>Hello fellow shell collectors,
>I have been reading and enjoying conch-l for a while now, so thought it was
>time I posted something.  I started collecting shells all of a sudden, in a
>kind of unusual way I guess.  Six years ago my husband agreed to clean out an
>attic for two elderly sisters, and they told him he could keep what he wanted
>and throw away the rest.  There were a few old trunks, and in one of them were
>a number of shells, almost three hundred, all wrapped in tissue paper and old
>newspaper.  Most of them had labels with them, telling the name (just the
>scientific name) and where they came from.  One of the ladies said they
>belonged to her mother, so I guess they are pretty old.  Anyway, I found them
>fascinating, and I got a wood cabinet and arranged them in it.  Later I buoght
>small cardboard jewelry boxes and arranged them in the drawers like
>saparators, with a shell and its label in each box.  Since then I have been
>gradually getting additional shells, and now have over five hundred.  There
>are several shells from the original collection that I have not been able to
>find in any books (I have bought several books on the subject) even though
>they have labels with them.  The names on the labels do not appear in any of
>my books.  So maybe I can get some help in finding out about them.  I guess
>that is an acceptable thing on conch-l, as I have noticed others asking for
>such help.  I have a number of shells I am unsure of, but for now I will
>mention just a couple.
>One is a shell 38 millimeters long, kind of rough textured, light brown with
>darker bands of brown.  It is labeled Latiaxis fimbriatus Hinds.  I have a few
>other Latiaxis shgells, and have found them all in books, but not this one.
>Does anyone know about this shell?  The label says it is from Formosa.
>Another one is a light weight brown and white banded shell with a bright red
>edge on the lip.  It resembles a moon snail, very smooth, but not as flat as a
>moon snail on top.  It is 55 millimeters in diameter.  The label reads Acavus
>hemastomus L. from Ceylon.  I have not been able to find any listing for
>Acavus in any book.  Any help would be appreciated.
>Sincerely,
>Linda Mason
 
Linda,
Yes, you have a valid latiaxis fimbriata, Hinds,1843.  It is listed in
Shells of the Western pacific in Color by Dr. Habe of Japan.  The specimen
that I have comes from Wakayama, Japan but the species goes throughout the
Indo-Pacific Region. Formosa (Taiwan) is within that region. The other
species I have no idea about.  It is not listed in Tom Rice's Catalogue of
Dealers' prices.  You should get a copy of that book from Sea and Shore.
His web page is:  www.ofseaandshore.com  and his e-mail is
[log in to unmask]  The prices in the catalogue are always
changing but I use this book as a catalogue of authors of names and places
found.
        Good luck on your search for info on your shells.
Dan Yoshimoto
 
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Dan & Hiromi Yoshimoto
1164 Vista Dr.
Eureka, California
        95503-6018
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]