality on a map.

With this in mind, my first visit xfas to the local Lands and
Survey Office, where a large-scale map was obtained. Next, a scout
around for my usual island transport - a bicycle - xirhich I was able
to borroxf from a fellox'j hotel guest. The main road, mostly gravel,
closely follcvjs the coast around and amounts to about 20 miles.
Another, only part x-ray around , runs parallel a few hundred yards
further inland and lesser roads run vrell up the main valleys. During
the weeks following, that bicycle took quite a thrashing, doing
anything up to 20 miles per day, but it lasted the distance admirably.

Altogether, about 20 species of the land mollusca xrere rounded
up, xrhich x:as somexrhat disappointing, as m.any of Garrett's species
could not be found. Many species seem to live on the ground in dry
conditions, and then move up onto tree trunks, txrigs and under
leaves of shrubs during rainy periods.

-10>

Largest shell to he found was a species of Partula, smallest j
a species of Omphalorissa. A tall species of 0~peas vras common every-
where, Just inside the vegetation limit around the shoreline >, a
small yellow Helicina was abundant after rain - this shell is often
used for malrcing necklaces and hatbands by the Islanders, For the
most part 5 the weather happened to be rather drier and cooler than
usual at this time of yearj something for which I was most thanlcful,
Nothing is worse than trying to rake up enough energy to move around
in the Turkish bath atmosphere of the tropics in summer,

. Although marine shells were onl^' of a seoondary consideration,

I did talce a look at them on suitable occasions, but there does not
seem to be a great variety around Rarotonga itself. Perhaps this is
due to the narrow reef and consequent rather restricted habitats
available. However, I had the pleasure of seeing a fine, representa-
tive collection of Cook Islands marine shells oimed by Judge Morgan,
a resident at the. hotel. Ultimately, he intends to donate his
collection to the oombined library and museum recently built in
Avarua,

By January, I965 5 the results of my collecting in Rarotonga
were packed up and sent away to Chicago, A few days later I returned
to Auckland, thus ending^ another quest after the elusive Snail,

— oOo —

Years ago when Ellatrivia memorata Finlay was mentioned, one
naturally thought of Ahipara, near the Ninety Mile Beach, for this
was where most of the earlier specimens were collected.

Now, with active collectors all over the country, our knowledge
of the distribution of this cowrie is increasing all the time.

Just recently we have learned that Mrs,Gx*oene of Napier has
found Ellatrivia on her local beach (Nest shore) - not very often,
just a couple, two or three times a year. She also said that she
has had them from several places on Mahia Peninsula.

Another member, Mrs, Williams , has reported finding specimens
at Gisborne,

Any other locality records South of Auckland ?

— oOo —

-104-

I.'IARGIIIELLA MORIA POT-ELL,

N, Gardner,

MemLers who have collected small molluscs from under rocks at
low tide will no douht have come across Mar^^iJ^ella mustelina (Angas)
that attractive shiny species, rather slender, with a wide red-
hroim hand around the body whorl.

There is also a second species, somewhat similar, which
occurs now and again in the north only, and which is certainly
worth watching out for. This is Marginella maoria Pow-'eH,

It is larger than Marginella mustelina and instead of having
just one wide band, there are two narrow lines widely spaced on
the body whorl. The outline is also different. The spire is
taller, outer lip thinner and without denticles.

Most specimens so far taken have been washups or sorted out
from shell sand. Live specimens have been dredged frcm deep
x^ater.

Examples have been collected from Cape Maria, Spirits Bay,
Whangaroa, Bay of Islands and T-Jhangarei, Great Barrier and Leigh,

-105'

laLLED BY "COOL, CLEAR WATER"

Forman Douglas,

It ras my friend Roy Larritt , of Hamilton, who suggested the
trip. He had not stalked deer in the South Island, so would I make
the arrangements'- and 'acGbmp''any him on a little safari?

I said "tlolce it Stevrart Island for whitetails ( Odocoileus
virginianus )?" . Hut he said "iJo, I'd like a hig" red deer head"

"Then it's Hestland for Csrv.-s elaphus?". His rejoinder V7as "I don't
care a,hout the Cer\ais so long as it's elaphus I " Obviously he wanted
a really big one. So Hestland- it was,

■ lie flew to He,rewood and thence by road over Hindis and Haast
Passes, through miles of magnificent scenery down to Jacksons Bay,

Here the roa.d runs southwards through many miles of flat farm land near
the sea. There were patches of bush beside a crackling surf on a
shingle shore. And so with the mountains on our left and the sea
on our right 5 we toured on to road's end - Jackson's Bay x^harf. At
the present time this is' the southern limit of the all-x-rcathcr roads
on the xfest coast,

A perusal of the accompanying map xjill shoxr that the xjharf is
situated in a very. sheltered spot. This is caused by the, hook of the
shoreline produced by Ja,ckson Head and the sheltering effect seems
much more pronounced xhen one is there than it appears on a map. The
X7ave sxfolls from the open ocean nonrally pass by and strike the beach
some hundreds of yards north of the xdiarf. On the other hand a north,
to north-xJGst x^irl, blox7s right in,

Hox7 it so happened that a xrcek or so before our arrival at the
Bay, there had been a freak ra:.n and vxind storm from the North Nest,

The VJaiatoto and arawata rivers, four m.iles and more to the north of
the xrharf, ha,d reached ewtreme flood conditions. It caused the
Araxfata >to shift ic's mouth about half a mile further south. Some
idea of the quantity of fresh water involved can be gauged by
mentioning the Arax'rata river alone. The map is scale draxm by
pantograph from a Lands and Survey Department map. The Arawata
river is approximately a half mile xjide at a point where xre could see
that it had risen Ipetx'jcen 10 and 20 feet o ' A vast amount of fresh
x-jater xjcis driven by the north-xrest x-rind right doxm the coast and into
the bay at the x-xharf. The sea must have been changed to almost pure
fresh x-xater and its effects upon the sea creatures x-xas plain to bo
seen,

Strexm upon the beach for about a half mile from the wharf,
northwards, and under a herd of sandflies, x-rere .thousands of sea
creatures x-rhich had lost their lives. The beach xvas stinking.

-106-

Smothering- ourselves in insect repellent , Roy and I hraved the
sizzleing herd to investigate one of the most interesting washups
I have ever seen. The follox^ing will not he a complete list hut
should give some idea of the situation. Not all the specimens x^oro
fresh dead and it is realized that not all x;ould he killed hy fresh
x-rater.

Kelps Prohahly tons.

Sea urchins s Hundreds, Evechinus chloroticus.

Crahss Dozens. Camouflaged spider crahs^ large red crahs.
Crayfishs 83 counted. All Jasus lalandii,

Pauas Haliotis- iris - Up to 5"» Thousands,

Haliotis- australis -'Up to 4"» Hundreds,

Haliotis virginea virginoa - Up to 65mm, Ne brought
hack hetweon 300 and 4OO hy rough count. Most of
those have noxf been given axfay,

Musselss Mytilus edulis aoteanus. To about 4" in length.
Hundreds ,

Aulacomya maoriana. To about 3" in length. Hundreds,
Perna canaliculus. To 5"« Uot so ma.ny as the other
tx/o species above,

Cookia sulca,tas Diameter to 4"« Hundreds. Most were dead. Only
a fox-j xfere still alive.

Argohuccinum tumidums Up to about 3'^" long. Perhaps a hundred.
Some x^ere still alive, Tx70 x/ere attached to raid-littoral
rocks,

Modclia granosas Up to about 2" diameter. Estimate, about 20,
xA.ll wore dead but some, or most, had the animals still
inside the shells.

Lunella smaragdas A few only. To 60mm.

Trochus viriduss A fexr, 20mm,

Maurea punctulata stexrartianas 30mm. A fex^ dozen. Many xrith
operculums still shox/ing,

Maoricolpus roseuss A feu beach Xirorn.

Austrofusus glanss To in length. Perhaps a dozen near

the x^harf, xrhich is a rocky area, but hundreds at the
mouth of the xArax:ro.ta river. The mouth area is gravel but
it is probably sandy further out.

Charonia capaxs One only. Broken, about 110mm,

Protothaca crassicostas Up to 48mm, A fex7,

Paphirus largilliortis To 50mm. A fex;.

Zearcopagia disculuss One 30mm ,

Monia zelandica; A fexir, x/ith xreeds attached,

Taxrera spissas A feu ~ not many.

IHien the tide uo.s very loxir an examination of the tidal rocks
was made. Living species obviously little effected by the flood,
were conspicuous by their numbers s Lepsithais lacunosus; Lepsiella
scobina albor.xarginatag Lunella sm.aragda? Siphonaria zelandica;
Melarhapha oliveri (small spec imonsh Melarhapha oincta (small
specimens); Collana radians perana^ Ccllana strigilis redimiculum;
Molagraphia aothiopsr, Zediloma digna; Zodiloma aridag Axym.ene
turbator; Euccinulum littorinoidcs; and some chitons.

-107-

However, it was otlier'.'^ise for the Pauas in this prolific area.
Kaliotis iris were found undei' the stones where they had apparently
dropped off and were freshly cleaned- out. Only one was found alive.
This 'small specimen made all haste to g-et hack under my upedged stone.
Was this an extra tough specimenj able to resist fresh water? Or, was
it residing in a salt water pocket under a large stone at the time of
the flood? ‘ ‘

1/hile we were at the Bay two trawlers appeared at the wharf.

One of these trawled for fish mostly, ;vhile the other one trawled
only for bait for oray-pots',' ""Asked about shells, the fish 'trawler
brought in Argobucc inum tumidum , a handfull, whilst the cray-men
handed me tvjo Charonia- carax."' These' ■'jere nicely coloured, being-
trawled in shallow water. One is length, the other l60mm.

They said they seldom trawled for bait beyond, 20 fathoms. They also
handed me Xenophalium pyrum, Struthiolaria papulosa papulosa, Ale it hoe
swains oni and a great disappointment I Seen amongst the shells upon
the traveler deck, about seven feet below me on. the wharf, vias a slim,
creamy volute about five to six' 'inches long and about 1-^" in diameter.
It had deeply impressed sutures on the long spire,. As the skipper
handed up a bunch of shells, one slipped through his fingers, "plop"
into the water. It v;as the slim volute I How I wished for my dredge I
The skipper was very regretful, saying that it was the only one he
had ever seen and that it had been taken alive. Unf ortunately, time
did not allovr us an opportunity to make a determined effort to '
retrieve the shell from 12 feet of m.urky water.

Camping cut, Hoy and. I spent almost two weeks- stalking stags
in. the bush during a spell of ^perfect weather. The area traversed
is shown roughly by little crosses on the miap.

The southern side of Mt. Ellery appeared to be too wet for deer.
We saw none there and almost no sign, 'The ground, the stumps arid
the logs are all covered with a thick oozing sponge of moss. It
seems to be too wet for ponga ferns even, and not a snail could'be
found. ;

Cn the north "western side of Mt. Jackson the conditions are
m.uch better. Here there are tree ferns aplenty, but it is still
extremely wet and mossy. We waded through Prince of Wales feather
ferns, waist deep and deeper. Eungoids ranged . in- size from minutes
to 15 inches across. Their colours diversified from lemon and
orange through brooms to blood red. But where were the snails?
Although T76 searched areas ranging from near sea level to 3? 000 feet
we could not find a snail of any kind.

In the stream, between Lake Ellery and the Jackson River we
found live specimens of a fresh water mussel'. They appeared to be
the usual Hyridella menziesi, as were also those I'd seen on an
earlier trip -on the •Gascade'^fTats further inland.

.TACKS ON/ Bay

o/Z3<^5-<i>7§

I I I j 1 I ^ i I ■

Scol^ of

BusK ei'to covc-»'(’d ’.

V»nd J I reel" Pel ^

Mop pc'*^ t"o Q f'fl ^ A ^e/ hy oi^'tKo^' fror^ /vO *^cl 5 Su ^ ry'Op

N D

-108-

On the May home we digressed a little to investigate the new
motor road being built on the West coast northwards from Haast.
Crossing the new bridge over the Haast River the road runs beside the
sea for 10 miles. This is 10 miles of shingle beach without a single
shell until at last • some rocks are reached, ''•'Jhen ve arrived the tide
was low. There was kelp, blue mussels, barnacles, Ce liana radians
per ana 9 Cellana ornata, Benhamina obliquata, and xfaves that rolled and
rattled on a shingle shore.

Yes, Roy took home the antlers of a Cervus elaphus, but perhaps
they x^rere not quite so elephantine as he had hoped,

— oOo —

I«1AGAZI!]E ARTICLES OF INTEREST

' ANIMALS ’ - Sea Anemones - 3rd. November I964,

Molluscan Shell Patterns - 1 0th, November I9640

Echinoderms - 20th, December I964,

' NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ’

Tree Snails - Gems of the Everglades - March 19^5*
— oOo —

t

Editors:

N

& N, Gardner

POIRIERIA

Auckland Museum
Conchology Section

VoL3

•T

I I

I

1

GRAZING CARNIVORES - SOME SEA-SLUGS FEEDING
ON SEDEJITARY INVERTEBRATES
SY

M.C. MILLER,

INTRODUCTION*

Nudibranch molluscs feed on a wide variety of sessile animals 5
sponges, hydroids, sea-mosses (polyzoans) and sea-squirts (ascidians)
being the kinds commonly eaten. All nudibranchs have special diets s
many eat only one kind of food e.g. sponges and some of these specialise
to such an extent as to feed on only one species e.g. Archidoris
pseudoargus only eats the sponge Halichondria panicea? others are
not quite so fussy and may feed on species from two quite different
groups of organisms e.g. Goniodoris nodosa eats polyzoans and
ascidians. As will be shown later, each main type of food is eaten
in a different way.

Since nudibranchs are specialized feeders their lives are very
much influenced by their food organisms, A nudibranch always lives
on or near its food and the size of populations is controlled directly by
the condition of the food - numbers are large xfhen food is abundant,
small when it is scarce.

STRUCTURE AND FU:^ICTIONING OF THE GUT

The nudibranch gut has two important regions for dealing with
the food; the buccal mass which effects ingestion and the stomach and
digestive gland where digestion takes place. Of the rest of the gut|
the oesophagus is simply a pipe through which food is conducted to
the stomach from the buccal mass, and the intestine functions as a
tube through which the wastes are expelled.

- 2 -

The sea-slug breaks up and ingests the food organism with its
buccal mass using the radula (a tongue of chitinous teeth), jaws or
both, and at the same time covers the prey with mucus from the lips
and enzymes from the salivary glands. The food is then passed to the
oesophagus and, by the action of cilia, peristalsis or pressure
caused by the intake of more food, it is quickly transported to the
stomach. In the stomach enzymes from the salivary and digestive
glands attack, the soft parts of the food and these are soon broken
do\m into small particles. These particles are then either engulfed
by amoebocytes which pass back and forth through the wall of the
stomach or they are driven, by ciliary activity or the contraction of
the stomach, into the digestive gland and swallowed up there by
certain cells of the epithelium - whichever vray, the final stages of
digestion are intracellular, Orfe digestion is complete these same
cells extrude waste matter and this is added to the large indigestible
fragments which have already been shunted to a particular region of
the stomach. Periodic contractions of the stomach squeeze these
residues into the intestine where they are moulded into faeces and
then transported to the exterior.

Since nudib ranch food often contains hard material, mucus must
perform two important functions^ it must ease the passage of this
material through the gut and protect the delicate gut wall from being
damaged by it.

FFEPII:G I^GHAmSMS

An examination of various species from each of the four major
groups of nudibranch will shew that there are several different
methods of feeding and that these are related to the kind of food
organism eaten. The methods fall roughly into three categories?
scraping, tearing and biting, and sucking. In each case the gut shows
certain modifications associated with the feeding habits? the most
important of these occur in the buccal mass - this organ clearly
reflects the feeding habits, though this is hardly surprising since
it is the anterior region of the gut v.hich is responsible for
ingesting the prey,

SCRAPING

The sponge-eating dorids (the large sea-lemons) are
nudibranchs which scrape out their prey. Local examples of these
are s

Archidori.s wellingtononsis which feeds on Hymeniacidon perlevis,
Glossodoris amoena and G. aureomarginata on Dysidea fragilis,
Rostarga nabicunla on Microciona coccinea end Holoplocamia

no vi z e 1 anicum

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE GUT

INTESTiNe

MOUTH

ANUS

STOMAO

•^<?INCIPAL DUCT OF Dt

INGESTION

2

DICES* ON IN THE STOMACH AND O.G.

A'

I:

I;

II rr^lli^ii

SCRAPING

Archidoris

buccal TMJH

PAOULA

inncrmoit tt«th

V-

^ A '

■It

?:”Ah

'i 6 ^ lV3H

’:■ ' *1

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- 5 -

Tliese dorid nudibranchs have a very broad radula (with as many
as 200 tasbh in a transverse row) which they use to rasp the sponge 5
the continual to and fro movement of this tongue through the mouth,
accompanied by an opening out and closing together of its two halves,
tears off small pieces of the sponge and conveys them to the
oesophagus, A special feature of the gut of these dorids is the
stomach caecum which serves as a repository for the sponge spicules
until they are passed to the intestine,

TEARING AND BITING

The mechanisms of tearing and biting are essentially similar
and only differ in the way the food is detached, raggedly or cleanly,
and this, as we will see later, depends on whether the prey is tough
or delicate.

Tearing with the radula

This method is used by the polycerids, a group of sea-slugs
which eat polyzoa^s. The polycerids have a buccal mass which has a
pair of delicate jaws and a fairly narrow radula with large hooked
teeth, A local example is a species of Polycera (a new and as yet
unnamed one) which feeds on Bugula stolonifera and B. neritina,

^fhen feeding the animal v/orks at the tips of the branched colony. It
rolls out its lips and grasps the terminal section of the branch with
the jaws. The radula is then worked against the proximal zooecia
of this section and, at the came time, the animal tugs the branch by
contracting the head on the firmly anchored hind end. Eventually, by
the continued plucking of the radula and tugging of the body, a short
segment of 8 - 10 zooecia is broken off. This fragment is gradually
drawn in through the mouth and carried to the oesophagus by the
radula. Ingestion of the fragment is effected by the large hooked
laterals of the radula which act as grappling irons, khen the
radula is thrust out through the m.outh these teeth separate and then,
at the commencement of withdrawal, they close around the fragment
and pull it in. Gradually the radula is worked to the tip of the
detached piece until the whole of it has been hauled in. During the
forward stroke of the radula when it is not clasping the fragment is
held by the lips at the top of the mouth.

In the juveniles the mode of attack is somevrhat different.

The young animal is too small to snap off pieces of a polyzoan
colony and, therefore, resorts to squeezing the soft polypide out
of its house (zooecium), When feeding the animal rolls out its lips,
dilates the mouth and grasps the open end of the zooecium. Rhythmical
contraction and relaxation of the lips forces the polypide in and
out of the zooecium rather like a jack-in-the-box. This action is
synchronised with the back and forth movement of the radula which
tears off pieces of the polypide each tim.e it is pressed out.

6 -

Tearing with the ,ia>fs

The pachygnathousarminids are a group of sea-slugs which
practise this form of eating - they prey on polyzoans,

A local species is Madrella sp. (another undescrihed species)
which feeds on the polyzoan Beania magellanica» When feeding the
mouth is opened wide and the buccal mass thrust forward so that the
jaws and radula are protruded o Jaw and tooth movements are
wynchronized with those of the buccal mass| when the buccal mass is
thrust fon-rard the jaws and lateral teeth of the radula open, vrhen
it is withdraxm, they close. The polyzoan zooecium is fractured by
the action of the jaws closing upon it and drawing it into the buccal
cavity accompanied by the contraction of the head on the firmly fixed
foot. This is repeated many times until the zooid or part of it is
torn from the colony. The radula acts as a conveyor belt and
transports the detached zooid to the oesophagus. The x^hole action
is rhythmical, there being an active phase of 10 - 25 seconds during
which the animal makes 4-8 thrusts with the buccal mass followed
by a resting phase of 60 - 'JO seconds.

Biting with the jaws and radula

This is the mode of attack of those sea-slugs which feed on
coelenterates i,e, the dendrenotids and aeolids,

Tritonia, a species which feeds on Alc.yonium (dead man's
fingers) has \"ery large, strong jaws and a broad radula with as
many as 4OO teeth in a transverse roxi. During feeding the buccal
mass is protruded and the radula grips the surface of the Alcyonium
colony, fixing the buccal mass and thus giving the jaws the purchase
needed for effective cutting. The jaxTs close together with force
and cut off a piece of the colony (this can be quite large - it may
sometimes be the size of a French bean) xdiich is then conveyed to
the oesophagus by the radula as it is retracted. Apparently the
juveniles are unable to cut the thick outer covering of the Alcyonium
colony with their jax-7s and have to scrape it away with the radula.

A large proportion of these biting nudibranchs feed on hydroids.
They also have a buccal mass armed with jax7s and a radula, but the
latter is fairly narrox-7 with fex-r teeth in a transverse row and there
is a large central tooth. The radula of the most advanced aeolids
is reduced to a single roxr of very large teeth, the centrals. The
feeding action of these sea-slugs is like that of Tritonia except
that the radula functions as a third cutting edge. The tx70 jaws and
the radula foirni a triangle of blades xjhich out into and grip the prey
as it is pulled into the buccal cavity, hithdraxral of the buccal mass
is accompanied by violent contractions of the head end of the body.
This cycle may be repealed several times before the hydranth ( a
feeding head of the hydroid colony) or part of it is detached. Large
individuals of Hero and Facelinella can bite off the x/hole head of a
polype of the gymnoblastic hyciroid 'Tubularia.

TEARING WITH THE RADULA

Polycera

ADULT FEEDING

nudibroneh

i/

RADULAR teeth

LIP PLATES

5

TEARING WITH TH^ JAWS

Madrella

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- 9 -

Those aeolids which feed on sea-anemones e,g, Aeolidiella
attack their prey in the same manner as their hydroid eating
relatives. They do show, however, one important structural
modification^ the tooth of the radula (consists of a single row
of teeth, the centrals) is very hroad and forms a vzide hlade v;hich
is most suitable for cutting into the broad surface presented by
such large prey. An attack on an anemone is usually made on the
oral ring particularly near the edge.

SUCKING Airo Pin^miG

Various kinds of dorid nudib ranch feed in this manner 5 they
prey on barnacles, ascidians and polyzoans, particularly ctenostomes
and chitinous cheilostomes. They all possess a buccal mass which
has the dorsal wall modified to form a suction device - the structure
of this varying from species to species. In Acanthodoris pilosa
a species vrhich feeds on Alcyonidium species, this suction apparatus -
the buccal pump - is simply a swelling in the dorsal xfall of the
buccal rnass^ in Onchidoris fusca, which feeds on barnacles and
polyzoans, it is highly developed and has the form of a muscular
globe attached to the buccal mass by a narrow stalk. Since the buccal
pump is not exclusive to any one systematic group, possession of it
indicates a distinctive feeding habit not a phylogenetic relationship.
The radula is very narrow and has only four teeth in each transverse
row, the innermost being the largest - the points of each pair of these
lateral teeth diverge and in some forms they are probably used for
lancing and compressing the prey.

A local species of suctorial dorid is a species of Okenia (new
and unnamed) vfnich feeds on the delicate ctenostome polyzoan
Zoobotryon pellucidum. Okenia has a bulb-shaped buccal pump which
is attached by a wide stem to the anterior end of the buccal mass.
When Okenia feeds it works slowly along the bra.nches of the colony
sucking in the zoo ids rather like a vacuum cleaner. The lips are
held in such a way as to reduce the mouth to a small orifice, little
larger than the diameter of a single zooecium. The mouth is
fastened to the top of a zooecium and the radula is worked against
it, the strokes being short and rapid. At the same time the buccal
pump is dilated, creating a suction force vj-hich drav^s the polypide
out of its zooecium. The polypide withdraws when the suction is
released. This sucking action is repeated several times so that
a tug-of-war develops between the polypide and the nudibranch.

Soon, however, the polypide is sucked out of its house or, if the
connection between the stem of the colony and the zooecium is
v/eakened, the zooid is ingested. Once the zooid has been drawn into
the buccal cavity, the mouth is closed and the subsequent pumping
phase of the bulb forces it along the oesophagus.

— oOo —

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12 -

MOLLUSCS AND 14M

(Condensed from an Article in
the British Medical Journal
31st, July 1965)

J.ROSEIIBAUM,

Molluscs are necessary intermediate hosts of a wide range of
parasites causing much disease in man and his domestic animals. The
most important snail- transmit ted disease is Bilharziasis, which
infects Between I80 and 200 million people in parts of China, Egypt,
Africa and South America.

Bilharziasis is on the increase. Rew areas are being invaded,
especially where irrigation projects and dams provide breeding places
for the snail host. The bilharziasal worms are blood flukes, which
live in the bowell, bladder or liver veins. They are related to
other fliJces vjhich live in the bile ducts, gut or linings respectively,
(The latter causing endemic blood-spottirg) These are only a few
of the many flukes xihich infect man. Although they all develop
in different species of snails some are transmitted to man through a
second host, which might be a fresh water fish, a crustacean or an
aquatic plant. Remarkably little is known about many of the snails
of medical importance, but there are signs of an increased interest
in the subject.

Most of these infections are animal diseases, with animal
reservoir hosts. The living flukes, the liver-flukes amd the
bowel-flukes are all found in a wide range of x/ild and domestic
animals. The same is true of bilharziasis, especially in the far
east and in Brazil. In Africa Baboons are knoxm to be affected with
one species of "human" bilharzial x-rorms and cattle with another.

Recent advances in medical treatment have had little effect on the
prevalence of these diseases. Although sanitary measures and health
education have had some success, the most effective control has been
in areas where attention has been given to killing the Snails. The
most striking results have been achieved throughout a vast area of
Northern China, and tx>ro million acres in the Gazira irrigation
scheme in the Sudan, Snail control xxas first introduced in Egypt
but bilharziasis is still a formidable problem in that country,
despite an enormous annual expenditure on molluscacides.

Snail control is noxr receiving the attention of some of the
large chemical concerns. An ideal compound - toxic to snails, non
toxic to mammals and fish, and effective in very lox-r concentrations -
has not yet been developed. But several are available X'j’hich are
effective in concentrations of less than one part per million,
and are much less toxic to mammal and fish than older molluscacides
such as copper- sulphate and phenols. But poisoning is not the only
method of snail-control. Excellent results have been achieved by
changing the snails* environment. In China, x^here the bilharzial

- 13 -

snails are ampiiibious, they can he drowned hy flooding affected
areaso The converse is sometimes possible in Africa and South
America where the hilharzial snails are aquatic; they can he dried
out hut unfortunately many of them can survive for long periods in
dried mud. In the West Indies a large cannihalistic South American
snail has heen introduced and it has effectively controlled the
hilharzia-carriers in some streams. The introduction of snails
from one area to another, however, can have unforseen results. When
the giant edihle African land-snail, Achatina, was introduced into
the Pacific Islands, it proved to he an excellent host to the local
rat lung-worm. This parasite is now believed to he the main cause
of an epidemic type of meningitis in the Pacific,

In Britain (and Nex^ Zealand) the liver-fluke is still a
major veterinary problem in sheep farming areas, and from time to
time man is infected. HoxTever it is much commoner in Europe,
where watercress is often contaminated hy infected snails,

(Particulars about the development of flukes are to he fovind in

"Animals Parasitic in Man" by S,Lapage, Pelican hooks
A 397- The Editor.)

— oOo—

NOTES OF INTEREST

Laurie Price, who is land snailing with Dr, Solen in Western
Samoa, xrrites that they are settling dox«i to some steady field
work

— "Although it has rained most days, only a couple of times has it
heen too thick for collecting. We have heen around 9 localities in
various parts of Upalu, some places more than once.

Unexpectedly, many of the species are widespread over the
island from 2400' doxm to about 100' (the altitude range we have
covered so far).

As one xrould expect in hot, x-xet tropics, many species are
found above the ground on trees and shomihs - even some genera or
families vrhich are normally confined to the ground in drier
climates - (e.g. Sue cine a, Helicarion, Suhulina) Amongst the
larger species xie’ve got to date are 3 species of Partula,

2 species of Sue cine a, 3 species of Trochomorpha, 2 species of
Ostrodes and about 4 species of Helicina. Of these, the most
intriguing to me are the Ostrodes sp, - these are operculates
of Cyclophoridae. "

- 14 -

For Collectors wtLO anticipate some shore collecting in the
North during vacation, we give some details of the new Quihulla
sub tropic a described recently by Dr, Powell, (See New Publications,
in this issue) as they would stand a good chance of corning across
wash-ups of this species.

offshore from clear ocean beaches.

This shell is,
actually common-
ly found in
Norfolk Island,
but has now been
recorded from
several places
in Northland
from Cape Maria
to ll/hangar ei
Heads. ‘Ic/hile our
Quibulla quoyi
(Gray) prefers
harbours or
esturine situa-
tions, Quibulla
subtropica
apparently lives

Quibulla subtropica differs from Quibulla quoyi in the
following details s-

Shape :- More cylindrical, outer lip bent in somewhat in centre.

Apical cavity s- Straight side, not tapering as in quoyi.

Colours- Blotched pattern, reddish brovrn colour, no spirals on
base.

Editor,

Mrs, Johnston of Herne Bay had some interesting finds while shell
hunting up beyond Whangarei, Her prize shell w*as an empty Mammilla
simiae (Deshayes)- of good size and beautifully marked.

Under a stone resting in sand at the same beach were a
multitude of small shells - many alive but some inhabited by hermit
crabs.

The best of these species were s-

Over tx70 dozen Pellaz huttoni (Pilsbry) ranging
from adult to some the size of a pin head.

20 - Austromitra rubiginosa (Hutton)

1 - " antipodura (Brookes)

1 - " erecta Powell

contd/

- 15 -

7 - Neoguraleus tenebrosus Powell,

22 - " murdochi (Finlay)

2 - " sandersoni Powell,

” whangaroaensis Powell.

1 - Aoteadrillia rawitensis (Hedley)

3 - Macrozafra sub ab norm is (Suter)

1 - Liratilia subnodosa Powell,

35 - Pissoina anguina Finlay - These were lined,
blotched, zigzag marks, various colours
and plain yellow.

Rissoina chathamensis (Hutton)

6 - Zemitrella stephanophora ( Suter)

HE17 PHBLICATIOITS.

Part 2 of Vol.6. of the Records of the Auckland Museum made its
appearance in October 1965* This is devoted entirely to Molluscan
research and contains much of interest to the Hew Zealand collector,
both casual and advanced.

Three very detailed papers are by Mr, H. Ponder - the titles and
abstracts are as follows

(1) The Family Eatoniellidae in Hew Zealand by h'.F, Ponder.

Ho, 2. pp.47 - 99.

Abstract s-

"A Hew Family, the Eatoniellidae is proposed, and 23 new
species, 5 new sub-genera and 3 new genera are described.

Classification of the 43 Hew Zealand species has been
based, where possible, on a combination of the morphology of
the shell, the operculum, the radula and exposed animal."

(2) A Revision of the Hew Zealand Recent Species previously known

as Hotosetia Iredale 19'!5« (Rissoidae, Gastropoda)

VJ.F. Ponder, 101 - I3I.

Abstract z-

"The thirty recent Hew Zealand species previously
classified in the genus Hotosetia are reviewed. The revised
classification of these species is based on a study of animal,
operculum and radula. The species are regrouped in three
families and nine genera and sub-genera. Five new species,

3 new genera, 3 new sub-genera and one new sub-family are
described."

(3)

, , . _ - 16 - .

A Revision of tlie New Zealand Recent and Fossil Species of
Estea Iredale 1913 « W.F, Ponder, pp 131 - I6l.

Abstract" s-

"Tbe Genus Estea Iredale, is described and the recent and
fossil New Zealand species are revised. Details of radula,
opercula, penes and external appearance of hnimals of several
species are given. A nex/. sub-genus is created for Estea
angustata. Powell| several species are synonynised, and txfo
nex^ species are described. Five species previously included
in the genus are excluded."

Dr. Powell presents a paper entitled

"Nexf Zealand Molluscan Systeraatics x^ith Descriptions of
Nex/ Species: Part 5* A. ¥,B. Powell, ■

. pp. I6l - 168,

r • ‘ .

Abstract ?-

"In this part. Five ne\r species and five nexr genera to the
New Zealand Recent fauna are described or recorded: a surprise
item is a nexi species of the Mediterranean architectonicid
genus C;A"iscus. Of special note is the great increase of the
sub-tropical element, represented by the recording of the
first New Zealand recent occurrence of a true, Cypraeid; a
large porcellanous PoIinic.es and the subtropical or tropical
Annoperenna verrucosa, Pomiscala perplexa, Bulla (Quibulla)
sxxbtropicalis nexf species and Atys naucum. The large North
Queensland Latirus gibbulus recorded on the basis of one
empty shell is noted but further records are required before
this exotic species can be admitted as a natural occurrence
in the Nex^ Zealand fauna, "

— oOo'

17 -

THE MKE7JE CIRCULATION SYSTEM
THE UIHVERSITY OF AUCXLAUT.

T.P, Warren, ,

Because New Zealand is essentially a maritime nation^ the
Zoology Course at the University places particular emphasis on. Marine
Ecology and Biology, It follows that. the study of many animals in
their live as well as natural state is highly desirable, and for this
reason a relatively efficient system .is incorporated in the Department
for keeping .large ' quantities of animals . alive and . available for instant
study over considerable periods ■ of time.,’ . ' . i. ■■ ■ • .

The Marine Circulation Room is located in the Zoology basement
where much of the "behind the scenes" life of the Department -takes
place. The room itself moa,sures'12 feet by 8 feet with a reinforced
ceiling overhead to house the main reservoir tanlcs, each capable of
holding 100 gallons. These are connected to one another so that ^
Tanlc 1 flows. .into Tanlc 2 which in turn flows into Tank 3 at a slightly
loxfor level, A gravity pipe Ibads' from near the base of Tank. 3 down
through the ceiling to a stopcock. This connects with a horizontal'
pipe fitted with 9 Polythene taps, each of which can be fitted to a
4 ga,llon Perspex tank via short pipe leads. The small tanks arc
designed to overflow through built-in standpipes to a long black-
■ painted trough measuring 8 feet long by 2 feet wide by 18 inches
deep. It occupies most of the length, of one side of- the room.

Above,' . is a platform at x;aist ■ height with movable wooden, slats upon
which stand the individual Perspex tanks. It may be mentioned here
that all the woodwork is -strongly coated with fibreglass .to prevent
corro.sion or contamination, while for the same 'reason’ 'all the piping
is , of Polythene, . The. stopcocks and pump parts in contact with the
seawater are of plastic derivatives^orv stainless steel.

The bottom of '.the- maiii,.,t, rough is . s lightly ''sloped- 'and~.at its
deepest end. contains a standpipe leading to a 1 00 'ga;'ll"on[~S'ettling
tank located at floor level against the opposit'e A'irall,, .Oyer it is
built a black-painted self draining platform' .with a black u'all
surround, and an overhead stopcock Prom the main reservoir tanks.

Here, large specimen tanlcs may be set up with increased aereation
facilities, while the black background is especially'’ useful for the
close up photography of living animals.

The remaining space on this side of the Circulation Room is
occupied by overhead shelving to store tanlcs and other equipment 5
below is a stainless steel bench and sinlc unit with built-in
draxjers and cupboards. Here also is the main pum.p x-rhich is a
Brennan rotary type consisting of a stainless steel xirorm running
inside a polythene Stator; the xfhole driven by a quarter horsepower
electric motor. An automatic mercury float sx'vitch is installed
but seldom used as we prefer to adopt continuous running, by doing
so the xihole volume of xfator is in continual circulation and
theoretically turned over every tx-xelve hours, thus creating a
"tidal" effect.

- 18 -

By Being continually aereated the water is a good deal Better
for animal life than that in many parts of Auckland HarBour. To
ensure that there is not too much animal matter in suspension we
like to keep a permanent live supply of filter feeders ^ e.g.
Pomatoceras carinifera (the common TuBe Worm) 9 and Actinia teneBrosus
(the small red Anemone )„ Over the reservoir tanks is a double Weon

tuBe Burning night and day. This encourages the grovrch of surface
algae and helps to keep the water clean. It is only on extremely
rare occasions that the whole volume of water needs changing. Our
present routine is to collect 100 gallons every fortnight p this wo
do By taking a portable plja-rood and fibreglass tank and an electric
pump in the Departmental van to Okahu Bay, The 100 gallons of fresh
seawater is introduced to the system via an auxiliary pump and as it
enters, so 100 gallons of the existing supply is displaced into the
main drains. This method has proved entirely satisfactory at all
times, A slight amount of evapouration inevitably takes place But
as the salinity and temperature are tested every day or two we find
that any change can be rectified By topping up the supply with de-
ionised water.

Regarding the marine life itself, much depends on the Laboratory
requirements at any given time. During the Physiology Course, for
example, we have to keep continual stocks of at least two dozen each
of Perna canaliculus; Lconder affinis (the common marine Shrimp) p
Isocradactys magna fthe big West Coast Anemone )p Platynereis
australis (a sand dv7clling Polychaetc worrn)p and Homigrapsus edwardsi -
the comm.on purple rock crab.

The Platynereis arc housed in one tanle containing an inch or so
of sand. On top of this live the Isocradactys , some attached to the
(interior) sides of the tanlc and others on sm.all Perspex plates. The
Leandor and nemigrapsus are Both sca.vongers, and though useful for
disposing of surplus refuse they must Be housed in separate lidded
tanlcs, otherwise they prey on other animals we may require sooner or
later, Hio Perna live in the largo trough and require continual
replacement as we use them not only for experimental work But also
to feed other anim.als, Por feeding the crabs and shrii.-'.ps it is
simply a Tiatter of Broalcing the mussels into a few pieces and
dropping them into the tanlcsj the anemones must Bo fed individually
By placing a piece of mussel flesh into their mouth cavities with
long tweezers. After a while they Become used to this and require
no coaxing whatsoever. The Physiology Coui’se occupies tw”0 Terras
and the supply of experimental animals has to Be maintained for at
least si:: months of each year so as to overlap the Examination as
well.

The Invertebrate Option for Zoology is alternate years and it
GO happens that I985 is one of them. During the First Terra the
Stage One Labs, required at tines such things as 25O Lunolla smaragda?
100 or so of Thysanozo on (the swimming marine Flat worm ) ^ 2 0Q~Perna
canaliculus, Alcyonium (dead man’s fingers);- similar numbers

of Sortularia (inussol beardT; FlaBellum; numerous demonstration
molluscs including Polccypods and Chitons; Sabollaria and similar
marine Worm.s; OpistlioBranch molluscs; Tunicates; Polyzoans,ctc. ,

- 19 -

Not only docs this ontnil a large collecting project, hut
accomodating the material until required is quite a job. Mostly
the Labs, are organized xfith an eye to suitable tides as far as
possible, and we collect during the previous few days. Nevertheless,
the animals have to be maintained sometim.es for a xreek or so and
some losses are inevitable, though fortunately rare. There is the
ontreme occasion when the pump breaks dox-m, but we always carry a
full range of spare parts and the Workshop Technician soon has it
going again.

Luring the Second Term there was a series of Molluscan Labs,
for Stage 2 and 3. This meant collecting about 100 specimens each
of Melanopsis, Siphonaria, Amphibola, Ccllana, Melagraphia , Scutus ,
Lendrodoris , Neothais , Ilarinula, Zeacumantus , ilytilus, Crassostroa,
Chione , Macomona, Ilaoricrypta, etc,, to dissect all the main groups;
besides, a quantity of other species for demonstration purposes.

Half of the collection vras required for Monday and Nednesday streams,
the remainder for Tuesday and Friday, so the specimens had to be
looked after for upxfards of o. xreek. Casualties -were very fexf and
the course passed off without a hitch. Oddly enough, the Pulmonate
Siphenarias seem to bo the most delicate of those mentioned above
xdien it comes to maintaining them in circulation. In the end we had
to fill a tank with clean stones (of which x^c ha,ve a permanent supply)
and run a very sloxr flox-7 of water as the animals shox;ed a tendency
to drox-m if submerged for long and nothing could induce them, to move
up the sides of/ tank clear of the xrater, probably bocaxiso of light
sensitivity, Hox/ever, they craxfl on to the stones to our
relief.

Folloxring the Molluscan Labs, x/oro several others including
xrork on Crustaceans, Sponges, Coelonterates and EcLinoderms. For
each of these xre had to supply 80 - 100 examples of appropriate
living material, seme of xdiich caused a lex^ anxious moments. Sponges
can bo a problem as they are bulky and if a fexj specimens die amongst
the multitude they quickly bccom.e foul and pulluto the xjholo system.
This means the xdiole collection must bo gone over tx-jico a day, and
as some species contain quantities of mud tlio xjator soon becomes
cloudy and takes quite a ti.mo to clear ag-ain. Luring the Schinoderm
Course, the common rock star Patiriella regularis preyed on the
Molluscs ax'iraiting the Practicals later on. Tlie big sand star,
Astropecteny x-7as another problem, He brought about 50 from, LTaangarei
in Augnst and for the first fexr days all seemed X7ell until xfe
discovered that some of the ones in the large trough (vrhich at
that time had about cin inch of sc,nd all over the bottom) X7ero
crax;ling into the sand and dying. 'This m.eant constant census-
taking as a dead Astropecten decomposes very quickly and trying to
remove a foul- smelling body from the sand x^ithout too much
disturbance to the surroundings surpasses description.

Once the Term Laboratory Courses are finished it is necessary
to dispose of all surplus material and give the xjhole system, a
thorough cleaning to prepare for the Practical Examinations at the
end of October,

20 -

For the Practicals a large list of requirements is prepared in
advance j but collecting means a hectic few days as the material must
be available in tim.ej and the tides and xreather mal:e detailed planning
necessary particularly as animals from both East and West Coast
localities are required. As fas as possible we try to have four
couples visit a similar number of localities ^ each with a list of
requirements from each area; this works quite well xrith the minimum
of duplication and overlap. This year we ended up on a Wednesday
evening at 6,30 p,m, with all the specimens needed for Thursday
morning as ordered, but with every available inch of space in the
tanks crammed to bursting point,

Novr that the Academic Year and the Exams arc all over the
pressure is off and the System is running at minimum capacity. The
main collection in the tanks at present consists of kolluscs for
Mr, Ponder's Stenoglassan research and dissections — Ponion,
Buccinulura, Ncothais, Muroxsul and Alcithoo, Besides these there
are a few IJudibranchs and their eggs and larvae; together with the
permanent populations of filter-feeders and scavengers. From time
to time there are other animals in and out for study and display or
photographing; but at least there is also a few weeks' respite
before collecting begins again in preparation for the start of the
1966 teaching year.

— oOo —

Editors? IT. & IT

Gardner

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21

Vol.3.

0 I R I E R I A .

Part 2., March. I966.

AIT. gSUSUAL OPPORTUIff^

* .V

Stan Turner.

Recently, from a trawl net which h,ad "been set in about 30 fathoms
north of ITorth Cape, I was able to collect a variety of sponges and
sea growths.

As the area bad not been trawled before to my knowledge', and is
renowned as a spong’e bed to be avoided by trawlers, I took the
opportunity of collecting up most of the likely loolcing debris. Each
piece I washed thoroughly in a bucket of water. When the residue was
sieved and sorted, the contents appeared to be very interesting and
this proved to be so after being identified by Mr, Gardner,

A list of the species present is ;•

Gosa costata (B«mard)

Kidderia aupouria Powell

Cuna manavratawhia Powell

Pleuromeris latiuscula benthioola Powell
ITobolira cochlearella Powell
" contigua Powell

" affinis Powell

Merelina sp,

Rissoina achatinoides Powell
" powelli Finlay

" larochei Finlay

Alipta crenistria (Suter)

Joculator sp.

At axocerit Ilium hutteni (Cossmann)

Zemitrolla stephoncphhra ( Suter)

" regius Powell

Marginella larochei Poirell

" ficula (Mordoch Sc Suter)

Closia maoria Powell

- ■ Neoguraleus tenebrosus Powell

Austrodiaphana maunganuica Powell
Palcis sp,

Serpulorbis maorianus (Powell)

B^denia semireticulata (Murdoch Sc Suter)

Austronoba cf. oliv<*ri
Austromitra n, sp.

The best treasure of all was a tall slender little shell, with
red apial stripes considered by Dr, Powell to be a new Genus and species
for ITew Zealand, We had previously found two others at Cape Maria in
shell sand.

— oOo^

- 22 -

IKEDALINA - OUR GOLDEN VOLUTE

N.W. Gardner.

. This is undoubtedly our most sought after volute and the one
referred to by volute fanciei^s as the golden volute - a name that fits
it very well for its colour does resemble that of the golden cowrie.

Unfortunately, it is a shell from very deep water and is therefore
not often obtainable, ■ • ■

It was in I926 that Finlay described the first Iredalina mirabilis
which remained unique for 25 years. Since 195^ further specimens have
been broiight J.n by ccrmercial fishermen but good live taken examples
are still extremely rare. In Auckland Museum Records 1954 Dr, Powell
described a second species Iredalina aurantia from Cape Saunders as
smaller than mi rag 'I is , more inflated with a spire angle of
44-52 and about 10 raised spiral threads running around the
pillar" . Fig. 1 , Specimens of this inflated shell are known from
Otago Heads, Tiir.aru and off Banlcs Peninsular,

More recently specimens of Iredalina have been trawled from
very deep xrater off the East Coast of the Auckland Province, All seem
to be roferrable to tie slender mirabilis. A broken specimen is
recorded by Dr, Doll in the Trans. Roy, Scfb, Zoo.' 20 1963j from 17 miles
N.E, of the Cavalli Islands in 260 fathoms. This example has the
spiral threads on the pillar, not normally present in mirabilis and
leads Dr, Dell to consider that probably only one species should be
recognised,

•

Lately, three further North Island examples have come to light,
taken from the Lay of Plenty in I50 fathoms. Two of these are in the
Turner Collection (Fig, 2 is of one). Loth are smallish shells, both
of very slender cv.bline, boti; vjell indented at the lower sutural
region and have the usual 10 spirals on the pillar attributed to
I. aurantia..

Although quite shiny in appearance the smooth high glaze of
aurantia is not apparent 5 ■ rather are there a series of growth lines
of irregular strength.

These two shells posess- a glazed apical spike of notable size
which the writer has never seen in aurantia. This spike is very
similar to that which is seen in the South American Volute Zidona
angulata Swainson, •

- 23 -

1, Iredalina aurantia Powell (spire angle 5^°)

2, Iredalina miraliilis Finlay (spire angle 31°)
Both Figures actual size.

- 24 -

PHENACHAROPA.

N.¥.G.

Members on collecting’ h.olida7S around the East Ckjast of horthland,
especially near Whananaki, should watch out for a rather novel little
land snail which is often found sheltering in the fallen nikau fronds
in the small patches of
hush in gullies near this
coast.

This is Phenacharopa
novoseelandic.a (Pfeiffer)
(Pheno meaning similar to)-
which has developed a
turret ed shelly the only
one in a family of about
70 species, all more or
less discoidal, to do so.

Suterj records in
his i-lanual, - from
Gisborne Southwards along
the eastern side of the
dividing Ranges.

The late 14r. Brookes
collected this species
from Hen Island (under
loose bark) and it has
also been' found near
Whangarei though it
appears to occur more
commonly around Whananaki.

~oOo~*“

Dr. Rosenbaum writes s-

" In the November number of Tuatara appears an article by 14ichael
Howells "Notes on a Potential Trematode Parasite of Man in New
Zealand".

He found in about 4 specimens of Zeacumantus subcarinatus,
larvae of a fluke, which is normally parasitic in the eye-socket
or gills, but which b.a.s on rare occasions been found in man".

0O0-—

- 25 -

AIT ODD FEATUEE,

N.W.G*

Why is it that some of our minute land snails produce such odd
external processes on their shells?

One that comes to mind is Phrixj?nathus ref^ularis (Pfeiffer), a
dwarf of about 3 mm. Just recently, I sorted out from leaf mould
from Owhango in the ICing Country, some perfect live examples showing
this feature at maximum development.

The illustration
(of a not quite adult
specimen) shows this
ornamentation in the
form of a row of
bristles at the peripheral
region, while higher on
the whorl a series of
elongated appendages,
broadening out into
spoon shaped ends, stand
erect.

Old adult specimens tend to be denuded of this arrangement, but
younger examples are certainly oddities,

Phrixgnathus regularis (Pfeiffer) does not occur with any
frequency near Auckland but is not unusual in areas adjacent to the
main mountain ranges in the centre of the North Island and in '
Taranaki.

— oOo —

A further record of a ’Northern' shell has been made with a
fine specimen of Philippia, lutea which turned up among shell sand
at Mahia Peninsular, North of Poverty Bay, As far as we are aware,
this is a good deal further South than any previous recoixi,

— cOo —

I'lrs, Parker of Blenheim writes s-

Since I last i/nrote we have had a most successful holiday over
at Pakavrau, Piles of the lace cockles - nice big ones, also over
300 live Phenatoma novaezelandiae.

We arrived at the beginning of a howling southerly that lasted
three days, and which I braved to collect. It was then that most of
the good stuff came up. And the rest of the time the weather was

- 26 -

grand and ny 'beach, jaunts wonderful. The family x;as particularly
longsuffering, and happily gave me as much time on the beach as I
wanted. Shelley developed measles, but only mildly, and our
expeditions were disrupted for only txio days. One little incident,
or series of incidents really, gave me frustration, but also a good
laugh at our breed. There was at the camp a delightful lady that
does beautiful shell work. Unfortunately she too had an eye for
those lovely notched toxier shells, Phenatoma novae zelandiae and xms
in the habit of strolling down to the beach before breakfast. The
first time I met her, she xfas returning x«j-ith not far short of ^0 in
her bag, x-rhile I xias scratching to find a dozen. She had beaten me.

So the next morning I x/as up earlier, and again I met her coming back,
Grrll, The next morning I x/oke with the sun, but bloxf it she had
beaten me again. The NEXT morning I was up before light and still
rubbing the sleep from my eyes and xfithout my early morning cuppa,

I stumbled doxY*n to the beach. It xms barely light BUT (you’ve
guessed) there x/as my arch enemy coming back along the beach. Hox:
did she do it. She must have taken a torch. You knox^, it xvas just
lilce the three little pigs. Remember hoxj- each morning the xrolf
found that the biggest little pig had beaten him to it? Well that
was us, Next morning I slept late, didn't even go doxm before
breakfast, - and so did she. But I still did pretty xj-ell, because
they started coming in in the afternoon. The shells that is.

But listen to this. I'll bet your hair will curl, I asked
Mrs.Blick about the land snails for which the area is renowned. She
gave mie directions to get into the Mount Burnett area, but said they
didn't X7elcorae visitors, and I might be best if I xi;ent over the
weekend xrhen the Dolomite xrorks may not be working, Noxf I feel
strongly, as all X7e people xdio go on other peoples property shouldj
about seeking permission for access, so I had every intentiony^if I asking
may go, Hovrever xmen George dropped mo off at the gate, intending
to come back tx/o hours later, and I set off along the track to the
bush, I came to a lai'ge notice "Positively no admittance". But it
xrasn’t on the road I xfanted to take, it x/as on the road leading to
the factory itself. So I kept going along a lovely vehicle track
that seemed to me more like a scenic drive, I should make it clear
that in my ignorance I had no idea x:hat dolomite x7orks were, or that
the prohibition xras for my oxm protection from blasting operations.

Anyxmy my son and I xmlked about ^ mile along this lovely track
xjithout meeting anyone, until x-re came to the first bush clad gully.

Not very hopefully, and rather fearfully, for I have no love for
creapy crax^lies, x^e climbed into it, I found my first shell
immediately, and in an hour or so x^re spent there I collected 40? 1
repeat 40 A, 1 , dead shells, and tx;o live ones. Also about 10 that
xjere still good, but a little eroded at the tops, Par:gphanta gillie si.

It seems that the heavj rains of a fex; xveeks before must have
washed them doxim. Was I excitedl You can imagine it. So now
I am building a collection of snails, "

oOo —

- 27 -

FBESERVING SEA-STARS

ITorman Douglas.

SUHI-IARY »

Preserve in formalin and dry specimens in total darkness or their
■brilliant colours will "be lost.

INTRODUCTION

I'Dien shelling, sometimes a conchologist comes upon some most
striking forms of sea-stars and the urge to preserve them for future
reference is very strong indeed. Unfortunately the initial effort in
doing this usually results in a disappointment. And, just as regretta'bly,
perhaps a specimen of a very rare species is either lost or spoilt in
the process. Preservation hy keeping the animals continiously enmiersed
in a formalin solution does have some very special advantages to the
scientist. However this method is neither very convenient in some cases
nor does it allov; the examples to "be very readily displayed in others.

The following drying method is suggested therefore as a system worth
trying and the average collector should find it both easy to do and
satisfactory in its accomplishment.

APPAR/iTUS REQUIRED.

Most of the items used are to be found in daily use in every
household so they hardly need be mentioned. However the following
should be kept on hand.

(1) One or two photographer's developing trays. These are available
in both plastic and enamelled forms, A tray about 14" long 12" x^ide
and 2" deep xiill be quite suitable for most requirements#

(2) A quart bottle of formalin. Care should be taken not to inhale
too much of the fumes from this mild poison as some people are very
allergic to it,

IN THE FIELD.

While in the field great care must be taken x-rith some of the
star-fish as they are very brittle. In fact one might almost be led
to believe that some of the brittle-stars shed their legs by merely
looking at theml It x-rill help if these kinds can be slowly induced
to crawl over the open hand x-hereupon the hand can be slowly sunlo
under the seax^ater in the bucket,

AT HOME.

Having brought home the prize in a bucket of sea water, the next
job is to persuade the animal to extend itself into a flat position.

In the case of the Reef star (Stichaster australis) the animal is
stiff and hard, while, as mentioned prevdously, the brittle-stars are

- 28 -

extremely well named. First introduce the animal into one of the
photographer's trays into which some of the sea-water has “been poured
from the bucket. In the 'case of the Reef Star it is liicely to be in
a most grotesque position, so leave it alone for a vrhile. It will
slowly flatten out to suit the level bottom of the tray. In the case
of the brittle-stars the main thing is to get it into the tray
unbroken.

Now turn on the hot water tap and slowly change the sea-water
in the tray to fairly warm fresh water. The water need be no hotter
than one can easily bear the hand in, yet it immediately kills the
star and it rela^ies its arms completely and to a most surprising
degree. In this condition the final arranging of the limbs to their
required positions is easily accomplished, Next pour off some of the
water and add formalin from the bottle. The exact quantity does not
appear to be very critical, but somewhere betxreen a lO^o solution
(one part formalin to nine parts water) and 50^ will be found quite
satisfactory. It is, of course, better to err on the strong side.

Let the star soak in this solution for several days when it will be
ready to talce out and dry.

CLEAimiG Aim LRYIITG,

Slide the star out of the form.alin bath onto a piece of stiff
cardboard or hardboard. IText hose off all dirt from the specimen,
taking care in some cases not to damage it with too strong a jet.

Again slide the specimen on to a piece of dry hardboard on which it
is to dry into its final shape. It is an advantage not to have the
hardboard much wider than the specimen. In the case of brittle stars,
tape the arms to the hardboard with very narrow strips of cellotape,
with some paper under the cellotape xirhere it crosses the arms. In the
case of the Reef Star, string can be imrapped around the whole assembly
to hold the limbs out flat on the board.

DRY IIT DARKIIESS,

Row comes a very important part. The specimen must be dried in
total darlmess, not just in the shade, or the brilliant colours will
fade away. The xrriter has found it successful to cover the specimen
completely with layers of dbth held in place by mappings of string,
then hang in a shed to dry, Tlie drying may talce several months, but
it will be well worth the wait. It x;ill be an indication of a good
job of work if, when dry, the specimen has not lost an iota of its
original colour.

STORAGE.

A cabinet with tray storage is recommended, for it keeps the
specimens both clear of dust and away from the light, Sunliglit is
the , greatest bleaching agent in the world.

Rather than use cotton wool for the tray bottom, or tray lining,
it is suggested that Moleton cloth be strained over a sheet of

- 29 -

cardlDoard. It has the advantag'e of cotton wool in preventing the
specimens from sliding about, yet has no fluff to adhere to themo
Moleton cloth, commonly used for dressing goims, is available in
various colours. A plain blue makes an attractive background for
multicoloured sea-stars.

Brittle stars, on the other hand, need some further protection.

It is suggested that Ivoryboard, a heavy form of cardboard used by
carpenters for lining rooms, makes a useful backing material. With paste
and coloured paper, cover over a section of this, then, when dry, cut
it into small squares to suit the size of the stars. If the
thoroughly dried specimens are placed upon this and the whole
assembly covered over with cellophane paper, cellotaped at the back,
they vrill be easy to see, easy to handle, and kept free from all dust
and insect visitors.

— oOo —

Obanella s-

Is a genus of three species of very small land snails which has
hitherto been considered to be of southern distribution.

The genotype, Obanella spectabilis Powell I928 (originally
placed in Egesta) was described from specimens taken at Welson. Later
in 1952, Dr, Bell recorded the occurrence of this species in the
Rimutaka Range.

Just lately the same snail has turned up in leaf mould samples
from two more northern areas.

The ifriter secured numerous examples from the foothills of the
Ruahine Range” inland from Mangaweka, December 19^5* These specimens
have the peripleural processes very well developed.

More recently, Ilr.Goldstone has sorted out several specimens
from material from Hunua Rarige - rather a surprise to find on ones
doorstep. The Hunua specimens, while havir^g the normal distinctive
aj:ial plates at the periphery, do have a very high spire and would
warrant closer study.

An illustration of this shell appears in Dr.Povrell’s "Shells
of New Zealand" Plate 27, figures 13 and 14,

N, Gardner,

— oOo'

- 30 -

In view of the fact that we are rather short of material for this
issues we reprint notes from talks given in earlier times which present
members probably have not seen s

"THE ORIGIIIS OF THE M ZEALAW MOLLUSCAIT FAUM"

HR. C.A.FLEIvIIHG„ 8/6/39.

Mr, Fleming gave an account of the general origins of the entire
fauna and flora of IT,Z. of which the follox/ing is but a short extract.

"In Triassic and Jurassic times il.Z. lay largely beneath an arm of
the sea east of a continent covering Australia, Of material of ocean
floor central mountain systems of N,Z, were later built up. Seas not
suited to abundant marine life but here and there fossils of Triassic and
Jurassic age can be collected. Typical molluscs -wexQ Trigonia, Astarte,
Pecten, Inoceramusj Aucellaj Oxytoma, Belcmnites and Ammonites and a host
of Braohiopods, This fauna is in no way ancestral to modern faunas but
is of type found throught ancient Tothys Sea.

The period following the Jurassic, the Cretaceous is exceedingly’-
critical and important in history of N,Z, This is period when N, Z,
offered land bridges to North and probably to South for colonisation by
land forms as well as animals spreading along a shore line. Here x^e
find an Indo-Pacific strain among our molluscs and forms which are
largely ancestral to our recent fa,una. Here xfe find the ancestors of
Turritella, Cirsotrema, Struthiolaria, Polinices, Neilo, Limopsis,

Panope, Cuculla.ea, Acteon, The continental mass of Greater Nex-j Zealand
then began to sinlc and the TERTIARY period began. Molluscs flourished -
there xrere ho-rdly any immigration of molluscs to N.Z, but tox^ards the end
of the period xre see the dying out of many very distinctive Tertiary
genera such as s- Cucullaea, Limopsis, Polinices, Zelandiella, Hima,
Marshallena, Olivella, Eucra,ssatella, Spisatella,, Pedolion, Cardium,
Lutvaria and older Pecton genera.

It seems that connection xfith the North was again established in
the Tertiary. Ne may suppose that Pary’phanta, Rhy'dida and Mclanopsis
reached us at this time. Placostylus x;as a later immigrant from the
North.

In the Nulcumaruian beds although Lutvaria and Polinices appear for
the last time in our fauna, xfo find a noteable addition to the dominant
rnollusca - Zethalia zelandiae which appears suddenly in great numbers.
From this time on through the Castlccliffian a number of important
spo'cies are found for the first time. Members of the Cymatiidac and
Naticidao of Australian affinity- or identity and Pcctcns of the
Notovola type. These are Australian types xvhich have not previously
pccurred in N.Z, Their occurrence is possible duo to a change in the
direction of the East Australian current since most of these forms arc
suited for transportation in a larval stage by Ocean currents. The
subant arctic x/est x/ind drift lias influenced our nolluscan fauna by
bringing about the occurrence of the ^iant bull kelp and its iniiabitants-

- 31 -

Hiotinula and tho N,Z«I'IargarGlla as yell as i-IacGlla and Kcrguelina in
the Subantarctic Islands, lie than have the following main origins for
our fauna.

1 . Cretaceous Indo-European ancestral stock,

2. Northern Land Ilollusca.

3. Nctcnoctian (Australian) Element.

4. Subantarctic west wind drift Element.

5. Accidental or chance arrivals,

— oOo —

18.7.46.

SHELLS MID PBIMTIVE CULTURES

by D.G, Forsyth.

In the short amount of space available it will be possible for only
a cursory treatment of the subject. It is hoped, however, that members
will be spurred on to searchin*g these things out more fully for themselves.

These notes are essentially a com.pilation of facts and ideas. No
claim to originality is made - I am indebted to many sources for my
information, the most important one being "Shells as Evidence of the
Migrations of Early Cultures", by J.W. Jackson.

1, FOOD

Undoubtedly one of the first uses of shellfish was as a food. In
many places of the world - including N.Z, - piles of shells have been
found in kitchen middens. The Maori consumed a large variety of species,

2. TYRIAN PURPLE

The shell purple industry probably originated in Crete, where it
was practised as early as 1600 B.C, Banlos of crushed Murez trunculus
shells have been found at Kamares in association with pre-Phoenician
vases.

The main shellfish used were Purpura Haernastorna, Murex trunculus
and M.branderis. A sac containing colourless dye was removed and boiled
for ten days. The fabric was steeped in it. Then, when placed in the
sun, the colour changed from jT-ellow through greens and blues to a purple-
red of great durability. A double treatment at Tyre produced a more
vivid hue.

The Phoenicians established important fisheries tliroughout the
Aegean and Mediterranean,

It took 12,000 shellfish to produce 1.5 grms, of dye. Real Tyrian
purple was so expensive that it was reserved for kings, priests, etc. It
was a sign of royalty in Greek and Roman times, and was also used for
books , paints , rouge .

- 32 -

The industry xms also established in West Ireland and Cornwall.
Several places in Central America on both coasts carried on the work,
Natives, instead of Icilling' the animals, pressed the operculum, so
forcing- out a fe-v; drops of fluid, and then replaced the shell on the
rocks. Used in ancient Mexican manuscripts.

3. SHELL TRUI-IPETS

Tlie Minoans of Crete used shell trumpets largely in religious
ceremonies.

Hie sacred charlc of India ('Turbinella p:/-rum) figured largely in
the religious life of the Hindus, It was blown to summon the god’s
attention, by a man preceding- the priest bearing the first fruits, at
marriages and deaths, etc, Vishnu is represented as killing the demon
that lived in the chanlc by cutting off its head, and hence the apex
is always Icnocked off the chank. Divers collected them in 2 - 3
fathoms off Tuticorin from October to May. In I885-6, 332,000 specimens
were obtained. Sinistral examples xrcre extremely valuable,

Sinistral specimens were specially reverenced in China - stored
in pagodas and bloxrm to still the xfaves.

Some shells used in the Pacific are Triton, Cassis , Strombus
and Hanella. Tliey were used widely in initiation ceremonies. In
Samoa, before going to war the priest blex; a conch and a rough hollow
sound X'/as an ill omen. In the Solomons the bloxfing of the conch
heralded the return from a successful head-hunting expedition.

The Aztecs represented their Moon God by a conch. Once or txvice
a year the priests would blox: their trumpets at noon and everyone
would bite their tongues and ears to present the blood to the sun. A
somex-rhat similar ceremony xras enaced by the sun-x;or shippers in
Indonesia,

The Incas had vessels decorated vrith pictures of people blox^ing
shell truT-ipets.

The Maoris knocked the apex off and added a carved mouthpiece.
Elsdon Best tells us that this "pu tatara" produced a doleful sound
and it x;as used for signalling- purposes as in times of x^ar.

4. PEARLS AID PEAIL SilELL

Eg-j^-ptians probably xrere the first to use pearls. From about
1500 B,C. Egyptian x-romon x;ore pearl earrings.

The early pearl fisheries x^rere the Gulf of Aden, around Zanzibar
in East Africa, and the Persian Gulf. The latter xras famous from
very early times - xrell knoxm in the time of Alexander, Leading
xioraen of the Medes and Persians xrore about three pearls strung on a
ring through a nostril. Fashionable x/omon of Astralchan in the
eighteenth century did likexjise.

33 -

The Romans used pearls very extensively for decorative
purposes - temples, chariots, dress, furniture, etCo Pearls from
fresh water mussels throughout the British Isles and Europe were
collected.

A curious notion, very xfidespread in earlj^ tim.es, was that
pearls were formed by rain drops falling into the gaping valves of
the pearl shell.

Powdered pearls were valued for medicinal purposes, especially
in India and China - cures lunacy, leprosy, etc.

A curious custom prevalent among the Hindus, the Chinese, the
Japanese, and the mound builders of the Mississippi Valley was the
placing of pearls in the mouths of the dead.

Enormous quantities of pearls xrere found in the temple of
Tolomecco in Florida - containers full of them,

Montezuma's te.mple was decorated with pearls, and the main source
of wealth to the Indian chiefs cai'ae from the pearl fisheries doxm the
Pacific coast.

A Chinese prince of the 13th. century is accredited v/ith first
malcing artificial pearls. Mussels xrere kept in bamboo cages in x^ater
and matrices of mud pellets, images of Buddha, etc, xrere introduced.

Pearl shell is used extensively for decorative work tliroughout
the Pacific, The Solomon Islanders ornamented bowls, canoes, x/eapons
and the xfooden heads on head-hunting canoes x^ith beautiful inlaid
shell work. Breast ornaments xrere made from large shells, 'The use of
paua shell for green flashing eyes in Maori carvings is xrell knoxm,

5. SHELL MOllEY

(a) Coxrrie; Cypraea moneta and C, annulus were probably among
the earliest forms of currency, ITo laborious process xras needed for
their manufacture. Although they came from Indo-Pacific seas their
greatest zone of circulation xras in western Sudan and Guinea Coast,

Used extensively there in the 14th century. Used largely hy the
slave traders in 17th and l8th century, but later replaced by English
gold and other articles.

The Baganda tribe of Uganda used coxrries as currency from an
early date. IHien they xrere first introduced 2 shells would buy a
Xirifo, but later the bridegroom xjould give as many as 2,500, At one
stage a coxt x/as x^orth 2500 , a goat 500, a foxrl 25, and a 62 lb.
ivory tusk 1000.

Before the time of Alexander the Great cox-.T?ies xrere the
principal money in Bengal. Most car.ie from the Maldives, As late
as 1801 revenue from a British district xfas collected in coxrries -
considerable expense in converting them, A gentlo.man in the early

34 -

19th. century paid for the erection of his house entirely in cowries.

It cost £400s which x^as about 16 raillion coxnries.

Covrrios \iexe used in China > hut were forbidden as currency in
221 I3,C,

(b) Wargpuias Strings of cylindrical beads 5 each one laboriously
manufactured from the xihite and purple on the valves of the Venus ,
pierced and strung, x^ere used by the Indians as money from. I'laine to
Florida,

(c) Allicochick: 'This money, used by the Indians on the Pacific

Coast, consisted of strings of Dentalium. A slave was valued at from
25-40 shells on the string, depending on the condition of the shells,

(d) Shell Money in the Pacifies The manufactxare of Melanese

shell money was a laborious prooess. The red discs xrere made from
Spondylus and Charm. The follox/ing steps xfere recognised in the
Solomons s- Shells x^ere broken and made roughly circular; the discs

xfere ground flat by x-romen ru.bbing them on a sandstone; a hole xms made
in them by means of a primitive pump drill; threaded on a thin stick
and ground on a flat stone until discs were perfectly circular.

6. OTHER USES OP COlffilES

S;,nubolising the spirit of fertility, coxrries were frequently worn
on girdles by x:omen in Abyssinia, Southern India and best Africa. The
Masai X'7om.en x-rore them in head bands until their first child xms born.

In Ceylon, the Maldives, Burma and many other places they were
used in games of chance - xvinning or losing by the X’jay they fell
(aperture up or down).

Cox-rries x^ere used in initiation ceremony with the Human Leopard
Society of Sierra Leone cannibals. They x^ere attached to iron crosses
in a medicine bag.

The Hagas of Assar.x and Djibbas in Africa xrore thorn xrith hair
from decapitated enemies.

In Togo and Dahomey cox-rries xrere placed in the grave x-rith a dead
person so that he xrould be able to buy food in the I'lexr Horld and pay
the ferryman x^ho roxred him. across the "great river" .

In pre-Christian times in China they were put in the mouth of the
dead - a feudal lord 7? a great officer 5? an ordinary official 3.

7. ORHAI-'IEI'JTS ETC. IH PACIFIC

Shell necklaces xrere very common - many of the small brox-m land
operculate, Helicina, X’.diich are bleached. Clam shell (Tridacna)
serves many purposes - breast discs, shell adzes (on coral islands
xrhere there is no stone), large armlets.

- 35 -

Ovulum ovxiffl is often worn in 'bands across the heady and
decorated the high curved stern of the Solomon Island canoes.

The orange covnrie was a 'badge of high rank, especially in

Fiji.

Placuna placenta was used for windows long before the use of
glass. It was used in the East Indies, and some Canton houses were
almost entirely lighted by xfindows made of these shells,

— oOo-—

Editors;

U, Gardner

I

jl:

&

Vol.3.

- 36 -

POIRIERIA.

June 1966,

Part 3,

FIELD DAY AT GREEMITHE,

None of the hush which still exists on the North Shore of the
Waitemata Harbour supports such a large list of small land snails as
does, say, the Naitakere Range.

Nevertheless, some twelve or so members met in the field to try
to find out just what existed at Hellyer’s Creek area near Greenhithe,
This area is of particular interest as it is the place where Henry Suter
did quite an amount of collecting as you will have noticed in his
references to it in his Manual.

Our afternoon's collecting produced the following 24 species s-

Omphalorissa purchasi (Pfr, )

Liarea egea (Gray)

Cytora cytora (Gray)

Cytora hedleyi (Suter)

Cytora pallida (Hutton)

Cytora torquilla (Suter)

Thalassohelix ziczag (Gould)

Serpho kivi (Gray)

Therasiella celinde (Gray)

" tamora (Hutton)

Phenacohelix given! Cumber
Plammulina perdita (Hutton)

Ptychodon pseudcleioda (Suter)

" tau (Pfr. )

Charopa ochra (Nebster)

" coma (Gray)

Fectola roseveari (Suter)

Mocella cogitata Iredale
Laoma inarina (Hutton)

" poecilosticta (Pfr. )

" pirongiaensis Suter

Phrixgnathus cheesemani Suter

" glabriusculus (Pfr.)

Delos coresia (Gray)

Probably the best find of the day was Laoma pirongiaensis , a
rare snail at any tirrie and one that had not previously been recorded
from the North Shore.

Hellyer's Creek is the type locality for Flamnulina olivacea
( Suter) and wo had hoped that someone would have found an example but
the only member of the genus taken was F. perdita.

— oOo —

- 37 -

imiS OF INTEREST o

Recently amongst a good washup of shells, J'lr, Barker came across
one live 5 ■■•inch Toheroa in' a sandy pool on Onetangi Beach, Waiheke
Island, It is most unusual to find a well grown specimen .alive on
the East Coast, though siiigle valves have been picked up on this
beach before.

Cherie Edwards X'rrites -s-

" I thought you would like to hear that I found a live Ellatrivla
memorata at^ Taupo Bay. I was turning oyei’ a rock in a pobl and
saw what I ^thought was an orange slug. As I *aent to pick it up it
fell into the clear xmter. You can imagine my surprise x«;hen I
discovered v&at it I half- filial my bucket with water: and put

it in, I watched the animal /come out of it’s shell. The animal
was bright orange with a few redish broxm spots on it. The next day
it did not come out of it’s shell so I pickled 'it in a weak solution
of foirnialin.y"

In the Soifth Island the large Paryijhanta are being destroyed
by the ravages of wekas. Somehow in the last 10 years or so the
balance seems to have becomie upset and wekas have virtually’" wiped
out a number of colonies. In some places hundreds of dead pecked
shells have been seen. The birds do not miss any shells that are
not well hidden under rotting logs.

John Mars ton vrrites

" V/hen searching for Lepsithais squamatus in Balena Bay, just
around Point Jerningham from V/ellington' s popular Oriental Bay, I
came across some unusual shells. A yellow haticid and 24 small
Cerithiids. All being under one inch in length and mostly broken,
suggested that they had come from warmer seas. The 8 valves of a
Cardium looked common enough to many warmer regions, but 6 valves
of a very solid bivalve looked most distinctive, Dr.R.K.Bell
identified the latter as being Villorita C,~yi:rinoides (C-ray), one
of the Corbiculinidae, This bivalve comes from brackish viater
in India

The occasional ship carrying' sea sand as ballast accounts
for some of the rare occurrences of foreign shells near some other
ports, G,g, Taliunanui Beach near Port Nelson, Another region where
shipping- might not be suspected is Farewell Spit, Golden Bay
residents .and visitors are quite used to overseas ships sheltering
inside Parewel.l Spit , for a day or tvro, I -'am sure that their anchor-
ing there, rather than the East Australian Warm Current, accounts
for the few tropical shells washed up on the Spit, "

- 38 -

A notable recent find is that of a nice specimen of
Particymatium strangei (Angas)o This was collected by Murray Douglas
on a recent trip to Northland and is the second Icnown specimen from
New Zealand, The first was recorded by Dr, Powell in 1933« This shell
looks somewhat like Cabestanomorpha exarata.

Maorimactra is not listed in DrcPowell's checklist as occurring
in the South of the South Island > but it apparently does so, Mr,
Douglas reports the finding of specimens in South Uestland in I963.

"They were found on weedy mud about one mile from the sea
in the tidal estuary of the Hapuka River mouth (very near Turnbull
River mouthy next bridge south on Haast-Jackson Bay road. South
Nestland). They were both sides of the road bridge and found dead.
Tide X'/as out. All were near the rushes of the river edge, I have
four com|)lete specimens and three halves. They are fragile but in
very good condition x^ith the epidermis up to about half xfay, "

Des, Ashton gives an account of his collecting activities in Western
Samoa s-

" At Christmas time I am. able to enjoy two months of collectingj
fishing, skiing etc. The Airport where we live is 20 miles out
of Apia and less than 100 yards from the lagoon.

Needless to say, with the unrestricted use of a motor boat, a
lagoon with a boundless variety of collecting areas and tx:o young-
energetic and extremely enthusiastic brothers, I get in plenty of
active collocting.

Although the majority of miy collecting incorporates skin-
diving in sandy and rocky areas I also like to do a bit of night
collocting and rummaging around the reef both by day and night.

The reef is about txro miles from the shore and keeping to the
seaplane lanes to avoid coral, x/o are able to get out to it in a
conveniently short five minutes. Just inside a,nd bordering the
reef is an extensive sandy area vrhich abounds in Terebra, Conus
and a few Toniia, The miost productive rocky areas appear to be
those in the reef passages. These are both deep and clear, and
despite the currents, facilitate easy diving. In these a,reas
I found an endless variety of species but alas the occasional
visit of a shark, barracuda or the frequent rough weather often
make this t;j’pe of collecting impossible. Collecting along the
shore, especially at night produces dozens of the more common
cox-rries, cones and rock shells. The reef is only occasionally
x/orkablo because of tho high tides and unobliging winds but
xfhon wo are able to got at it tho result is always pleasing with
many species both small and largo, common and rare turning up.

- 39 -

Often I have tried (to me) a new technique sometimes with
much success. A dredge dixjpped into the sand brought up small
Mitres and Cones while an old t;}T:e baited with rotten fish captured
not only small Cones but also eelsj octopi and small fish. The
most successful method, however, was night diving. With a large
(6 volt) waterproofed spotlight , a lantern in the boat and lots
of apprehension we slipped into the waten to be greeted by a
myriad of different shells. Life never visible, or imaginable
in the day empted at night. The biggest problem was finding a
container large enough to hold all the 'finds*.

One thing which I did notice was that v.diat one day would
appear barren and lifeless, would another day bo extremely rich
in shells and all other animals. VJhile diving one can observe
all the conflict within the viator around, I have been very
fortunate in seeing Conus killing and feeding on Terebra and the
Terebra in turn on marine worms. In watching these things I am
constantly nervous, making sure that I do not become part of the
'struggle for survival' by making a meal for some large predatorl

The eventual result of my holiday was very pleasing, I
added hundreds of new species to ray collection. Unfortunately
some have to remain in storage because of air freight limits.

Boarding school life with its constant activity tends to
suppress hobbies but I still get a little time for classification
etc, "

ERRATA 2-

POIRIERIA, Vol,3- Part 2. Page 24,

3rd, Lino from bottom.s Read "4 per cent" instead of"4 specimens"

Last line from bottoms Read "of Gulls" instead of "or gills"

— oOo —

, PRESERVATION OF RESERVES - FAR NORTH,

N, Gardner,

As a result of the complete destruction of goats oh Three
Kings Island, there has been a rapid regeneration of flora and
a great increase in the native fauna. The magnificent Place stylus
bolloni ; which had been all but wiped out and existed in a few
small pockets of. the bush inaccessible to goats, has, over a
period of 12 years, increased to the extent of an "explosion" in
population, Wliere 25 snails, were counted in the P, arbutus colony
prior to the Land & Survey I'epartment ' s action, a census three or

- 40 -

four years ago revealed a count in excess of 200 adult specimens
and very many juveniles coming on.

An area of great interest to the naturalist is the "Northern
Block" in the far north of the North Island j where the majority of
Placostylus colonies occur, A had state of affairs has arisen
partly through "burning off" but due mainly to the ravages of pigs.
These have increased enormously in the last 10 - I5 years until
noWj most of the few remaining areas of bush 5 have been invaded
and well rooted, by pigs. The ground in many places appears to be
ploughed - and scattered all through are remains of crushed
Placostylus with the occasional rare Par;/phanta irntti, squashed
flat. In the Cape Maria area there is evidence of rodents,
probably rats. These have gathered snails into nests and bitten
the tops off Placostylus to get at the animal and chewed the
juvenile shells back from the aperture. This has also been
observed further south in some Placostylus hongii colonies.

Recently some areas have' been gazetted as reserves which means
that the collecting of live snails and other fauna and flora is
prohibited. The only area really damaged by human agency is
Mangapiba where both fire and over-collecting have about exterminated
the colonies. It is to be hoped that swift action will be taken to
elimate the pigs and that some area of bush might be fenced off so
that the many uncommon plants as well as snails will have a chance
to regenerate.

In some places it seems already too late but in others a few
young snails are still surviving. Areas badly affected by pigs are
Pandora, Unuwhao, Kahuronaki, Mawkins Nook and liJhareana, So far,
pigs have not invaded Kerr Point,

— 0O0--

GOING BUSH IN SAIiOA & TONGA,

L, Price,

This is the third, of a series of field trips, collecting
land mollusca for the Chicago Natural History Museum, Prom October,
1965 to February, I966, I spent almost four months in the Samoan
and Tongas Groups - so come with me, Polks, on another island-
hopping jaunt to the lovely South Pacific.

Leaving Auckland on October 23rd, by P,A,A, , my first night
was spent at the luxurious and expensive "Mocambo Hotel", Nandi.

On next day to Eastern Samoa, where a night was spent at the
"Rainmaker Hotel" in Pago Pago, Early next morning, I was joined
at the airport by my sponsor, Dr, Alan Solem, when he arrived from
Hawaii, Through a dense curtain of rain, vre then took off for the
last stage to the island of Upolu, Vlestem Samoa, and were soon
installed at the "Casino Hotel", Apia, which was our headquarters
for the next three x^eeks.

- 41 -

Upolu is the second largest island of the Sar.ioan Group. Of
about 400 sq, miles in area^ it is of volcanic origin^ with a
mountainous interior 5 rising to a maximum of 36O8 feet on Mt.Pito,

As the island lies parallel with the prevailing trade winds ^
rainfall is evenly distributed and heavyj ranging from 100^ to over
250 inches per annum. Conscquentlyj the vegetation is dense 5 with
heavy forests clothing the slopes, and extensive plantations of
coconuts, ba.nanas, taro and cocoa on the lowlands, where most of
the people live.

VJith the aid of the Department of Agriculture in Apia, we were
soon ready to begin collecting, but our main problem was to find
suitable transport. For the first few days, we had the use of a
Department Land Rover, and driver, but this was only a temporary
arrangement. Though the local buses are cheap and run frequently,
they stick mainly to the coastal road. Ifhat we required was extreme
mobility, coupled with maximum collecting time in the field.

Finally, we had to hire a taxi, with driver, by the day° rather
expensive at £5 per dayi (Samoan currency is based on Dow Zealand
coins and Samoan notes.)

Although the tropical wet season was about due, the weather
was very kind and during the first three weeks, we were able to get
out collecting on most days. We concentrated mainly in the areas of
primary forest, and this took us over much of the island, with best
results in the mountainous interior, up to an altitude of 25OO feet.

About 40 species of land shells have been recorded from Upolu -
we managed to locate many of these, with perhaps, one or two new
species, including a slug. The most prominent items found were -
2 ground operculates, Ostodes^ 3 tree dwelling Partula; several
Helicina-; 2 Succinea; several Trochomorphai 2 glassy, tree dwelling.
Diastole? 2 Lamproc.Ystis,, 3 Subulinids; several Endodontids , and
an operculate , Qmphalatropis.

By Dovember 13th. our work on Upolu was almost complete and
Dr.Solern flew back to U.S.A, , by way of Australia, De?r Zealand and
Fiji. Two days later, I moved on to the next stage - a two xyeek
trip over to Savaii, the largest island of the Samoan Group,

Savaii, at around 720 sq. miles in area, is almost tx/ice the
size of Upolu, but has a, much smaller population. Of volcanic
origin, it is also very mountainous, rising to a maximum of 6O94’
on MtcSilisili. With a similar very heavy rainfall, there is
almost a solid cover of forest, apart from an area of recent lava
at the eastern end. Laid doxm only some 60 years ago, this lava
field is still m.ore or less ba,re, looking exactly like a sea of
black, solidified tar.

Being; rather off the beaten track, there is no tourist
accommodation, or other facilities, whatever, on Savaii. Europeans
are quite a rarity, so, xfherever I paused near a village, there

- 42

was a chorus of "'Palagij, ’Palagi"j and within seconds I was
surrounded hy a crowd of kddsj come to examine this queer^ pale-
faced specimen from over the sea I Life goes on almost
undisturbed, apart from such modern araenities as an odd general
store, schools, churches and a small fleet of rickety buses, trucks
and Land Rovers « Communication with Upolu is confined to frequent
launch services across the straits, taking 90 minutes, at a cost
of 9/- each way.

Before daylight on ITovember 15th, , I left Apia by taxi for
the x^harf at Mulifanua, joined the launch, and arrived at Salelologa
on Savaii by 6 a.rn. Armed with a letter of introduction, I
eventually made contact xiith the local Agriculture Officer - a fat,
smiling Samoan, with whom I stayed for the next few days. Luckily,
this chap had a Land Rover and so was able to get out to good
collecting localities during the course of his agricultural rounds.
Most of my collecting in this area was done at an altitude of
100 - 900 feet. Although I xfas keen to get up to some of the peaks,
I could find nobody willing- to guide me into the almost trackless
interior.

After a few days at Salelologa, I boarded a bus for the
63 mile run to Asau, around the other side of the island. This
proved to be a 4 hour endurance test, thumping along on a hard
wooden seat, over an appalling road - all for the prinoely sum of
4/6d. ' At Asau, the only transport obtainable xiras a heavy truck,
costing, with driver, £4 per day. However, x/ith the aid of a
gu.ide, I V7as able to head into the mountains, and reached a height
of 2000 feet, where collecting proved to be excellent. After three
days, I left Asau x^ith m^r host in his jeep, and continued on around
the island, back to Salelologa, Here I again stayed x^ith the
Agriculture Officer for another x^eek' s collecting.

Only about 8 species of land shells have been recorded from
Savaii previously. Hoxrever, my tx-ro xveek stay produced a total of
30 species. Most of them appear to be similar to those found on
Upolu, though in general, specimens were much more plentiful.

On November 28th, I returned to Upolu and settled dox-m for
another x-reek in Apia. Meaiwhile, final details "were fixed for the
next stage - a quick trip over to Rarotonga, Cook Islands, A x^eek
xfas spent on Rarotonga, where I concentrated on gathering a further
series of tvro noM speoies of small land snails, x^hich I happened to
find during ray last trip in 1964= This proved to be quite success-
ful and so back again to Apia, xHiere arrangements xrere made for
shipping the Samoan collection ax^ay to Chicago,

Early December 19th, I said farewell to Samoa and took off
on a Polynesian Airways D,C,3 flight for Tonga. Three hours later,
though it was already December 20th, , we reached the island of
Tongatapu. At the airport, I met Mr.Tomasi Siraiki, Chief Agricul-
ture Officer in Nulou'alofa. Through his efforts, I x^as to get my

- 43 -

collecting organised in the Tongan Group, As it happened, this was
a very sad day for the people of Tonga, for late the same afternoon,
a plane from hew Zealand arrived, bringing the body of their beloved
Queen Salote, Thus, I was an unexpected guest in the procession
from the airport into lJuku'alofa, and a few days later, was a
witness at the funeral of the late Queen - a moving and unique
experience,

VJliile in huloi'alofa, I stayed at "Beach Kouso", situated on
the waterfront, a few minutes wa,lk from to>m. This has been the
only accommodation available for many years, though novr, there is
a new modern Hotel in course of construction, nearby,

Tongatapu is rather a flat island, and intensively cultivated.
Very little of the original vegetation remains, thus is fairly poor
for the collection of land shells, Hovrever, despite rather dry
conditions, I found species of Helicina? Diastole; Qmphalatropis;
Laraellaxisg a Pup ill id; an Bndodontid; Lampracystis; Tornatellina;
and Oua^'ania,

During a week a,t Buku'alofa, I wa.s able to book a passage on
a small, inte3?island boat, v;-hich wa.s due to sail for Vava'u - main
island of a compact group, seme 17O miles to the north. Lucki'^.y,
the weather. was good a,nd the 20 hour trip uneventful, I shared a
small cabin/ a'Tongan and had three tasty meals in the dining saloon
- all on which cost £T4,1,0,. (Tongan currency is based on Australian
coins and Tongan notes - appaxently, the notes a,re never withdrawn
for renevral - like Old Soldiers, they just fall apart and fade away I )

Vava'u Island is about 30 sq, miles in area, composed of dark
red soil, with occasional outcrops of jagged limestone. Around
much of the coastline are steep limestone cliffs which are deeply
undermined at the base by x^ave action, Risj.ng from very deep water,
the cliffs reach a height of JOO feet in places. Approaching the
island, the boat enters a broad and deep inlet, studded xirith
numerous islands - this gradually narroxv’s, until about five miles
in, the main village, ITeiafu, is reached.

My headquarters for the next three xireeks vfas a large wooden
building, on the slopes overlooking the harbour. This "Goverrmient
Rest House" contained offices below and accominodation for visitors
on the top floor. My meals were prepared by the Tongan caretaker
and his family. Although I was the only person staying there most
of the time, it x\ras far from a haven of peace. The main street
ran along the front and there al’ways seemed to be people talking
and shouting at all hours of the night, while roosters crowed, packs
of mongrel dogs barked and fought intermittently and to liven things
up a bit, someone always rang- the local .church bell at the crack
of dawn each nornin^^ 1

As usual, transport was a problem. But I was lucky. After a
couple of days foot slogging, a young Tongan chap, with a small

f

^ Sav/c^u

h

'^’'-J.ri, C°r

I- ‘-5'''

«v*C;

i/

.V- Vo

c,

'CW'/CA

-1 ro o .,

C oc) t I

I fu To kt

0 iSi^-)r\/p‘:

V/ %

^/?Ci I'Clfo

•A '., <(

D

- 44 -

motorcycle j befriended me on the road. Thenceforth^ the island
highways and byt/ays were covered at a furious pace. I was delighted,
despite a corn or two on the wrong places I

Around the shoreline cliffs and on the scattered rocky out-
crops, there still remains a dense cover of low forest and it was
in these areas that my collecting was concentrated. Fortunately,
the drought broke a few days after my arrival on Vava'u, so the
finding of adequate live material was no problem. Around 17
species were found during my throe week stay - all rather small,
some examples being - 4 Ilelicina; 3 Lamellaxis; 2 Endodontids^

1 Georissa? 1 Omphal at r o p i s s' 1 Diastoleg 1 Lampracystis^

^ Tupillid-; 1 Ouagapia,

January 22nd,, the D, V. "Hifofua" was ready to leave for
Bulcu' alofa. Really, I was lucky to find a place to rest my xreary
bones - on the dining saloon settee. Hundreds of people had the
same idea and there were scenes of near riot, as v/ould-be
passengers swarmed on board - f,7ith or without a ticket I Finally
\iQ got away two hours late , while several young chaps were turfed
overboard, as \tq sped doT>m the harbour. After a fast run of 17
hours, v^e rea.chod Nuku'alofa early next morning.

Next on the programme, was a visit to the nearby island of
’Ei.ia, Lying about 10 miles off the South East coast of Tongatapu,
'Eua is considered to be the oldest, geologically, and the only
island of the entire Tongan Group, to have permanent streams. It
is well forested, with a low range and steep cliffs running the
full length of the east coast.

Meanwhile, the weather had turned nasty, with high vrinds
and rough seas. After several days waiting, we were off, IHiat a
trip I The seas were still mountainous, sheets of spray broke
right over the boat and despite my waterproof coat, I was soaked
to the waist. Even the coopfull of hens, lashed on the stern,
looked pretty green around the gills - however, we pressed on,
regardless and all aboard heaved a mighty sigh of relkf, as we
finally reached 'Eua, after three hours of purgatory I

Mr.Siale, the Forestry Officer, was at the wharf to meet me,
and after drying out in the sun, I was soon feeling much better.
Eventually, we piled onto a truck which took us several miles down
the road, than came an hour's walk along a track to the Forestry
Camp, at the foot of the main range. Here, I stayed for the next
four days, I slept on a pile of mats and ate with my fingers,
on the floor, Tongan stylo.

The location of the Camp proved to be ideal for riy purposes,
as it was onl^* a few minutes walk to the top of the range - at
this point, around 1000 feet altitude. Dainty trs?e ferns
flourished along the streams, and a large species of stinging
tree was common ovoryi^here - I recognised this tree immediately',
from past painful experience in Queensland.

- 45 -

As expected j land snails were quite plentiful, the largest
being Sua globosa - a ground living relative of the arboreal genus,
Partula» Other species included 4 Helicina; 2 Diastole^ 2 Lame 1 labels
2 Endodontidss 1 Oinphalatropis? 1 Trochomorpha; 1 Pupillid;

2 Lampracystis? 1 Georissa, In the streams, a species of Melania,
c.nd a species of Lenaraeria were commono Around 16 species of land
shells came to light altogether from 'Eua.

Early Eebruary 2nd. I again boarded the tiny launch for the
return trip to I'Tuku' alofa. With a huge barge in tow, loa,ded with
1500 cases of bananas, it was a slow, but uneventful roll of six
hours d.uration.

Luring the next few days, some last minute collecting was done
around Tongatapu, with the use of a hired bicycle. Then, it was
time to be off, on the three hour flight to Fiji. Vlhile in Suva,
the Tongan collection was stowed ready for shipment.

Finally, after several days doing the sights, I returned to
Auckland, via Nandi, with a pocketful of "funny money", and minus
a stone in weight,

— oOo —

MY GREATEST TREASURE - SCHIZOGLOSSA MAJOR,

B, Elliott ,

On February 28th. 1966, while I was staying with Mrs, Bates at
Taupiri, we decided to visit nce,rby Pukemiro to search for
Schizoglossa ma.jor. The Records of the Auckland Museum give the
locality of tiiis rare subfossil snail as mile S,¥, of Pukemiro,
Waikato, in limestone crevice with raoa remains," Ifhen we reached
Pukemiro we could not decide which direction was south-west, but
undeterred by the light rain, we left the car by an old hall and
climbed a nearby hill to try a likely-looking patch of bush. About
an hour later we returned to the car, damp and depressed, without
having seen a sign of any limestone or subfossils. No-one but
snail collectors would bo scrambling around in the bush on such a
miserable dayi I had found less than a dozen snails - one
Suteria ide and a fe\r Thalassohelix, We would have to make some
enquiries, wo decided. No use asking the local inhabitants where to
find Schizoglossa ma.jor, but someone might knovf t.dicre the moa
remains had been foun^^^or where there wa,s some limestone. Nobody
didi But just then/we were almost ready to give up and go home,
we called on a very helpful lady who rang up several of her
neighbours, and then sent us off to a nearby farm, where, she told
us, there was limestone. From the top of the hill there xfas a
lovely view of Pukemiro, half a mile away. Just the right distanccl
We ^.rcro still not sure of the direction, but lost no time in
obtaining permission to explore the nearby limestone outcrops. It
was not difficult to find bones - the limestone must have been the
graveyard of dozens of sheep! But of moa boans, not a sign, and

- 46 -

the only snails to bo found uere a few dead Holiz asporsa, For
more than an hour we searched high and lowo At last I'-Crs. Bates
said we had better go> as it was getting- late. As we walked back
to the car I stopped at a little crevice for one last try. Digging
in the soft earth I could feel something hard> and pulled cut
something- that looked like a flat piece of bone 5 nearly txro inches
long. It took me several seconds to realise that the "bone" was a
Schizoglossa major, worn and slightly broken ^ but undoubtedly a
Schizoglossa; and much bigger than I’d imagined it xj-ould be. My
yell of excitement brought iIrSoBates hurrying back^ and with
rcncu'od enthusia,sm we continued our search. Further digging yielded
two Rliytidas (almost certainly groonircodi) ^ one complete and one
broken. It was getting reo,lly late by this time 5 so \jo gave up the
search and returned homo, Tvro days later wo went back to Pukemiro
for another try^ but after three hour’s hard work our enthusiasm
had diminished considerably. All I hrd to show for all tha,t work
■was a,nother broken Bhy^^j a broken Serpho ^ a juvenile Lj area
(all subfossil) - and a very core thumb -iv-hich a loor.c rock had
rolled on 1

The measurements given for Schizoglossa major in the Records
of the Auckland Museum are 36 rnm, x 26 mm, *(holotype) and 40 mm, x
28.5 mm, (paratype)j ’which leads me to wonder if my 46 mm., x 30 rnm,
specimen could be a record for size. As it is slightlj'- broken on
one sidoy it’s true width would have been a little more than 30 ram.
At a recent meeting I asked Dr, Powell if he had a Schizoglossa
mg j or , as I x-rould like to see another to compare with mine. The
specimen he showed me was considerably smaller than mine^ but
in Yory much better condition.

Although my Schizoglossa major is one of the most
unattractive shells in my colloctiony I consider it is my greatest
treasure.

— oOo —

- 47 -

REPRINTED from 'Australian Newsletter' January 1966,^ with due

acknowledgement .

Extracts from articles in the Newsletter from the Halacological
Society of Hollands Translator by Jo Voorwindeo

EDIBLE SNAILS o

With the ever increasing import of edible snails into Australia,
readers may find the following interest ingo If one orders a portion
of "escargots" in a Paris restaurant, one finds among the shells of
Helix pomatia not rarely examples of He IE: lucorum distinguishable
by the warmer colour of their broim bands and the microscopic net
sculpture on the periostracumo The reason is that during preparat-
ion some shells break and when the better restaurants prepare the
snails with lots of butter etCo , they swell and are sometimes too
big to be put back in their shells o Other shells are substituted
which are not always Helix pomatia» For that reason more than
fifty million empty land snail shells are annually imported by
France o Among the edible snails available in France are Ho IE:
lactoa, ligata , lucorum, mazzullii , sic ana, poricalla and testa
as disclosed in the book, "Les escargots" by Jean Cadart (Paris,
Lochevalier, 1955)'> The countries of origin in order of
importance are Germany, North Africa, Austria, Switzerland, Italy,
Yugoslavia, Lebanon, and Syria, the last one (the least important)
exporting 1 36 tons of live snaals to France o Nith these huge
imports of live animals, the chance that the5^ will establish them-
selves in France is not impossible, as proven by the following
accident. According to a report in "Le progres" 9'th = May, 19^2 a
canning factory Romanzini in the village La Riviere-Drugeon
imported 12 tons of edible snails fromi Turkey, A government
veterinary customs officer at the Border post at Verrieres-de-Joux
ruled that only 3'i' tons wore suitable for human consumption and the
rest had not travelled too well. The condemned 8-|- tons of snails
were dumped at the edge of a big forest, A few days later the good
citizens of La Riviere had a marvellous time collecting in the
forest thousands of snails which had arisen from the dead. Another
curious incident took place as reported in Le Figaro, 19fh April,
1965 describing a small border war between France and Switzerland
caused by snails, Tlie S'wiss are more set to preserve the beauty
of their countryside for tourism than the French. Frenchmen
however have great delight in taking their family and friends on
picnics where the main event is to collect snails on the spot and
prepare them over an open fire. To that end the Fronchm.en wander
into Switzerland whore they sometimes create quite an aiaount of
damage especially if the c::cursion develops into a well organised
hunt for the canning industry; the result was that for example the
Kanton Ncuchatel passed a law forbidding collecting snails, trans-
porting them, having them in possession or to sell with the except-
ion of scientific research or education. The French retaliated
with a law forbidding the same things in relation to collecting
wild narcissus, wild strawberries and mushrooms, a valuable pastime

- 48 -

for the SwisGo Other Bordertowns and Councils created similar
restrictions and> as far as x-fe loiow, this small war is still
going strong. And all that started with those innocent snails,

— oOo —

TIDES & TliEIR EFFECTS

B. Dudley,

Tides are the movements of the ocean water in response to the pull of
the starsj planets and satellites. Heavenly bodies attract or 'puli’
one another and the size of this pull depends upon the mass of the
bodies and the distance separating them. Of these heavenly bodies
the moon and the sun have the greatest effect on our tides. The
gravitational of foots of those two act on every particle of the earth 5
but only the water is relatively free to move. Unlike waves, xmich
disturb only the ocean's surfaces, tides move the x.^hole body of ocean
x^ator. As a matter of fact, they also move the earth and air. Every
time there is a vertical tide of 10 feet, the continents rise about
si:: inches and the atmosphere bulges out toxrards the sun and moon to
a distance of many miles, ¥e humans contain much salt and xvator and
each of us is also subject to this tidal pull| we actually gain an^"^.
lose a fraction of an ounce in xreight x^ith each rise and fall of the
tides.

Hox: the sun and moon each have their oxm tide-producing pull. I'Jhile
the sun is so much larger than the moon, it is also at a much larger
distance from the earth so that the solar tide-producing- force is only
3/7ths of the lunar tide-producing force. Therefore it is the moon
that has the greatest effect overall on our tides^ the sun's effect
merely reinforces or decreases the moon's effect.

¥e Icnox; that the tides vary in height and xve call them high and lox:
tides. Sometimes 'we get very high tides and very loxf tides. The
height of the tides depends on the x-ray the earth, sun and moon are
positioned x-rith respect to one another.

Firstly let us consider the time xrhen the earth, sun and moon are in
one straight line and let us for the sake of simplicity imagine the
whole globe is covered x-rith water and no land, How xvhen the tx^ro
bodies, the moon and sun, are in the same straight line, the combined
effect of both their gravitational 'pulls' (or tido- producing forces)
is very large. This large pull attracts the ocean x-raters and a bulge
of xratcr rises on the side of the earth facing the moon. At the same
time an equal bulge forms on the opposite side of the earth. This
bulge on the opposite side is formed because of two things. The
first is the gravitational pull of the moon is much V7cal:er as it
has to exert its pull through the solid earth, before it gets to
the ocean on the other side, Tlio second and more important is that
the spin of the earth tends to produce a force calleb centrifugal
force (or outxaard throv^ing force) and this acts against the inx^ard

- 49 -

pulling gravitational force., This now leaves two great bulges on
opposite sides of the globe and of course tv:o thinner areas of ocean
at right angles to these bulges (see Diagram A),

Now when the sunj moon and earth are in a straight line producing this
extra large tide., x^e call these tides SPRINGTIDES . The three planets
are in this straight lino when we get full and nex;r moons, ¥e get full
moon when the earth is between sun and moon and the sun’ s rays light
up the side of the moon vq a,re looking at. We get nex^ moon xirhcn the
moon and sun are on the same side of the earth and x-/e see a large part
of the side of the moon that is in its oxm shadow. Thus xve get Spring
Tides txvice a month (Diagram B), Noxi as the days of the rponth pass
_ the moon and sun become positioned so that they are at the corners of
a huge right-angled triangle. When this happens the solar and lunar
pulls partly cancel each other out and xrc have unusually small tides
called NEAP TIDES, This occurs during' the first and third quarters
of the moon (Diagram C).

Therefore we can nox-^ put this x\rhole cycle together and overall the
picture is one of a mass of water quietly streaming along after the
moon as it passes across the ocean. I'Then we are at the beach we
notice that x^e get txfo high and tx-;o loxf tides a day. Now high tides
do not occur regularly every 12 hours but at intervals of 12 hours 26
minuteSj, i.e, if there is a high tide at 9 o’clock in the morningj
the next will be at 9*26 at night and the next at 9»52 next morning.
This is because the earth makes one complete revolution about its
axis in an average time of 24 hours, xirhile it also takes the moon 28
days to make one complete revolution of the earth, Noxf combining
these tx-70 effects we get each point as being x 60 mins = 82 minutes
later in position each day. But during this time a place x/ill also
experience a high tide on the other side of the earth ax-ray from the
moon, half of 52 minutes = 26 minutes every new high tide is

12 hours 26 minutes after the previous liigh tide.

Let us not forget that this has been very simple description and nox-r
we must see what changes xrill take place on our real globe. For a
start the rise and fall of the tide is measured by tide gauges, located
chief Ij’" at ports. Therefore x/o can over the years, from records at
those ports, predict tides - we know also that the moon returns to a
similar position, relative to the earth every 28 days, but the moon’s
orbit is elliptical and so it returns to exactly the sam.c position
only once in 18-|- years. This malces tidal prediction therefore a little
harder.

The difference in level between high and low xmter is laioxm as the
amplitude. In the open ocean the difference botv/een high and lox-7 x:ater
is only 2 to 3 ft, , so that oceanic islands such as Tahiti and Hawaii
experience a very small tidal range. Because the oceans do not cover
the whole globe evenly but are broken up into many differently shaped
basins of varying depth, the water in each ocean basin will surge back
and forth in different x-rays in response to tidal pull.

- 50 -

Further complications aro introduced hy woathoro Onshore I'Xinds build
up tide levels j whereas offshore winds lower them, loxr barometric
pressure increases amplitudoSo "Storm surges" are produced when
strong onshore winds a,ccompany a rising- tidoo Finally there are local
variations duo to the size of the continental shelves and typo of
coastline.

We can regard the tides as waves that take 12 hours between crests.

As the tides move across the basins on to the shallower shelves y they
become more affected by the x^-inds. The first new form is called an
ocean a/ellg the distance betxreen crests being about 5^^ They

move at about 35 mph. in the Pacific, 1'Jhen the sxfell approaches the
shore it begins to feel the drag of the bottom. This sloxvs the loxver
part of the swell and so the surface part moves more quickly and so
the swell compresses and a xmve is formed, tlox^ the back of a x-7ave
travels faster than the front and so it rises to a peak and leans
forxrard. Finally the x-rave leans too far forx^ard and breaks, A x^ave
generally breaks when the ratio of the xvave height to xfave depth is
3 to 4o Therefore a 6 ft. x^ave generally breaks in 8 ft. of xrater
(Diagram S).

As a wave moves forxrard in deep water, V7e must remember that the
water does not. The x^ater just rises and falls in a circular
fashion (Diagrem F),

Finally let us consider some of the specie,! types of X7aves and
some of the effects tides and xfaves have on the land.

The most destructive of all X7aves is the TSUITAI-II (Japanese for
"harbour wave"). These are caused by undersea volcanic eruptions
or earthquakes. Tsunami have been knoxm to travel at speeds up to
500 raph.for distances equal to one third of the earth’s circumference.
Luckily the xfaves slox7 doxm (prcportional to the square root of the
depth) and strike coasts at a speed of about 25 raph. Even so, they
increase in height, and so x^hile at sea the xfaves may be 100 miles
apart and 3 ft. high, near the coast they rise to 50 ft. I'/hen
Kraicatoa blew up in I883j xraves 135 high reached Java killing
36 5 000 people. Today there is a great netx-7ork of Tsunami x-7arning
devices around the Pacific,

Sometimes the tides are compressed into very na,rrox7 channels and
x-7hen the natural rhythm of the water coincides x-7ith the incoming
tides, large walls of x^atei' surge in. These are termed ’bores' -
and the most impressive is in the Bay of Fundy x^here the tide is
pushed forxfard by a 4 ft, x-7all of xfat'er to a final depth of 40 ft.

In general we can recognise tx70 m.ajor types of shorelines
(1) shorelines of submergence and (2) shorelines of emergence.
Subrnergent shorelines are often termed sunken coastlines. This
type of coastline has many bays and inlets and offshore islands.

Wlien the valley of a river is submerged it is termed a Ria shore
and where a glacier has been submerged it is termed a FIORD coast.

- 51 -

IriFlien coastlines emerge we have lagoons, deltas, bars and sand done
beaches. The greatest changer of coastlines is the sand carried by
v/ater. It acts as a continuous sandpaper - always smoothing, always
cutting and always moving. It eats away the softer sandstones leaving
the harder rocks as outcrops or stacks. tJhen a current moves along a
coast it spreads its load, making long beaches. The texture of the
sand determines the kind of beach the sea will build. Coarse sand is
like blotting paper | v^aves sinlc directly into it, depositing whatever
sand they may be carrying. It piles up loosely and is constantly
being moved around. Steep beaches result. Fine sand packs much
tighter. Waves do not sink inj their action leaves a smooth, hard,
gentle slope.

And so we have considered the effects of the largest piece of rock
ever broken from the earth - the m^oon - to the smallest piece - a
grain of sand. Both have a vital part in shaping the world we live
in,

DIAGEAI>i 'D'

An Ocean Wave breaks when it enters shallow water. In the diagram
the dotted line indicates the base of the vmves. In deep water the
height of ocean swell is twentieth of its length (a). In shallow water,
the drag of the bottom shortens the wave length (b) to twice the depth of
the water (C), and the wave is forced up into a peak (D), The pealced wave
breaks when its height (E) is -f- of the water depth ,(f)

- 52

Cork float shows that waves travel, hut that the water itself
does not. In these drawings, the xmves move from' left to right,
as the cork simply rotates in an imaginary circle, moving slightly
up the front slope of the approaching wave. Then it slides to the
right do'vm the hack, >Ihen the wave has passed the cork will not
have moved more than an inch or two.

d/acram

E/lkl H

t

D//^C.RA\n "'b"'

Su iV

Pcjj

t

\

/''lOON/

S U i\|

Moot^ ^>K /-A'^T Oi-'/\lxrRrj

Editors s No & N, Gardner,

Vol 3

- 53 -

POIRIERIA

September/Decem'ber I966.

Part 4/5 o

CLUB I'lEEHCElID TRIP.

E» N. Gardner,

Th.e Tffliangarei Heads weekend trip proved to be most enjoyable all
round. The weatber was fine most of the time and the collecting produced
several treasures.

Saturday mid-day found twenty members of our Section arriving at
the Baptist Camp at Taurikura near Whangarei Heads. Mrs, Worthy had come
out from Whangarei and had a cup of tea nearly ready. Idr.Delphj our
member who lives at Taurikura very ably helped us to get the vrater
running in the cook house, but during our stay the reluctance of the
water to run caused several willing hands to spend quite a bit of time
going down to fill buckets in another building. However apart from this
small snag everything was fine.

Low tide was at 3 P.m. and a most interesting afternoon vras spent
in exploring the nearby sand flat and rocky island reached by a short
wade across in a couple of feet of xfater,

\iThangarei Member, Br, Bernard Bowden and son Thomas plus a young
friend joined us for the afternoon and it was not long before Thomas
called out that he had found a live Maurea tigris' just perched on a rock
xiaiting to be picked up. ’

The next find of note was a large live Vicimitra - almost black
with a X'j'hite animal, and shortly after, a second one turned up nearby,

Murexsul octogonus x:ith particularly lorig recurved anterior
canals, were found living among small xfeed covered stones. Some of
these shells almost looked as if they had been crossed x^ith M, mariae.
Chitons were plentiful and xrell coloured e.g. Eudoxochiton nobilis
(very large), Cryptoconchus porosus, Notoplax violacea, Anthochiton
aereus and Onithochiton neglectus.

The sand flat tox;ards lox^ tide xras well populated xfith common
shells and also a number of species not usually found so near the
shore.

By sieving the coarse sondy mud live specimens of Scalpomactra
scalpellum, “Pupa kirldl, Baryspira novaezelandiae, Bosinia maoriana,
Maoritomella albula, Pervicacia tristis, Hunkydora australica
novozelandica, Epitonium tenellum, E, jukesianum, E, philippina37um
and Cirsotrema zelebori-, v^ere found.

- 54 -

At I'lrs. Worthy’ s invitation everyone eagerly set forth after
dinner for her Whangarei hone, where a wonderful evening was spent in
looking at some of her beautiful shell collections, A highlight, was the
collection made on a trip to Queensland a couple of years ago. The full
beauty of tropical shells was seen in the specimens which had been taken
alive and therefore had lost none of their colour or sheen.

We were -introduced to Mr„ & KrSoHancock, members of I-Irs, Worthy’ s
Whangarei Shell Club, ;ho had been out dredging and had brought in a
num.ber of live Pupa kirki for us, Tliese delighted the Auckland Members,
as it is seldom that this species is found in good condition down this
way.

After a very nice supper, Members thanked Mr, h Mrs. Worthy for
a memorable evening and left for the Heads, Most of us had a bit of a
wander round l^hangarei before finding the way out on to the correct road
but everyone duly arrived back and tumbled into bed about 12.30 a,ra.

At 3 a,m. Mrs.Willan went out to see what shellfish might be
about at loxj tide. The tide \7as so low that she was able to walk over
to the island on bare sand and the light from the Marsden Point flare
made the going quite easy. Unlike the tropics where night collecting
is very good, our shells do not seem to come out any more than during
the day,

Hr.Delph very kindly lent us a dinghy from which dredging could
be done and full use was made of the opportunity,

I-Ir.Bakor, Warren Judd, Mrs.Seager and Mrs, Otto went out
dredging and MrjBalcer was pleased to obtain a Vioimitra in one haul

Dredgings were broug;ht in and everyone invited to help them-
selves to the sand to be sorted later. Among the small shells found
were s- Phenatoma, Spit onium , Pervicacia,, Hucula, Maoritomella,

Bale is oxyacme, Crosseola errata, Acar sociella and Promerelina
crasseoformis.

The boys had set up theii* tanlc and soon had a number of
interesting sea creatures to observe. The most unusual item was a very
primitive and rare star fish Luidia varia which. came up in their
dredgings.

Sunday-’-G weather did not look at all promising, with heavj?-
clouds and odd showers round about, but after breakfast, a trip was
made over to Ocean Beach to see if any shells had been washed up.
Apart from masses of sea^.^eed and a few Spirula the beach was sxrept
clean.

Back at Urquarts Bay we had an early lunch and set off over
the hills to Smugglers Ba,y. Mr, & Mrs. Hancock and two of their boys
accompanied us.

- 55 -

Some very nice specimens of Atalacmea fragilis were foundo These
usually like the underside of smooth stones at about half tide. Other
species living among the rugged rocks were large clean Lunella
smaragda and Anisodiloina luguhris.

The wind was blovring in and the tide still quite well ins
after a look along the coast most of the party walked back to Urquarts
Bay,

Those who w-ent over to another ba^' and stayed until low tide
found in interesting, llrs, Kindi ey sides came back v/ith a very fine
specimen of Charonia oapaoc.

Several members decided to return to the sandflat below the camp
where it was quite sheltered and a most interesting time was had. Some
spent a time sieving the coarse sand while others folloxired up trails
and holes over the area, - It looked like a battle field after all
the eager diggings "but most of the shellfish x-xere examined and returned
to their holes.

The cause of the great activity was the finding of a live
Qffadesma angasis by I-Ir, Hancock who had seen a couple of holes and dug
carefully'' down to see what x-xas there - maybe he dug carefully in case
he got his hand nipped - it has happened before I - but this time the
care xxas rexxarded in that a fine specimen of the rather uncommon
Qffadesma was found,

Taurikura mudflat proved to be the habitat of several usually’'
uncommon bivalves as xxell as Struthiolaria papulosa in various stages
of groxxth. Tx'xo largish holes about an inch apart xxere the indications
of the presence of S, papulosa an inch or so beloxx the surface, IToxx and
again nothing seemed to be there but xxith careful digging xxell on
either side of the holes to a depth of about 6 inches , live Qffadesma
angasi xxere found. About ha,lf a dozen xxere collected.

Qffadesma occasionally xxashes ashore in numbers after gales but
hungry seagulls quickly swoop on the fragile shells a.nd shatter them
to pieces, Qne has to be on the spot quickly to obtain any xxhole shells
for the collection. Very seldom are they collected "in situ,"

Among the molluscs living ofi the mudflat xxere Glycyaeris modesta
in large numbers, Struthiolaria papulosa and S« vermis , Baryspira
australis and B.novaezelandiae , Venericardia purpurata, Philine angasi 9
Hunkydora, Pervicacia tristis^ Dosinia maoriana and D. subrosea, and
Biplodonta zelandica. Qne or txxo fine specimens of Penion adxiista
and Monoplex australasiae xxere seen in the area and one Lonf^ imactra
elongata.

Everyone xxas packed up and axray before dark and a good trip
home xxas made, Tliere xxas a lot of driving for those xxho took their
cars and the passengers xxere most appreciative of being able to travel
in such comfort for the xxeekend trip.

- 56 -

NOTES OP INTEREST,

An interesting record from material tir, Douglas had at a recent meeting
is Paratrophon exsculptus Powell, from Naikato Heads, Tliis must surely
he its most northerly record to date.

Mrs, Johns ton showed us a series of very nice Baryspira novaczelandiae
collected alive from an upper harbour mud bank, during the ejztremely low
tides in September, Numbers of these molluscs were seen crawling out of the
channel onto the mud at the turn of the tide. The shells were rather novel
in that the colour bands were supressed or absent in some specimens. The
white ones looked very miuch like the sub-species crystallina (Brookes)

On the mud and amongst the Zostera sea grass at the same locality
were quite a number of Soletellina siliqua both alive and dead. - These are
not common as a rule in the Auckland Harbour though they are quite often
found in the Manukau Harbour,

Richard Willan mentioned at our October meeting that in his salt
water tank, a small pinic crab associated with two specimens of Hactra
ovata living in the tanlc, seemed to spend its time going in and out from
one specimen to the other, "The shell seems to open to allow the crab
to go out and then closes again".

iJhere do you look for small land snails? In the bush? Nell,
this does not always a.pply, especially with some of our introduced kinds,
for recently numerous tiny, white, dea,d shells were noticed at the foot
of a small clay banlc in a farmer’s pasture at Pukapulca, At this
particular spot only short grass is present, and an examination of the
base of grasses showed that quite a number of snails were living there.
This is Vallonia excentrica, introduced from Europe - a small flat snail
with a reflexed a,pertural lip.

Sacrilege i ] Prom a correspondent in G-isborne who visited someone
who likes to make rats and mice from shells,

"One very large perfect Penion dilatata has suffered the ignoble fate of
becoming a rat and last night when I picked it up and said that I felt
sorry to see it treated so, he produced somethirig which, he thinks, will
make a super rat, v/ith a lovely long tail. Guess what it is? Believe it
or not , it is a very lovely almost perfect Coluzea spiralis about six inches
overall which came up in a trawl near a reef twenty miles off East Cape -
and he will not part vrith it, not for anything!"

- 57 -

Laurie Price who is again collecting material for Dr,Solen of
Chicago Museum, writes from Tasmania

- "Up on tho higher slopes of the mountains are extensive forests of beech
like our South Island - though there always are a certain proportion of
Eucalyptus too, right to the tops of the mountains 4-5000' up in the snowi
As far as I can make out, there are only two species of beech - the
myrtle beech and the peculiar deciduous beech - have never seen a
decidious beech before - quite a primitive species I believe. Also, high
up, there is something that looks like our Dracophyllum (Nie-Nie) -
probably related, but it groTrs on one tall stem, not branched like ours.

VJell the land snail collecting is going very successfully so far -
getting a fair number of species - must have about 30 or so, to dqte and
also, what is more important, an extensive series of live specimens of
most. The Endodontids over here are super - many very large species,
for which I am very thankful, seeing that the gloom is like Darkest
Africa in the bush most days 1 1

Caryodes is apparently very widespread - have found it over half
the island so far - and it shows considerable variation in size and to
a lesser extent, colour - ranging from monsters of two inches to midgets
of tliree quarters of an inch.

I got a fine series of the Tasmanian Bryon last week up the N.E,
Coast - crawling round in droves on trees, rocks and on the ground after
overnight rain on the Freycinet Peninsular. A very interesting- area
here. Freycinet Peninsular consists of a rsmge of spectacular red,
white and black granite mountains with a sparse covering of small trees
and shrubs and a magnificent range of v^ild flowers in rainbow colours.
Quite a variety of snails too - a lovely place for a camping, tramping
holiday. The only snag when I was there (naturally) was the foul
weather - rain, howling gale and freezing cold - the worst I've had over
here so far ] I "

_ 58 -

VICirnTHA I.ii\03IA ZE^IMY

This was listed by Suter as tiitra carbonaria Swainson who states j
" — only worn and empty shells have hitherto been found. T^T^e is from
Port Jackson, "

Suters* Bay of Islands record of size is 48 mm, x I5 mm. Even
at the time Finlay created a now species for the 1T,Z, Shell in 1927
(T, II. Z, I, Vol 57 Po409) only very worn specimens were available.

It is listed in Bucicnill's "Sea Shells of Hew Zealand" as
M, carbonaria. He states that 'carbona,ria' refers to its black colour.
Most earlier specimens appear to he,ve been secured from Wailiau Bay,
near East Cape, Leigh, Kanganui Heads, Hhangarei Heads, Tauranga Bay,
Cape Maria and Ahipara, Trairled specimens are also laiown.

The two shells picked up at Taurilaira Bay were si:: feet apart in
two feet of water at low tide. The animals appeared to be feeding as
the shells were both three quarters buried in the sand with just part of
the spire protruding at an angle into the water - Colour almost black
with a white animal. Maximum size in our collection 2|-",

N, Gardner,

oOo

KETROPOLITAII LAUD SHAIL COLLECTIIIG.

One would scarcely expect to be able to indulge in land snail
collecting within a very short distance of Auckland's busy Queen Stj
however, this can be done in Grafton Gully, just below the massive
concrete bridge tower on the Symonds St,, bank.

Here, a tiny area of mature vegetation is undisturbed, though
invaded to some extent by exotics such as Oak, Pinus and wandering jew.
Much of the opposite ba,nlo has recently been cleared for moton^ay
construction and even this tiny area is vexy close to the road machines.

In leaf mould and under rocks beneath punga tree ferns and Kawakawa
a notable small land snail colony e::ists. Some species occur quite
plentifully.

The following I6 species, collected on a recent hunt are ?-

Operculates s- Liarea egea ( Gray ) ; 0;^^ 0 ra hedleyi ( Suter);
Cytora torquilla ( Suter ) ,

Flamrnulinidae was represented by s-

Thalassohelix ziczog (Gould); Therasiella
tamora (Hutton); Suteria ide (Gray;;
Mammulina costulata (SuterT

- 59 -

Charopid members were %-

Ptychodon pseudoleioda (Suter)j E^-estula
^esta (Gray) I Subfectola caputspinulae
( Reeve ) 5 Mocella cogitata Iredale,

Other species xrere s-

Phrl::^athuG erigone (Gray) 5 Tornatellinops
novoseelandica (p'feiffer); Delos coresia
(Gray);Delos .jeffreysiana (Pfeiffer) „

The specimens of Delos coresia were of particular interest because
of their unusual colour - pale translucent green with no sign of colour
pattern, Egestula egesta is not as a rule very plentiful but, strangely
enough it seems to like living under stones and rocks covered with
wandering jew, both here and in certain areas similarly weed covered
at the base of Mt.Eden,

oOo

HIGH TIDAL MOLLUSCS OF R/JTGITOTO ISLiUTO.

N, Gardner,

The Molluscs living at high tide level are of particular interest
for' they are plentiful in numbers and also well represented in species^
factors which make observation easier than in localities where the fauna
is sparse.

Rugged lava outcrops at high tide level seem to catch a considerable
amount of spent vegetation and sea'weed etc, which no doubt provides the
feeding needs of many small molluscs as well as encouraging the growth
of algae.

The shallovr depressions in the lava flows at high tide level are
filled with mud, and where loose blocks of rock rest on this, an
interesting community can be observed,- This is in the "Salicornia"
zone, just before it gives way to tussock (Stipa) at the maximum high
tide level. In crevices under these rocks and in the mud beneath, five
minute species of shells omiist or rather thrive, even though one could
hardly consider it the choicest of habitats.

The species are s- Assiminea vulgaris (Webster) Fig,1,

Suterilla neozelamica (Murdoch) Fig, 2,
Leuconopsis obsoleta Hutton Fig, 3*

Rangitotoa insularis Powell Fig, 4*

Lasaea maoria 'Powell Fig. 5.

> The ti:o taenioglossids Assiminea and Suterilla live in decaying algae,
while Leuconopsis and Rangitotoa are considered to be organic mud
feeders and no doubt Lassea obtains its nourishment from this source
also, Rangitotoa occurs quite abundantly on Rangitoto Island, but
is rarely seen elsewhere. It has been reported from the ICaipara and
Manukau Harbours,

- 60

Anyone wishing further information on this subject are referred to
Dr.Poxirell' s paper in Vol 63 of the T.NoZoI. 1933 entitled "The High
Tidal Mollusca of Rangitoto Island, Auckland, with description of a New
Genus and two Nex7 Species".

Rsugi'totoa insularis .

3.7 rma x 1 ,9

•1.75 X 5.1 I'iir.i.

2.4 X 1 .95mi:i.

2.

Sutertlla neozclcunica.

2,3 rnm x 2.75 i^.

2,0 inrn x 1 ,4ram.

- 61 -

COLLECTING PARYPHAITTA IN I'JEST NELSON.

The lifi'narias and rossianas.

B. Elliott,

January 8th 5 I9665 the day that Sharon Miller a,nd I left for two
weeks in the Karamea district , was hot and sunny. After a wet and
rather cold summer the fine weather seemed to he a good omen for our
holiday, during which v^e hoped to add many specimens to our Paryphanta
collections, as well as to our collections of rocks and minerals.

We spent the first night at Nnite Cliffs, heside the Buller River,

After tea we went for a walk down the river to search for rock specimens.
We did not expect to find any shells here, hut a search along the
high tide mark left hy the last flood yielded several Potr.mopyrgus
ant ipodum , Plano rh is corinna, a small Pisidium novae zelandiae and
a few small land snails.

Next morning our lovely fine weather had deserted us. By the
time we had finished breakfast and packed everything in the van ready
to leave, a light drizzle was falling. Very soon it was pouring, and
it continued to rain all the way to the Mokihinui River where xre made
our first stop. We went out to the heach at Waimarie, a wet walk hut
a profitable one, from a rock collector's point of view. The shelling
however, \ms typical of the wild West Coast 5 just a fevi broken pieces
- certainly nothing worth picking up. Half a mile inland from the
turn-off to Waimarie we stopped for Paryphanta lignaria x unicolorata
hybrids, which according to our map were to be found in the narrow
strip of bush betw’-een the road and the river. After half an hour of
fruitless searching we drove back almost to the turn-off, and I had
taken only a few steps into the bush when I found my first snail. By
this time the rain had stopped and the sun vras shining, so we could
really enjoy our Par3T)hanta hunt. Live snails were plentiful, up to
2 inches in size, but mainly smaller. Some of these hybrids are as
one-coloured as unicolorata itself. Full of enthusiasm v;e drove on to
our next stop, just over the Mokihinui Bridge, A short way up the
hill on the left of the bridge we found Paryphanta lignarigdignaria.

Soon we each had several complete shells, so we decided to move on
and try our luck with Paryphanta 1. johnstoni and unicolorata. We
drove back across the bridge, and then over the hill into Seddonville,

As the maps I had of this area were not very detailed, we called into
a house and asked the lady there if the nearby creek was Chasm Creek,
"I've only been here ten years" she told us, "so I don't know the
names of tho creeks yet, "T}'.e man next-door would loiow" she said.

He, hoxrever, was not at home, so we tried another lady, "Snails,"
she cried, "there's plenty of snails hereJ" And out into the garden
she went to get some for us. In vain \je explained that we did not
want garden snails, and showed her the illustrations in "Shells of
Ne^r Zealand", Fortunately Helix seemed to be absent that

day. The lady told us that Chasm Creek was the one vre'd crossed
before we got to Seddonville, so back we went to the bottom of the
hill. "Let's try here for unicolorata" I said, and peered into the

- 62 -

bush. And there vras a broken unicoloratal But finding my first one
so quickly did not mean that they were plentiful. Even pieces were
hard to find. But after half an hour of almost fruitless hunting,

I suddenly found four lives, 2 adults and 2 juveniles, but I did not
take the juveniles. Then we drove to the top of the hill, where,
we'd been told, Paryphanta lignaria jolinstoni was to bo found in the
water-drain and in the bush. Sure enough, there were several small
complete j ohnst oni in the water-drain. Getting to the bush v/as not
so easy. Though it was a very short distance away, there vras a belt
of dense, high bracken to get tlirough first, I got down on hands and
knees and pushed a tunnel through the bracken. It was hard work, but
\forth it 5 for when I reached the bush I found five live j ohnst oni in
a very short time - 2 adults and 3 half grown shells - maximum sizes
1-g- .inches. The tx-iro adults, though found x/ithin a few feet of each
other, are quite different. One is true j ohnst oni, x^ith many red
lines above and belox^^ the other is almost unicolorata, xfith only the
faintest of red lines. The Imlf grown ones vary somewhat, but are
all closer to j ohnst oni than unicolorata. It xfas noxf late in the
afternoon, and time to go, as xre xfanted to reach Mr, Harvey's farm,
betxreen Little Wanganui and Karamea, that evening. The x/eather had
been kind to us after all, but just as xje started over the Karamea
Bluffs it started to pour again. After all I had heard about the
terrible road over the Bluffs, I xfas relieved to find it in very good
orderj certainly nothing to bother the average driver. We arrived at
the Harvey' s place just before dark, and xrere given a typical Vfest
Coast xfelcome, and made to feel at home immediately. After tea we
looked at Mrs, Harvey's Parypha-nta collection, and then began the long
job of cleaning the snails X're'd gathered that day.

It is amiazirg'T xihat can be found inside empty Par,-'/phanta shells.

I alxjays talce every -Paryphanta I find, no matter hox; poor, I xfash all
the snails carefully, brealiing open those that are too poor to be of
any use to a collector. I pour the dirty x-rater through a fine sieve
to catch the dirt, then spread the dirt out on a sheet of nexfspaper
and leave it for tx-ro or three days to dry thoroughly. Then I put it
through four sieves of varioxis sizes, and carefully sort through it,
usually X7ith very x;orthx/hile results. Inside the hybrids x^ere
Fectola rosevearei and Phrlxgnathus marginata. Inside P. lignaria
lignarias Gerontia panther ina, Phenacohelix stokesi, Allodiscus
granura , Phri^egnathus regularis, Phrix. marginata, Potamopyrgns
antipodum, C;/~tora lignaria, Fectola reeftonensis, F.mutabilie and
F.buccinella. Inside P.l. miicolorata and johnstonis Phelussa
hypopolia, Phenacohelix sokesi, Phrixgnadhus regularis, Phr lx , phr yni a ,
Fectola mutabilis, F.buccinella and F. rosevearei. I x/as surprised
to find Potamopyrgus inside the Parypheantas , and x;as even more
surprised xrhen Sharon found a small bivalve - probably Sphaerium
novae zela,ndiae - among her "dirt", I xronder how these little
freshwater shells get inside land snails?!

The follox/ing morning Mrs.Ha.rvey, Sharon and I set off for
Oparara and Paryphanta lignaria annectens. We drove along the
narrow road pact the limexxorks, and I soon realised that I should

- 63 -

have left the van hy the limeworksi There was no hope of turning
around' we just had to keep going and hope we did not get stuck in the
mud. At the end of the road we collected samples of heautiful pink
g'ranite before setting off along the track to look for snails. Soon
we found our first pieces of annectens. We follovred the track to
where there was a huge slip and a notice warning that it might not be
safe to cross it. All the way along the track were pieces of annectens s,
and up in the bush we found more pieces. The rats and wekas had
certainly been busyl We did not find any complete shells 5 although a
fexv were not too badly damaged. In the afternoon Mr. and Mrs, Harvey
took us to the mouth of Glasseye Creek to hunt for Paryphanta lignaria
lusca. Mr, Harvey told us they were easy to find here - "You can fill
a sugar-bag with them," he said. He was a little too optimistic
however, for lusca proved to be quite hard to find. We each found
several dead shells^ but only three lives among the four of us. Most
of them were rather small, the largest being inches. That evening
we visited Mr. and I-irs. Johnson at Little Wanganui, and looked at their
collection of snails, and made plans for the following day.

Early next morning Mr, Harvey, I>Ir, and I-Irs. Johnson, Sharon and I
were on our way to the Charming Creek Coalmine, about three miles south
of Seddonville, Dead snails were plentiful here, in fairly good
condition^ maximum size Gj- inches. I found only one live snail, though
my companions were luckier. At the time I thought we were collecting
Paryphanta lignaria rotolla, especially as most of the snails had only
the faintest of spiral lines underneath. However, a few of them had
the numerous red lines of johnstoni, which caused m.e to wonder, and
later that day I happened to be reading an article in "Poirieria" which
confirmed that they were indeed johnstoni. After lunch we all went to
Coal Creek, just past Seddonville, to look for Par7/-phe.nta lignaria
unicolorata. After a long and fruitless search away up the creek,

Mr, Johnson discovered unicolora,ta living right beside the road on the
far side of the creek. It was now time to go, and there wasn’t time
for a thorough sea,rch. But just as we were leaving I found four
beautiful live adult snails (maximuja size 2 inches) all together in
the leaf mould, Mr. Johnson, having found the spot before us, had got
a lovely lot of snails, both alive and dead. Inside unicolorata I
found the follovring small snails s _ Feet o la otagoensis, F, rosevearei,
Phri::gnathus viridula , Phrix, regular is and Rhj^rtida patula. Inside
P. johnstonis Gerontia pantherina, Phelussa hypopolia, ?hrij:gnathus
marginal a, Phrix , phi7/nia , Phrix , r egwl aa;is , Fectola buccinella,

F, mutabilis, Cytora pannosum ;and Potamop,-)rrgus antipodum zelandiae.

Next morning-, January 12th, Sharon and I left the Harvey's
place for a couple of days collecting around Seddonville. We stopped
for a brief look on Little Warigc!,nui Beach; such a lovely sandy beach,
but x-rith absolutely nothing to offer the shell collector. On an old
tree trunl' t low tide Benliamina obliquata, Notoaemoa parviconoidea.
Modiolus noozelanicus and Melarapha cincta were living. At high tide
I picked up one Paratrophon patens and some nice examples of I^Iussel's
Beard, Sertularia bispinosa. I vms interested to see dozens of tiny
juvenile Perna, 2-3 mjn. in size, living on the Mussel's Beard,

- 64 -

Realising that the hush was going to he more profitable than the beach >
we were soon on our \iajc We stopped up on the Bluffs at Glasseye
Creeks “to look for Paryphanta li{^aria lusca^ Re vralked up the creek
a short distance, crossed a little stream and went up into the bush
on the left of Glasseye Creek, Half an hour and two broken snails
later we decided that this w’-as no good, and crossed to the right side
of Glasseye, Here lusca was quite abundant, only one live specimen
but numerous good dead ones, larger on average than those at the
mouth of Glasscye^ majzim.um size 2^ inches. Having got a good haul
of !hgsc a , we drove on to Seddonville, where we made enquiries about
the State Mine Ridge and Pa-ryphanta lignaria rotella. One man told
us there was a good tra-ck up the Ridge, so following his directions,
off we went. The"good" track turned out to be an extremely overgroim
track, a.nd in places no track at all. After a couple of hours pushing
our vray through dense bracken we arrived at the old State Mine, where
we stopped for a rest. A short way further the "track" became a wild
tangle of supplejack. It was obviously going to be quite impossible
to reach the top of the Ridge, so regretfully we turned back, wcithout
having seen even a piece of a rotella. Re then went back along to
Coal Creek, and, after a brief hunt for more unicclorata we wa,lked a
mile or t'.ro further ahong the road to search for Par,yphanta lignaria
unicolorata x ruforadiata hybrids. These Mere to be found on both
sides of the road in wet swampy bush. But the rats end wekas had
been very busy, and though Sharon found one live, I found only
d.amaged shells and pieces, a.nd, even these ’were hard, to find. Re
camped, that night at the Mokihinui Bridge,

llext morning we ’wont back to Seddonville to malce more enquiries
about the State Mine Rid.ge, The man ’dio'd told us about the "good
track" admitted, that he hadn't been up there since before the war.

Guess things had changed a bit d.uring that timel Ho sent us along
to his father, *who ’v;as a keen tramper. This old gentleman told us
that there was a very good track up the Ridge, and pointed out where
to go, "You can't miss it", he told us several times, Sharon and I
very soon proved that we could m.iss it! After an even harder
scramble through dense fern than on the previous d.ay, 'we reached a
clearing halfway’ up the Ridge, ’><’hers we stopped for lunch. By this
time we were both very disgruntled, and sure we were ’wasting our
time. But wo had. h'Urd.ly'- started off agvain when I found a small
rotella, andi. a little further on there c’a,s an excellent track through
the bush, just a.s the old gentleman had. said.. By* the time we had
reached the top of the 800ft. Ridge, ’we had each found, one good dead
snail, but they -i^ere so hard to find that we d.ecided to cross an
.area of fairly open country to another patch of bush not far a’/ay’’.

Here rotella was plentiful, and. in a very^ short time \ie had ea,ch
collected over a dozen empty shells, up to 2 inches in size, but
mainly^ much smaller. Only one live ’was seen, a juvenile which ’we
left behindL. Re spent about half cwi hour there, end then, as it
had. talsen us four hoers to get there, we d.ecided it ’was time to go.

Going; back we found, the track ’we'dL missed on the way up, e.nd a,s we
did not have to push our way through the fern, we made the return
journey in just under an hour. How I ’wished we'd spent a couple

- 65 -

more hours among the rotellasi We called on the old gentleman
again and told him we’d found the snails and the track, "But \ie
missed the track on the way up', I said. He looked quite startled,
"But you can' t miss itJ" he said, I enquired about the possibility
of going up the North Branch of the Mokihinui Hiver after Paryphanta
lignaria ruforadiata, but he told us a boat was needed for that trip,
so we decided against it. He told us there were snails in the
Paparoa Range between Westport and Greym.outh (presumably Paryphanta
rossiana gagei) but when I brought out my maps and asked him to
point out just where, he didn't seem to know, I was able to find
out only one cure fact - "You can't miss them," I bet I couldi i

As there was a little of the afternoon left, we went to look
for Paryphanta lignaria unicolorata x rotella hybrids near
Seddonville, We found a few pieces, but instead of stopping at the
first patch of bush we followed an old track which soon became non-
existant. By the time we'd retraced our steps it was too late for
any more Paryphanta hunting that day, VJe drove back to the Harvey' s
farm that evening'. Next morning was spent washing and cleaning our
snails. Inside P. lignaria lusca weres Thalassohelix obnubila,
Charopa coma, Fectola rosevearei, F, mutabilis, Phrizgnathus liratula,
Phrix, marginal a , Cytora chiltoni and Potamopyrgus antipodum. Inside
P, lignaria rotella weres Phenacohelix stokesi, Phrixgnathus liratula,
Phrix, rogularis, Cytora pannosum, Pliytida patula and a Rhytida egg.

In the afternoon Sharon and I once again set off for Oparara,

We wanted to explore the caves there, as well as collect som.e more
(and better) Par;yq)hanta lignaria armectens. With our hearts in our
mouths we crossed the big slip, a,nd then folloxred the track for
several miles, Annectens was common all the way along the track,
but oh, what a feast the rats and wekas had hadlJ Not one perfect
shell was to be found, although a fex'7 were in quite good condition.
Only one live sna.il was found, and even that was marred by a small
hole and rat teeth-marks. It was only a half-groxm specimen, but
its chances of survival seemed so slim that I decided I might as well
keep it. The largest annectens I found were 2-f- inches, but specimens
from the Gunner Doivns grow la.rger than this - to about 3 inches.

After 2-f- hour's vralking us turned back, as we had no idea how much
further the caves might be^ perhaps x;e had already passed them, I
believe that a lot of work has been done on the track since we were
there, and it is now easy to find the way to the caves. Back we went,
our socks and slacks liberally coated with "Pish Hooks" (Uncinia),

We were very surprised to find a silver-eye held prisoner by the
Fish-hooks and quite unable to get free, I had not realised they
were powerful enough to hold a bird. Wo released him, and he flew
off unliarmed, I stayed up late that night washing my lia,ul of
annectens. My impressive- looking bag of snails looked a lot less
impressive by the time I'd throvm out all the badly dam.aged shells I
Inside them I founds Rhytida meesoni perampla, Geminoropa oconnori,

A1 1 odi SOUS gr anum , Thalassohelii: obnubila, Phenacohelix stokesi,
Phrixgnathus rogularis, Phrix , plip-^/ni a , Phrix, marginal a, C:,~tora
lignaria, C7)rtora chiltoni, Potamop:/rgus antipodum, P,spelaeus,

Fectola mutabilis, F,buccinella, F, otagoensis and Flammulina zebra.

- 66 -

Next norning', January 15thj wg reluctantly said good-bye to the
Harveys and once again headed south, V^e stopped at the Mokihinui
Bridge for more Paryphanta lignaria lignariao This time we walked
about mile along the side road before climbing- the hill, and here
we found lignaria very plentiful, beautiful specimens both alive and
dead, up to two inches in size. On the way back to Seddonville we
stopped at Chasm Creek, I was curious to find out if the creek formed
an effective barrier between unicolorata and iohnstoni, so I scrambled
up into the bush on the east side of the creek while Sharon searched
on the west side. About 20 minutes later I had found one unicolorata,
and Sharon had found throe pieces-cf unicolorata. Unfortunately time
did not permiit us to look further into this, I think that there is
no natural barrier between unicolorata and johnstoni, and that the
two subspecies hybridise, as one of the .-iohnstoni I had found a week
before was almost certainly a. hybrid, ¥e drove on to Seddonville and
spent about an hour hunting for unicolorata x rotella hybrids. The
wekas had been busy here too, and all the snails we found were
damaged. Cur next stop was about two miles north of Ngaloawau, for
a quick look on the beach. As usual, sea shells were absent, but I
collected a number of FotamoRyr^qis antipodum zelandiae in a small
stream, Sharon found a Paryphanta lignaria .johnstoni on the beach -
no doubt it had washed do-wn from nearby Radcliffe Ridge, as it had
a much denser pattern of red lines than the Seddonville or Charming
Creek snails. But there was no time to go exploring up the Ridge if
we wanted to reach Denniston before dark. We had been told such
dreadful things about the road up to Denniston that I was very
nervous at the thought of driving up there, but I did not want to
miss out on Paryphanta rossiana patrickensis. To m^y surprise the
road t'arned out to be tar-sealed nearly all the way, and not at all
dangerous providing one drove sloxily and carefully. Halfway up we
ran into fog, and by the time v;e reached Denniston, at over 2,000 ft,,
the fog xfas so thick that we could only sec a few yards in front of
us. There \je were, two strangers in a lonely little tox-mship axmy
up in the mountedns, x^ith daiiuiess closing in and the fog getting
thicker and thicker. Fortunately \je both saxf the funny side of the
situation, and felt much better after a good laugh. As neither of
us had a clue x/hore to go, I called into a nearby house and asked if
there was a camping ground at Denniston, There xrasn’t, but with
typical West Coast hospitality these kind folk let us park the van
on their lax-m a,nd invited us inside. When I said that we xTOre snail
collectors I x/as amazed x-:hen Mi',3, not only knexr x-rhat I \ras talking '
about, but exactly xfhere to find them, and he said that he xfould
talce us there the foiloxring day. I could hardly sleep for excitement
that night, Ilext morning Mr,B, took us to a spot several miles
inland and to the north of Denniston; this xrould be the middle one
of the tliree P, rossiana pa,trickensis localities shovm. on the map in
"Shells of Wexr Zeodand", We crossed a small stream, and to my
surprise I found my first patrickensis (badly damaged) not a chain
from the road. After a long search had revealed only a fexr odd
pieces, Llr,B, went off homio, leaving us to carry on hunting alone.

We tried the other side of the road xrith no success and then xrent
back to xrhere we'd started. And there, in a patch of manidoa, x-re

- 67 -

found them - dozens of them! Unfortunately 5 however 5 our "friends”
the wekas had found them before usj and had made a very thorough
job of theml Within a couple of hours we had each found about 100
snails, which included four undamaged ones - two eacho Almost every
one had been pecked through the top and in through the side, making
them practically useless for a collectiono Most of them were adults,
just under 1-^ inches, with the largest just overl-g- inches. They were
nearly all in very fresh condition, but a thorough search failed to
produce even one live specimen, ¥e tried several other nearby
areas without success. Quite suddenly the fog came doxm, and by the
time we had driven back to Dennis ton it was almost as thick as it
had been the previous evening. We said good-bye to our kind friends,
and set off for Westport where we stopped to buy food and petrol.

Then we headed south to Woodpecker Bay where we spent the night. The
tide was high, so there xiere no shells to be found, but there were
a mmber of very nice Elephant Fish Egg Cases washed ashore, and
Potamopyrgus antipodum zelandiae in a nearby stream. My patrickensis
did not yield many small snails 2 Rliytida meesoni perampla,

Phelussa hypopolia, Phenacohell}c stokesi, and Phrimgnathus phrynia,

Next morning, January 17th, found us heading south again -
first stop Punakaiki, where we explored the wonderful pancake rock
formations. At Greymouth we stopped to enquire how to get to
Rewanui and Paryphanta rossiana gagei. We were told that there was
no road and we x^ould have to go by train? however, a road x-xas under
construction and would be finished in about txxo years. As the
mountains xxere covered with dense fog, we decided to leave gagei
until the return journey, and keep heading south to Mt.Tuhua and
Par,-^xphanta rossiana fletcheri. We reached Lake Kaniere late that
afternoon, and made enquiries about the track up 3j600 ft, Mt.Tuhua,
The store-keeper said he xxould talce us up Mt,Tuhua the folloxxing
day. But this time our luck xxas out, for at 4*30 a,m. it was
raining steadily. By 8 o'clock it xxas pouring, and by the time xxe'd
had brealcfast xxe xxere both damp and miserable, so xxe drove to nearby
Koxxhit irangi vrhere I used to live, VJe were welcomed by my ex-next-
dor neighbours, and a cup of tea and a xxarm fire soon made us feel
much more cheerful. But the rain continued all that day and the next.
The folloxxing morning, January 20th, was our last chance, as we had
to head northxxards that evening. The xxeather had improved a lot, but
there xxere still occasional light shoxxers, and quite a bit of mist
around the mountains, ITo doubt conditions xxould not have been any
better at Ross, 16 miles to the south, so we decided it was not xxorth
the risk, and reluctantly sahd good-bye to our chances of collecting
Paryjhanta rossiana rossiana and P, rossiana fletcheri. We spent
the day at Hokitilca, xxhere we visited the b^ch (nothing I ) the
Greenstone factory, the Museum, and an elderly gentleman xxho malces
x7onderful ornaments and jewellery from polished greenstone and
silver-pine. Later that afternoon xxe set off northxxards, Rexxanui
xxas still blanketed in dense fog;, it xxas obvious we xxould not have
a chance of finding Paryphanta rossiana gagei. We stopped at 12
mile, north of Greymouth, xxhere I collected a few Patelloida
corticata, PoC, pseudocorticata and some chitons, before the sand-
flies became unbearable. We spent the night at Woodpecker Bay.

- 68 -

Next morning, after collecting a few nice rocks in the nearby Fox
River, we set off for Westport, As we had a few hours to spare we
decided on a quick trip back to Radcliffe Ridge, where Sharon had
found one Par;>^hanta lignaria .jolmstoni on the beach, two miles
north of Ngakawau, We climbed a steep ridge on the right side of
the stream, and entered the bush at 'JOO ft,, and found ourselves
among a wild tangle of supplejack and low-growing Cordyline. As
it was obviousl^r going to be a dreadful struggle to get to the top
of the Ridge (about 1,300 ft,), we reluctantly turned back. Had
I laiom I xias in the right place I’d have considered it XTortlrwhile
forcing my x/ay through, but one dead snail on the beach, and a dot
on the map in "Shells of Nex-x Zealand" did not prove that xre had
picked the right spot. Back at Westport x/e tried several of the
local beaches, but in spite of a lox^r tide x/e found nothing. We
spent a pleasant evening- lookin-g at Mr, Harry Johnston’s collection
of snails, xHiich is in the care of his niece, Mrs, Bailie,

Early next morning x-re x^ere on our xray home, I stopped at
Rocklands in the Buller Gorge to enquire about Paryphantas,
Somex'^here betx-reen there and Denniston, I'd been told, there x/ere
large snails about three inches across, I did not take much
notice the first time I x-ras told about them, but xHien a second
person mentioned them I certainly did t<ake notice. They xfould be
too big for rossianas , and as far as I know the lignarias do not
extend this far south. The lady at Rocklands knew nothing about
them, but sent me along to a neighbour. He also could not give me
any information, except that his father Icnex; about these snails -
but his father xms in Invercargill, so that vras the end of my
enquiries. The identity of these big snails remains a mystery,
perhaps to be solved on a future trip.

The x\'-riter xxishes to thank Mr, N, Gardner for identifying
the smaller snails. His help is very much appreciated.

oOo

OBITUAEY

JOYCE ALM, FeRoZ.S.

Miss Allen passed .away on September 1st, after a long illness,

Sh.e joined the staff of the Australian Museum in I917 as
assistant to Charles Hedley and subsequently to Tom Iredale,

Prom 1944 until 195^ she held the position of Curator of
Molluscs.

The study of Opisthobrnnchs xras her speciality. In this field
her watercolour illustrations were particularly fine. Probably her
best known works in this country are the large and comprehensive
volume entitled "Australian Shells" and "Coi-Try Shells of World Seas" 5
both of which we have recourse to refer to so often,

oOo

1

Most Conchologists laiow of that excellent publication called the
"Nautilus" but few no doubt know of a second one of this name vdiich
originates in Switzerland. This periodical of long format, and
resembling a newspaper, advertises Pharmarceutical Products, but
interspaced a.re some beautiful colour Plates of marine life with a
considerable text on various subjects.

The issue before us contains s-

"Ovum size and postembryonic phase of Cephalopods"

Dr, Kc Mango Id - Wirz,

"Marine animals or plants?" Prof ,E, Tort onese, dealing with

Mediterranean Corals,

"Marine Vegetation of West Antarctica", Di*,M. Zimmerman and

Dr . I . Lamb „

"International Co-operation in the Indian Ocean", Dr, A.T.Pruter

and Dr.PuShomura.

oOo

A small gasteropod, very rare from the New Zealand shoreline -
in fact, one which does not seem to have been talcen for many years,
is Hinea brazialiana.

It 7;as originally recorded by Suter fi'cm the Ba,y of Islands,
and two others are listed by Dr, Powell in Molluscan Systematics No,1,

Members should watch out for this on their beach excursions -
particularly those in the North Auckland area.

Somewhat resembling a small white Buccinulum, the shell could
in fact, if not examined closely, be passed over as a white Buccinulum

- 70 -

het er omor plium . A different apertural shape is quite discernahle and
the shell also has a distinct bro^m epidermis. The following figure
illustrates its shape s-

It is a very common shell at ilorfolk Island but a decided rarity

here.

oOo

The smallest 5 and probably rarest member of Mytilidae in New
Zealand is Septifer c,f, bilocularis.

Only a fexi specimens have been recorded from our x-raters - from
deep x-rater in the Bay of Plenty and off the Northland Coast, These
are associated x^ith the species bilocularis x/hich is found commonly
at Norfolk Island,, but are of very small size - only 3 or 4 mm.
Normal size is about half an inch.

Of much the same shape as our large brox-m Modiolus areolatus,
this miniature is strongly radially ribbed and the margins are
strongly crenulated. The colour is distinctive - verdigris green
xrith blotches of red or broxm.

Shell sand secured recently for IIr,Penniket by Skin divers
off Poor Knights Islemdj has yielded several examples of Septifer,
so it seems as if it ;.iay occur not uncommonly here,

oOo

NOT ALWAYS BEER IS FOUIN) IN A BEER BOTTLB.

Yo, heave ho - and a bottle of Shells I Some time ago I had
the luck of a Chinaman x-dien I x-ras given a beer bottle one third
full of shell sand, that had been traxrled off Mayor Island in
40 fathoms.

On looking doxm the spout I could see a nxmber of the more
common deep x^ater varieties of shells x-diich had come to the top so

- 71 -

thought the rest would pay investigation.

After careful sieving and sorting the results were as
follows s-

Bathyarca cymhaea
Myadora novae zelandiae
Tahunanuia alata
Pleuromeris sp,

Cuna carditelloides
Cuna mayi

Nemocardium pulchellum
Notocorhula zelandica
Cosa costata
Nucula nitidula
I'luculana hellula
Notocallista multistriata
Cuspidaria trailli
Venericardia purpurata
Cirsotrema forresti 1

Xenophora neozelanica 1

Tanea zelandica 4

llberella harrierensis 1 ,

Poirieria zelandica 4

Zeatrophon caudatinus 1 <

. Zemitrella sp. 1 <

Pallium conve^aim 2

Chlairiys g.gernmulata 1<

Powellisetia sp, (Notosetia)3.
Zeradina odhneri
Badenia semireticulata
Schizotrochus rnantelli
Austrofusus glans
Macrozafra sp.

Hassarius aoteanus
Margins 11a suhfusula
Veprecula cooperi
Daphnella cancellata
Act eon cratericulata 1 smeJl,

Zeminolia semireticulata 3.

7 half valves,

2 half valves,
half,

1 and 9 halves.

2 and 1 half.

4 and 5 halves,

4 and some halves,
half only
half only
2 halves,

2 halves,

2 and several halves,
half only

about 2 dozen valves.

slightly broken,
very small,
small ,

small.

small halves.

Ernarginula striatula
Dentalium nanum
Diacria trispinosa 1
Broolcula contigua
Zeacolpus p.povrelli
Awcirua amoena

slightly broken,
1 ,

1.

2.

8.

6,

Several,

1,

Several.

1.

4.

1 small.

Pupa alba
Tugali jew
Cadulus teliger
Baryspira mucronatc

small,

Zeminolia plicatula Over 5 dozen.
Nozeba emarginata 5»

Zeacolpus vittatus 1 .

Heliscus raaorianus 1 k another

broken,

I don't worry about the usual contents of beer bottles $ but
when this sort of thing happens, bring on the bottles I

Stan Turner,

-oOo- —

- 72 -

OBITUARY.

It is Trith. deep regret tliat wc have to announce
the sudden death of Mr, ¥.P, Thomson, a valued member of
the Conchology Section for many years,

Mr. Thomson took a very active interest in the
club’s activities and took a particular interest in the
jimior members. On a numbei* of occasions Mr. and Hrs,
Thomson had their collection on display; several times
for the special benefit of the juniors.

From 1947 to 1949> Ur. Thomson served on the
committee. He uas secretary 1949 1950j Vice President

1950-1 951 President 1952-1953. During the years he
put a great deal of vork into the administration of club
affairs and in cyclostyling notes and nexrs letters. His
opinion uas always most valued.

Besides his interest in Conchology, Mr. Thomson had
a deep appreciation of our Native Flora and for a number
of years had been a keen amature photographer.

At Club Meetings, on a number of occasions, he
showed some of his splendid coloured slides of both Native
Flora and Fauna from all parts of New Zealand.

Editors; N.& N. Gardner.

- 73 -

POIRIERIA.

Vol. 3* Part 6. March. j 19^7*

A SEARCH FOR RliTTIDA YALDTO'TI PELL

O.J. Mars ton.

In North Canterhury and Westland several of us South Island
members have, in the last five years, been extending locality records
for Rhytida and Wainuia. Subfossil Ehytida have been collected up to
100 miles away from the type locality of R, oconnori. Discoveries here
have stimulated our interest in their counterparts in the southern half
of the North Island.

The widespread Rhytida greenwoodi group is relatively coastal,
being kno^m in the South Island by subspecies R.greenwoodi stephenensis,
R.greenwoodi webbi and also R.greenwoodi cf ’’stephenensis" ♦ Rhytida
greemroodi webbi is found both subfossil in caves and in living condition
as attractive bi-coloured shells.

The South Island subfossil R, oconnori and the even larger sub-
fossil R, cf . "hadfieldi" are not related to R. g. greenwoodi but have a
subfossil relative on the East Coast of the southern end of the North
Island i.e. R, yaldw:^mi Dell 195^

In the North Island Ian J, Payton and I, have studied topograph
maps and the revelant papers in the Records of the Dominion Museum.

These are listed below s-

Vol.2. Pto III Jan. I956, R.K.Dells

"Some New Zealand Subfossil Land Mollusca. "

Vol, 3. Pt. I, April 1956, J.C.YaldiTyns

"A Preliminary Account of the Martinborough Caves".

Vol. 3. Pt.II, July 1958, J.C.Yald-i^yns

"Notes on the Sivironment & Age of the Subfossil
Deposits of the Martinborough Caves".

The holotype and three paratypes of R.yaldx/yni come from the
Waewaepa Cave No. 9. Puketoi Ranges, near Dannevirke collected by
J . C . YaldxTyn in 1953) and described by Dr. Doll in Dominion Museum
Records in January 195^. Apparently there are very few, if any other
recorded specimens. ’tJhen describing R.spolaea in 1933, a subfossil
species found in the Hawkes Bay district. Dr. Powell referred to
Mr, H. Hamilton’ s subfossil Rhytida collected from the Coonoor Caves,
near Woodvillo, in 1914* Dr. Dell considers it likely that this
southern record would bo R, yald^fyni , as Coonoor is relatively close
to Waev/aepa. It would be interesting to know where Mr.Hamilton’ s
specimen is now, as it was passed on to Mr.W.H.Hill of Taupo,

- 74 -

The Dannevirke caves seemed too far away for a series of week-
and trips s so ve selected the Ruakokopatuna Valley, south of
Mart inborough, in the Southern Wairarapa. ¥e had only a slight clue
to work on, as after listing- the holotype and 3 paratypes of
R^yaldT^ryni from Waewaepa, Dr. Dell gave the locality as - "Mart inborough
Cave No,1, Ruakokopatuna, Lower Wairarapa, at 2000ft. broken shell,
1920", (op. cit. p.135)

Apparently Yaldtjyn* s eiicavations in 1952 did not yield any
R« yaldwyni , or Geminoropa spelaea, but produced a fine subfossil
Parr/phanta shell though. The 1920 reference is to the first
ericavation of this Cave R0.I (also called "Harrison’s Hole"), led
by Dr. J. A. Thomson 5 assisted by Messrs, H. Hamilton and W.J.Phillipps.

Mr, Athol Ross, Manager of Haurangi Station, made us welcome,
and remembered Yald^/jn’s party. As he has worked thero for 43 years
he was able to direct us to various caves. That day wo deliberately
avoided caves xirorkod by Yaldi;yn' s paxty and looked for unworked
caves. The only true cave containing somo stalactites and stalagmites
is flooded by a small stream, so thero were no X'rorthwhile mud deposits
there. Other rock shelters and caves on the same hillside were not
profitable either.

On our second expedition we located Cave Ho. 5, the bush falcon's
eyrie site. In 1952 the mud deposits wore scooped off doim to bedrock,
but we noted that it could possibly bo i;orth x/orking again as mud had
accxiiiiulated having washed out from other crevices since then.

At about 2,500 feet we eventually located "Mart inborough Ho,I" ,
a sinkhole on a ridge. It xfould be almost impossible to locate the
entrance if it were not for a prominent limestone outcrop nearby. The
entrance is only a slit a,bout 12 feet by 3 feet. At one end there is
a sheer drop of 35 feet, but at the other end there is a slope vdiich
x-re descended x^ith the aid of rope. Wo xfere pleased to see "J.Y." and
other initials carved onto the wall above us, and they indicated that
that party may have removed above five feet of matrix: from the bottom
of the sinlchole. We removed some of the debris accximulatod since 1952s
mud, broken marine fossils, remains of hedgehogs etc. and many rotting
sheep carcases. We xzero surprised just hox«r deep the large maggots
bixrrow into what X7as apparently merel37- plain clay. That night saw us
the proud possessors of a, portion of subfossil Paryphanta each. Snails
x-fould fare as badly as birds in crashing down from that height into
the sinldiole.

On our third ompedition x/e oxca,vated into rich matrix: in the
crovice on the eastern side of the bottom of the sinkhole. This
crevice had taken the "spill-over" of light bones, especially skulls
from the main portion of the hole's floor. At last wo x;ore locating
skulls of kix'fis and the oxt:^nct North Island Hotornis, and the
jawbone of a tuatara, etc.

There xrero about I4 ^doills among the mess of carcases on

the bottom, so x-^hen x-je saxr a bulldozer ^ h^d ;nly a chain axm^'’ from

- 75 “

tho entrance, away on this mountain top, wo assumed that the omers
hod decided to seal it over at long last to prevent further losses,

Vfith that in mind we worked harder and that ni^t staggered down the
trackless hillside with 55 17), weight of clay and bones in our packs,
and two bucket sful in hands.

Washing the mud is a slow process, especially as we were after
small snails, dovm to 2 mm, across. The Paryphanta and R.yaldwyni
had aristocratic fellow victims, as Yaldv/yn lists the following as
main species present s-

Anomalopteryx s Hoas

Pachyomis ? Moas

Dinornis ? one only

Apteryx australis mantelli s N.I.Kivri.

Euryanus finschi s extinct fli^tless duck
Aptomis otidiformis s large rail
Entinct N. I, Noternis
Extinct N, I, Weka.

Also Tuataras.

Among all of these mixed bones appeared the first indisputable fragment
of R.ya,ldiryni, part of the umbilicus, about 10 mm x 4 mm, and further
fragments of Paryphanta, strangely enough often the dorsal surface only,
but with protoconch intact.

That made three long trips, and still no R. yald^^mi , although
most interesting explorations.

My report on the number of sinkholes in this limestone region
brought Mr.G.R. Annabell, President of the Nelson Spelaeological
Society, across for a weekend. We inspected another sinldiole, but
it had only a bone or two in. We investigated several others, but
even \rith his handy wire ladder deemed it too dangerous to attempt
them? they are of the bell-chamber type, with sheer drops of 20 -
30 feet where tho ladder would be hard against rock, giving virtually
no hand or feet grip, and then sudden "ballooning" out into a cavern
where tho ladder and climber would be swinging dangerously for another
20 - 30 feet. They could make interesting visits later, though.

VJe fell back on to Harrison's Hole, so continued up to it at
2,500 feet. This fourth expedition brought success at last; rain had
x-rashed a juvenile R. yaldtp/ni out of a limnp of mud, and even the
protoconch was unbroken.

The bulldozer had moved ax^ay, not sealing over the entrance,
and we made better progress with a third man to help. One
continued excavating in tho eastern fissure, lying on one side on
tho cold clay, back against damp rock, head inside the fissure, and
slowly scooped out bones and mud one handful at a time. Another dug
into the cave floor and tho third worked above hauling up buckets.

Tlie nex't day we made our second find; in a bucketful of mud scooped
out by G,R. Aniiaboll , up on the surface I, J. Payton disclosed our

- 76 -

first adult Rhytida^ though with a damaged lip.

For our fifth and final trip the two of us left Wellington at
5.3c a.m, and concentrated on Karrisoris Hole alone. I. J. Payton
uncovered a second adult Pliytida on the floor, so that gave us one
specimen each, though none perfect. In the final three minutes late
that afternoon I uncovered another juvenile shell, though -with a
broken protoconch this time.

Smaller Land Shells.

Charopa coma are relatively plentiful in the mud, and a single
4 ram. Phrixgnathus sp.has washed out too. A little further down the
hillside I noted Charopids in a crevice, and I. J. Payton took a load
of the gritty material home. He was excited to find about a dozen
Otoconcha sp.amorig the grit. They are also in the mud in the cave
bottom, and I have xrashed out ei^t from the matrix containing the
bird bones, Rhybida and Paryphanta. Present day Otoconcha dimidiata
require not only shade but moist ground conditions. There are still
bush remnants in a few gullies, but most of the region was burnt
sometime in the late 19th. century. Presumably the Otoconcha were
contemporaneous with the kakapo and other bush dwellers^ but it v;-ill
be interesting to search the bush remnants for any sign of Otoconcha
there today.

In Vol.3> Pt.2, op.cit, Yaldwyn does not refer to R.yaldwyni,
Paryphanta, Otoconcha, Charopids , or any other land shells in his
section "Notes on Some Non- Avian Remains from the Cave I Matrix"

PP 131 - 132. Ho did note the accidentally introduced English
Holicella caperata (Montagu) on the open hillsides though: I foi,md

his reference to them by accident while reading H. N, Whitten' s
article "Introduced Land Molluscs of N.Z." in Bulletin No.^OT, 1955j
of the Conchology Section of the Auckland Museum. I too had been
surprised to find them at such an altitude as 2,500 ft, and so far
inland too, althou^ the calcareous soil in Ruakokopatuna Valley is
their most favoured habitat, even though only grass covered hillsides.

We are continuing to xro,sh the mud carefully, I. J. Payton has
another broken adult R . yaldwyni , and I have another unbroken juvenile.
Further vrashing and excavations will have to await my return to Nex^
Zea,land. For a total of I4 man-days the total of three relatively
reasonable adult R, yaldxTyni , 2 good juveniles and a damaged juvenile,
is hardly an impressive achievement. We have, hoxfover, thoroughly
enjoyed the experiences, learnt a lot more on several topics and
lea,mt the hard vtciJ the true value of the fexir speciraens that \tq have
collected.

oOo- —

- 77 -

NOTES OP mSREST

do oysters feed on ?

Feeding habits of an oyster, using the'C-iant Pacific Oyster'
as an examples

The Oyster spends 17-20 hours of each 24 hour day, talcing in
water for the purpose of feeding and breathing. During cold periods
\ihen water temperature falls belovr 40° P«, the oyster goes into
hibernation and it ceases to feed, because of the lack of coordina-
tion of the ciliary motion along the surface of the gills. Under
ideal conditions it filters 5^ quarts of water per hour at 77° P*

In one year's time the total would fill a 10,000 gallon tank.

- Pacific Northwest Shell News*

Several Snapper were given to us at the Collingwood Motor
Camp, and while cleaning the fish I found that they had been malcing
a meal of Acanthochiton zelandicus some of which were still rolled
up whole, with girdle and bristles intact.

N. Gardner.

Prom Ei’ol Willis s-

Three Tolenia porigrina, alive, x^ere dredged lately in 70
fathoms off Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty.

Two Tonna maoria vrere found at Arid Island, Groat Border
Island.

I have found that trawling x^rith frayed out rope is quite a
successful method of catching 'Poirieria'. These lovely shells which
were quite plentiful in the days of seine boats, when the spines
caught in the nets, are nox^r much more scarce.

A while ago I bought a box of overseas shells - one orange cox-rrie
reposed on the top and when the contents of the box were unpacked,
another of those prized shells came to li^t.

Papuina pulchemimus the bright green land snail from I'<Ianus
Island, is nox<: being bred in Queensland.

- 78 -

CHIOITE STUTCHBURYI, OUR COMON COCKLE.

Chiono stutchburyi (Gray)
I-JhariGarei ,

Northland,

Chione aucklandica Powell.
Auckland Islands.

Ihe largest C.stutchburyi I have cone across is 2|-" from
Collingwood.

N. Gardner,

From a conchological point of vievr our cockle ( Chione
stutchhuryi) is taken very much for granted. Probably its chief,'
claim to notice is that is is extremely good to eat.

However," ‘amongst the hoards of succulent specimens one can
secure a few quite attractive shells, with the clean reticulated
sculpture, which is characteristic of this fgmiilv, (Some overseas
species are most attractive and quite large too.)

If one assembles a range of specimens from the North to "Stewart
Island it is possible to discern a degree of variation in shell shape
The northern examples are generally triangular in outline, while
those from the South Island and Stewart Island are more of an oval
shape. There is also more blue colouring xvithin, in the region of
the pallial line.

In these features the southern specimens approach the not sb
well known second New Zealand species which is foimd at the Auckland
Islands,

This was described by Dr. Powell in 1932 as C, aucklandica.

C, aucklandica is a flatter shell, has a different pallial lino
and prominent blue colour outside this line together with a yellowish
dorsal margin.

A tracing from around actual specimens illustrates the
difference in shape.

- 79 -

RECEIPT PAPMS ON ZEALAND MOLLUSCA ARE LISTED s

"■New Species and Records of Mollusca from off Three Kings' Islands;
New Zealand" hy M. A. Crozier, Trans. Roy. See. Zoo. Vol.8 - No»3»

"Abst ract

Eight nex^ species of Mollusca of the genera Pectunculina,
Austrosarepta, Carditella; Borniola; Corculumc Thracia, Pissurisepta
and Tecticrater are described and extensions of the ranges of other
archibenthal mollusca are recorded. The genera Carditella, Corculum,
Spinosipella; Poromyaj Pissurisepta and Conus are added to the New
Zealand recent fauna. "

"Introduction

In September I962 a party organised by the Department of
Zoology, University of Auckland, carried out a trawling erpedition
in H.M.N.Z.S. "Tui" between Nexf Zealand's North Cape and Norfolk
Island. A number of stations were established, benthic samples
being collected with a beam trawl and cone dredge. All the material
discussed in this paper was taken from Station A.U.Z,53? 34° 00 S. ,
171^55' E. on 17th. September I962 at a depth of 440 fathoms north
of the Three Kings Islands, and generously allocated to the writer
for study by Dr.R.K.Dell, of the Dominion Museum, a member of the
party.

Prom a sack full of sediment consisting raainl5’‘ of coral
fragments, ostracods, formaminifera, sponge spicules and bryozoans,
the mollusca were sorted out in a. moderately good state of preserva-
tion. Very fex-r had been alive at the time of collection and the dead
shells may have accumulated from neighbouring areas and varying
depths. "

"Bulletin of the Auckland Institute & Museum. No. 5* The Molluscan
Pam.ilies Speight iidae &. Turridae" by A. N.B. Powell, - An

Gva.luation of the valid taza, both Recent and fossil, xrith lists of
charact er ist ic species.

"Abstract

The purpose of this bulletin is to list end evaluate the 549
generic and subgoner ic rnmes that have been either proposed or
accepted, from time to time for use within the families Speightiidae
and Turridae, to illustrate, whore ever possible the t^^e species
of each presuraabljr valid taxon, and to provide lists of characteristic
species together xri.th their distributional patterns, both recent and
fossil. "

(The main change affecting Nc'u Zealand collectors is the
transfer of Micantapex angastata to Luc or apex, an Australian
gonus. )

- 30 -

Vol.2, No, 8. Sept, 11 I962 - A Second Species of Suteria (Molluscas

Flammulinidae) and Observations of Suteria ide (Gray) - R. A, Cumber.

Abstract

Second post nuclear uhorl riblet counts were made in 31 samples
Suteria ide (Gray) collected from Ilang;amuka in the North to
Talcalca in the north of the South Island. Frequencies for different
geographic areas are discussed. A second species of the genus,
S«raricostata is described from the Awalcino Gorge. Isolating factors
possibly responsible for this species are discussed.

'Tlie New Zealand genus Suteria i.-as erected by Pilsbry I892, for
the single species S. ide described by Gray in I85O under the genus
Heliz. Suter (I913j in redescribing the species records it from
VJhangaroa in the north to the vicinity of Hokitika in the south. With
such an extensive geographic range, it is not surprising that there

is some variation in form, Gardner (1954) draws attention to a very

finely ribbed form from the Rauloimara Range. In 1948 the writer
noted a form with a relatively more mottled dark pattern from the

Talcalca Hill area, and the same j^'ear discovered a very distinctive

second species in the Anrlcino Gorge.

Vol,4» No. 10. March 23 19^4. ~ Regional Variation in Riblet

Frequency in the Ptychodon (Ptj^chodon) hectori - hunuaensis Complex
(Molluscas Charopidae) R. A. Cumber.

Abstract

Riblet f. equoncy in the first post nuclear whorl has been
studied in samples involving Ptychodon (Ptychodon) hectori -
hunuaensis complex. These V7erc collected at 80 localities from the
North Cape in the far North to the Nelson district in the north of
the South Island. Although intra-zonal variation is considerable,
regression linos calculated from North-South zones indicate clinal
tendencies.

Vol, 5« No.17o Pgs. 163 - 176, 23 January I966, - The New

Zealand species Previously Knoxm as Zelaxitas Finlay 1927 (Molluscas
Gastropoda. ) - W. F. Ponder.

Abstract

Zelaxitas, a genus previously included in the Littorinidae,
is shown to bo cemposed of species belonging to throe different
families. Zelaxitas cystophora (Finlay) Z.micra (Finlay) and
Z. rissoaf ormis Powell ( = Z.finrdlandica Fleming) are correctly
placed in Rissoella (Rissoellidac) , Zola::itao being retained as
a sub genus for Z. cystophora and Z.micra. Z. rissoaf ormis is
included in the sub-genus Jcffrcysiolla Thiele. A noxf species

- 81 -

of Rissoolla is doscribcd and the sub-genera of that genus are
briefly reviewed. Z.alta Powell is a littorinid, for which a new
genus is proposed and Z, irodalei (Brookes) is planed in Ovirissoa
Hedley (Rissoidae).

Vol.6. ITo.8. April 9'th. I965 - The Biology of the Genus

Arthritica. - W,F, Ponder.

Abstract -

The biology of three species of leptonid bivalve included in
the genus i\rthritica is discussed with particular reference to
their node of life. A. crassif omis lives on the large rock-boring
pholad Anchomasa sinilis, in what appears to bo a connonsal
relationship. SsternaJ appocLranco and ciliation of the mantle
cavity of A. crassif ormis is described.

A. b if urea is sho-^m to be free living and closely similar
to A. crassif ormis in structure. A new species is described which
lives cornmensally with the sea-mouse. Aphrodite austra.lis, in
deep X'rator.

NOTE OF II^rrSREST -

At the mouth of the Aororo River, Collingt^ood, H.¥. llelson, a
typical but interesting community of shellfish occurs. The water is
quite deep in places and the side of the river lined with water worn
stones until it becomes shallow and fans out into a huge sand-flat.

At low tide a few’’ chains from the mouth xrerc the usual miriads of
Amphibola crenata. Under stones in the water large numbers of
Mclanopsis trifasciata ^rere lathing eggs and amongst them were several
Zediloma subrostrata. The water tasted more fresh than salt.

Further out, near the mouth of the river, large specimens of
Notoacmea helmsi were living along the sides and under damp stones.
Associated with them were numbers of Zediloma arida and a few
Z, subrostrata. I have noticed before that Z . arida seems to be
particularly hs.ppy in a spot where some fresh water comes into the
sea. c.g, near Uhangarei Heads, and they seem to congregate in
quite large numbers in such places.

Near half tide mark where live cockles had become stranded
among the dead ones, many iui^miono plobjus were living, either half
buried in sand or inside shells. Though I searched further out
on the sandflat they did not seem to be there - though the cockles
(Chione stutchburyi) were, - large and luscious, but as the flat
is very ertensive and ray time was limited, it is quite possible
that they live further out as well as close to the shore.

E. IT. Gardner.

- 82 -

THE MOLLUSCAIT FAUI-TA OF A CULVERT IH THE
HEATHCQTE-AVON ESTUARY.

Frank Climo.

The Molluscan fauna of estuaries is known to he poor in species
in comparison with that of rocky shores j on open coasts (Moore, 1958)*

The following lists are of live molluscs collected or observed,
within the culvert, and in the middle and upper reaches of the Heathcote-
Avon Estuary, (only animals characteristic of a hard substrate have been
listed) s

Estuarine

Micrelenchus tenebrosus
Zediloma arida
Zeacumantus subcarinatus
Sypharochiton pelliserpentis
Melagraphia aethiops
Lepsiella scobina
Notoacmca helmsi
Onchidella sp.

X - Molluscs not typically
found in estuaries or
other shelterod muddy
areas.

Culvert

Micrelenchus tenebrosus
Zediloma arida
Zeacumantus subcarinatus
Sypharochiton pelliserpentis
Melagraphia aethiops
Lepsiella scobina
X Motoacmea parviconoidea
Rissellopsis varia
Mytilus edulis
Siphonaria sp.

Modiolus neozelanicus
Pema canaliculata
X Scutus breviculus
X Guildingia obtecta
X Crypt oc one hus porosus
X Acanthochiton sp.

X Ischnochiton maorianus
X Cellana radians
X Cellans ornata
X Patelloida corticata
X Buccinulum sp.

X Aulacoraya maoriana

The following observations can be made concerning the above
lists t

i) There are approximately three times as many species in the
culvert as there are in the estuary 5

ii) relatively few species found in the estuary are obsent from the
culvert 5

iii) there is a certain component of the fauna wiiich is foreign to
estuaries. (The above statement is based upon several years
collecting experience in various parts of the South Island),

- 83 -

The latter group of molluscs is typically found in the littoral and
suhlittoral-fringe regions of exposed rocky coasts. The group has "been
observed at Sumner, Taylor's Mistake, Kaikoura, Tahunanui, Separation
Point, Cape Farewell and Kahurangi Point, localities along the Eastern
and Northern coasts of the South Island.

None of these molluscs were found in Puponga, Pakawau, Collingwood,
or Westhaven Inlets, although there were areas of intertidal rock in
them all. Nor were members of this group found on the coastline between
the first three inlets, (it is possible that tidal currents in Golden
Bay may have prevented spat of these species reaching the inlets
mentioned, but the presence of an open-coast species of Zediloma in a
culvert at Puponga Inlet seems to refute this). With the exception of
the culvert they were also absent from the middle and upper reaches of
the Heathcote-Avon Estuary (recks near the entrance of the estuary were
not examined for this group of molluscs).

With the exception of the culverts at Puponga and Christchurch
all other estuarine or sheltered area^xamined had low water velocities.
However, for the purposes of this discussion, the culvert at Puponga
can be disregarded, since it was not flushed by every tide and so was
not in effect an open-coast loirtidal zone.

It is proposed that inclirectly, the high water velocities
mthin the culvert have allowed the establishment of certain relatively
ouryhaline (25 - 35 /oo) and curythermal 'dear-water' molluscs.

The fast flow of water has prevented the accumulation of sediment,
ifhich in other parts of the estuary has possibly prevented the spat of
certain species becoming established. To quote Moore (p.204) on this

point "Rocky and gravelly beaches may occur but the surfaces of

the rocks and stones are usually covered dth a film of silt. Although
tne larger forms such as adult barnacles can protrude through this with
apparently no ill effects, settlement of the spat appears to be difficult"
The presence of a 'Lithothamnion-lilce' calcareous alga on the rocks at
the Southern end of the culvert indicates that there is no such film on
the rocks within the culvert. On the other hand, the rocks in the
sheltered parts of the estuary are covered by a film of sediment.

Further evidence for the proposition that high water velocities
allow the settlement of relatively euryhaline open coast molluscs was
provided by the presence of Zediloma digna in a culvert in the Puponga
Inlet. Spat of this species must have come a considerable distance
(it has not been observed on the sheltered coast betxireen Puponga and
Talcaka, Golden Bay) and the conditions prevailing within the culvert
at Puponga allowed their development, there. It is suggested that
although not suitable for loxrtidal open coast molluscs, the culvert
provides a near enough approximation to some of the conditions
prevailing on high intertidal rocks tc allow the successful establish-
ment of the spat of Zediloma digna

- 84 -

GoA.Khox (personal communication) has noted that certain
animals characteristic of clear waters of exposed ooasts do not extend
along the whole length of Lyttleton Harhour. As the sediment load of
the water increases towards the head of the harhour, the numbers of
these species decrease. Salinities are constant throughout the whole
harbour and, while xirave action and other factors no doubt do vnry
along the length of the harbour they are thought not to be as
important as the effect of sediment in controlling the distribution
of the animals.

The above observations suggest that sediment plays an
important role in preventing the establishment of open coast molluscs
in sheltered xraters, typified by the Heathcote-Avon Estuarj^j but that
under conditions of artificially increased water velocity and given
the presence of a hard substrate, they are capable of becoming
established.

Reference

’Marine Ecology' H.B. Moore. John Wiley &, Sons;
493 PP.

— o0o-~"

HAI'IBY aiULSION FOR ’SMSITIVE SiailS'

Norman Douglas.

Abstract -

The pericstracum of such shells as Monoplex australasiae can
be preserved and dried, yet remain in appearance like that of the
living animal. This can be accomplished by the use of a
formalinized emulsion. It is not advisable to use a straight oil
on periostracum, but, as the tanners of leather have found by long
experience, an emulsion must be employed to gain the best results.

A basic emulsions

Rain water t

Knigh-t’s Castile soap §

Cod oil s

Sheep’s Tallow s

To prepare the emulsions

First melt the tallox-r in a tin on the stove. While doing this
bring the x^ater to the boil in another container. As the water
comes to the boil add the soap, as grated chips, and stir. V/hen the
soap is all dissolved poxnr in the hot tallow and finally the cold
oil. It is best to beat up the mixture occasionally xfhile cooling.
Liko a thiok cream xihen cold it can be poured into a glass Jar for
storage.

2 cups.

inch off a cake,
i cup.
i cup.

- 85 -

About the omulsiong

The formula above can be regarded as a basic emulsion the
principle of which stems from antiquity in the tanners trade. Both
the ingredients and their quantities can be varied to gain various
results. If the emulsion is required thicker then use more tallow;
if thinner add more water; if more oily add more oil. Different
types of oils can be used and also different types of soaps. It can
even be scented if you wish I An emulsion, as above, is basic for
leather goods requiring lubrication. For examples bridles, boots
etc. Just rub it in then polish the surplus off "irrith a rag. On
dry leather it does not cause "oil bum’ as straight oil does. To
professional leather-men emulsion is a "must". It is also quite a
good emollient for dry hands and useful in the final polishing off
when cleaning some IdLnds of smooth shells (volutes, for example).

The emulsion is not acid, in fact it appears to be slightly
alkaline by a litmus paper tost and this makes it possible to add
formalin, which is a slightly acid preserving agent, without the
emulsion becoming acidified. And that, of course, brings us to the
periostracum, or epidermis of shells - shells which cannot stand
acid, except as a brief spot treatment.

Preparing the shells

We will presume that a fine specimen of Monoplex australasiae
has been found alive and that it is desired to save it in a
life-like condition, with its v7ondcrful periostracum and strange
long hairy processes. The proccedure recommended by the author is
as follows s- First wash the specimen carefully under the hose
using a soft brush to clean it of all loose foreign matter, being
careful, too, not to damage that fragile protoconch in the process.
There are a, few other danger points. The periostracum must not be
alloxrcd to dry before being treated v;ith the emulsion. This is
important. ITor should the shell be boiled to remove the animal as
this will do the skin no good vrhatever, nor the shell either for that
matter I It is doubtful if any bettor method is loioi-m for
removing the animal than that of placing it in a solution of
methylated spirits and T^ater for about two weeks. Obtain clean
white Methylated spirits from the chemist (not the blue dye
commercia.1) and melee it up at about 25 to 50 per cent, moths in
rain water. The container can be either glass or earthenware, but
not a tin which loaves rusty stains.

Removing the animals

After about two to throe weeks in the meths and water remove
the animal vfith a strong \7ire implement like figure 1 . Save the
operculum. If all the animal did not come out in one piece then
remove the rest with the light wire "corkscrew" (figure 2) and a
hose. This light wire corkscrew- like implement is easily formed
by winding the wire about a wooden mandril (figure 3) starting at
the thick end and vrorlcing toirards the point. Usually this method

- 86 -

is successful in removing all the animal hut if a very small piece
remains at the tip of the spire it is recommended that the shell
he filled with waters changing this every few days with the hose
until no odour remains. It is during this period that the emulsion
is applied to the periostracum.

Add formalin;

Pour off about an egg-cup full of the stock emulsion
described above and add a teaspoon of formalin. Stir it up then
plaster this all over the periostracum of the shell. Be SLire not
to let the emulsion dry on the shell or a sticky mess, very hard to
remove, will result. Keep it wet with the emulsion for two or three
days when all trace of the cream should be carefully removed xfith
warm to hottish water and a soft brush. It is now ready to dry.

Dryings

First rinse out the inside of the shell with pure methylated
spirits. This will pick up the water and promote a much faster
drying of that part. Having vmshed off the emulsion with waxm
water, as mentioned above, the epidermis is ready for drying. If
allowed to dry unattended the rows of hairy flanges will curl up.

To prevent this cut pieces of light cardboard to shape (Figure 4)
and pin each flange betxfeen, using wire paper clips as shown.

After a couple days drying in the shade the card holders can be
removed. A pad of cotton i;ool is then pressed into the aperture of
the shell and the operculum stuck to this by the use of a suitable
clear glue, such as ATAGLU. By dipping the rounded point of a
piece of \ri.ro, or a tracer tool (Figure 5)j into the glue and
rubbing where required, the cotton wool can be made to lie doxai
smoothly. Coupled Tfith the use of suitable dyes, quite a life-like
imitation of the animal, where it shows, can be made by this method.

Storage;

It is preferable to keep the completed specimen in a tray
cabinet. Certainly do not leave it in the sun which is the worst
possible environment. Given a good specimen to start xvith, followed
by a thorou^^ job on the preservation, your specimen should cause
many an exclamation 1 Especially will this be so from those used
to the si^t of the Monoplex in most collections ]

Good luck in the hunting. But don't talce a specimen too
young (the shell is too v;oak), or too old and encrusted. The
specimen must be just ri^t - just full gm?oxm, about 4 inches
long, with the shell just thickened inside sufficient for strong“fch.

oOi

r^e ±c 'fie f^y.T.

7

be u't

V^gfurrt/ /or^ Mono pipe ^

c

87

COLLECTING AT GREAT EXHIBITION BAY.

R. Willan.

For two weeks during the Christmas holidays we camped at Great
Exhibition Bay about 40 miles from Cape Reinga. The v;eather was
fine for the most part but on our second to last day there x^as a
gale of about 60 knots which blexr the tent over.

On the beach xre found evidence of Japanese fishing boats
working in the vicinitys a glass float, a plastic float, a Japanese
sandal and several v/ooden crates with Japanese vnriting on them.

Before we arrived, there had been a terrific storm xdiich had
driven many shells up onto the beach. Amongst the washups x/e found s-

Tonna haurakiensis - most had broken lips.

Quibulla subtropica - not common but good shells.
Maoricolpus roseus - common about 3".

Zeacolpus pagoda - very common.

Zeacolpus ahiparanus -
Ellatrivia memorata
Nassarius aoteanus
Architectonic a reevi
Liratilia sp. ?

Xenophalixm labiatum, X. pymm and X.collactea.

Janthina globosa - large and perfect,

Haliotis virginea crispata.

Fusus mestayerae.

Fteronotus eos - Three but only one perfect.

Tanea zelandica - common,

Notocochlis migratoria - A large perfect shell.

Poirieria zelandica.

Charonia capax - Recently dead X'j'ith operas.

Alcithoe depressa.

Vicimitra maoria - A broken one.

Notocallista multistriata - A large perfect shell,

Bassina yatei.

Longimactra elongata - Many perfect shells.

The hermit crabs xfore most profitable. They yielded s-

Notocochlis migratoria.

Mamilla simiae.

Nassarius spiratus.

Gominella youngi.

Cominella quovana - many in sandy pools.

Austrosassia parkinsoniana - One in deep pool.
Cabestanimornha eserata.

Zeatrophon ambitus - very common, crabs lilce these shells,

Agnewia tritoniiormis
Pa±rieria zelandica

T*onna hauralcicnsis - This one had a very large crab

inside.

Found alive round the rocks and clinging onto seaweed weres-

Maurea punctulata - on seaweed.

Zeatrophon amhiguus - on rocks.

Cominella adspersa melo - large shells, burrowing in

sand.

Necthais sc^laris - many alive amongst rocks.
Charonia capaz - under rock ledges.

Charonia ruhicunda - 2 juveniles also under rocks.

Monoplex australasiae - among seaweed covered rocks,
Cahestana spengleri.

Cantharidus purpuratus - on kelp, common.

The Charonia, Monoplex and Cahestana are still alive and
grovring in my tank. They serve to remind me of this memorable trip.

oOo

Holotype s-

Paratype s-

Ecotype s-

Genotype s-
Homeot:/pe s-

Hypotype s-
Loctotypo s-
Monotype s-

Neotype

Syntrn^o s-

Topotypo s-

TERI'IS FREQUniTLY EMCOUETSPuBD IN LITERATURE
DEAUNG WITH I-IOLLUSCS.

The original type, a single specimen on which a
species is based.

A specimen collected at the same time and place as a
holotype and used also in defining a new species. •

Minor races exhibiting rather distinctive characters
often due to effects of a local environment.

The characteristic species on which a genus is founded.

A specimen which has been carefully compared with and
identified with an original primary type.

Not from the type locality 5 a figured or listed specimen.

A specimen on which a revised species is based.

The original shell of a species which is described
from a single specimen.

A selected specimen to replace the original type if lost
or destroyed.

One of several specimens of equal rank upon which a
species is based,

A species collected at the same locality where the
original type was found.

Information gleaned from
"A Glossary of thousand
and one terms" W.H. Arnold.

- 89 -

A LIST OP SI-IALL LAND SNAILS FROM LEAP

MOULD TAKEtT AT ORUAVJHAROA, GT, BARRIER ISLAND - 1966.

Liaxea egea (Gray)
Allodiscus planulatus (Hutt
Therasiella celinde (Gray)
Charopa coma (Gray)

Charopa ochra (VJeLster)
Pectola 'buccinella (Reeve)
Laoma marina (Hutton)

Laoma leimonias (Gray)
Plirizgnathus erigone (Gray)
Fhrizgnathus ariel Hutton
Delos coresia (Gray)

Cytora torquilla (Suter)
on)Therasiella tamora (Hutton)

Suter ia ide (Gray)

Plammulina costulata (Hutton)
Ptychodon pseudoleioda (Suter)
Ptychodon hunuaensis Suter.
SuLfectola caput spinulae (Reeve)
Geminoropa suLantialba (Suter)
Phrixgnathus cheeseraani Suter
Tornateliinops novoseelandica (Pfr.)

N. G.

oOo

NOTES ON A COLLECTING TRIP TO EAST CAPE

Warren Judd,

The tides during the Xmas holidays were poor for low tidal
collecting but the area proved very interesting nevertheless,

Buccinulum in various forms were common especially B.oolensoi
and B.multilinoum vrhich were found at Tatapouri along with several
small molluscs including Marginella mustelina (a number of the usual
forms and one albino), Thoristella oppressa, Neoguraleus, Merelina
and many minute Eatoniella and Estea, Among these was Sstea rekohuana.
Near Tolaga Bay I set off for a hour hike to a likely collecting
spot where, in spite of the tides being poor and ray time limited, the
bay yielded some good specimens. There were superb Buccinulum colonsoi
■f-”, clean, with very well developed lips, B.multilinoum and three
specimens of a very distinct pure white one - maybe B, suff latum alive
under a rock, and also Argobuocinum tumidum, Mayena australasia and
Micrclcnchus - all a,live under rocks. At this spot was a fantastic
place for limpets - a great lodge which you could walk along inside
about 6 ft. from overhang to shelf. Around this I found the following
species

Notoacmea pileopsis ( c ommon , large )
Patolloida corticata (very common)
Notoacmea pileopsis ccllanoides (not common)
Notoacmea daedala
Notoacmea parviconoidea (a few)

Collojia ornata common and clean)

Cellana radians,

Gollana radians flava (quite common)

Cellana otollifera (a couple, low dovm)
Siphonaria zolandica.

- 90 -

¥g movGd on to Tg Araroa and I found tlio coastline round about
very interesting. Apart from numerous forms of Buccinulura and other
shells, I was intrigued to see the following phenomenon i-

In the mid littoral pools on a seavreed that was common here but
which I cannot recall having noticed elsewhere except, perhaps at
Mayor Island, (a small darkish green species), were literally thousands
of Aplysia tryoni. They were dark reddish broim with a few lighter
lobal markings and ranged in size from about 25 mm. up to ^0 mm. Most
wero about 60 - 70 ram. When interfered xfith they released a purple dye.

I counted 17 to a square yard in a favourable spot but there must
ho-ve been about 8 to the square yard, on an average. They occured on

this seaweed as far as I went in either direction. I stopped a mile

further back doxm the road and the ilplysia were there also. I did not
have the chance to investigate further as the light was fq,ding but
there must ha,ve been millions. An area 400 yards by 20 at a density

of 8 per square yard would equal 64,000 specimens I They wore laying

eggs and feeding on the seaweed. I have a complete egg mass preserved
on the seaweeds - the egg masses are large and contain vast numbers
of eggs of minute size, yellox^ in colour laid in a gelatinous ribbon
which is quite long, and twisted into a mass of knots. Each individual
egg is scarcely visible to the nalced eye.

At Hicks Bay, our next camping spot I found Collana denticulata
on volcanic looking rocks and, surprisingly, a very few Cellana radians
flava, x-j-ith them. C. denticulata, though usually a southern species does
occur in odd places in the North, e.g. Cape Maria van Diemen, Cape Brett
and East Cape. In the East Cape area a niimber of typically far northern
shells occur in the living state - Marginella mustelina is quite common
in some places and Ellatrivia memorata turns up quite frequently, though
live ones are hard to come by, as usual. I found a deep pool with a
lot of algae and smooth stones in the bottom. I hopped in - it was cold
and deep and the mosquitoes xrere fearful, still it was xforthwhile as I
found a number of live Haliotis virginea crispata, two live Buccinulum
robustum , and another Buccinulum x-fhich seems to be a linlc botxveen
B.heteromorphon , B. vittatum and B.colensoi. It has size and shape of
B . hot er omorphon , colour bonds of B. Vittatum but a heavier shell and
prominent nodules on all xjhorls, all of xirhich are crossed by deep spiral
lines. I x;as most surprised to find a live Eusus mestayerae, usually
a northern slicll and nearby xjere also very fine specimens of
Eudoxochiton nobilis.

VJe caiTiped at Oreti Point for three days and it proved a great
place for small shells omongst x-rashups. Hero again a number of
species seemed more usually fcirad in the North. Some of the shells
I sorted out were t-

Pellax huttoni (not uncommon)

Estea sps.

Merelina sps.

Pissoina zonata (common)

- 91 -

Rissoina sps., (in addition to chatharaensis)

Z,Zebittium exile

Lyroseilia chathamensis (large)

Zeacolpus pagoda
Epitonium philippinarum
Epitoniura juice sianum
Cirsotrema zelebori
Janthina exigua
Trichosirius inornatus
Ellatrivia memorata
Mayena australasia
Agnewia tritoniformis
Zemitrella sps.

Austromitra rubiradlx: (very fine 5 common)

" rubiginosa " " "

" erecta " " "

Hacrozafra sp. most distinct oblique axial ribs witb

spiral lines covering a brom
shell (M.subabnorrais saxatilis ?)
Proxiraitra obscura (many broken)

Marginella mustelina
" pygmaea

Neoguraleus several sps .

Pervicacia tristis

Pteronotus eos ~(~^i^all battered brownish looking but

unbroken)

At still another beach washups were good and I collected
Macro zafra subnodosa (a far northeoli species ) , Turrid sps.. Pupa kirki,

1 worn Vicimitra,($owellisetia, Austronoba and Notosinister 3 sps. as
well as some that I had picked up eaxlier. I saw a few broken
Cantharidus opalus on the beach so on two mornings took off out to
sea wading in the kelp up to my waist and beyond and got - for about

2 hours work 9 Cantharidus opalus (mainly juveniles) all alive, but
two mature specimens irere very eroded, 6 C,purpuratus alive and some
fine Micrelenchus - it was cold though.

Regrettably the whole trip was marred by poor weather and on most
days rain occurred - some days just light showers at inconvenient
moments and others I5 hours of solid heavy rain - the Caravan aiming
almost floated away I

Editors? N. & N. Gardner#.

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Poiriera

vol. 1-3 1962-67 and

Proco 1963
59.4:06(931)

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