Aloha, Don.
 
Very interesting stuff you've written. I'm in the process of post
the cowry-related articles from the New Series Numbers of the
HAWAIIAN SHELL NEWS, which began in January of 1960.
 
Talk about timing! Only last night I scanned in the image of
an -eglantina- and an -aribica- which Burgess collected there
in the mid-60s. I jumped the gun on that article and posted the image
just now. Perhaps it will be of interest to you there.
 
Follow this link to the article:
http://members.xoom.com/makuabob/NSN068CY.HTM#E
 
Of course, many of us would like to see some pictures of these
"mixed-up" cowries from Samoa. Hope you got some shots of the living
animals.
 
Let us know how "El Nin~o" is treating you out there.
 
Aloha,
 
Bob Dayle (a.k.a. makuabob)
 
 
Don Barclay wrote:
>
> Hi 'L'ers,
>
> I just got back from collecting in shallow water on the
> south side of Aunu'u island, American Samoa, and
> found a few more cowries that have me puzzled.  In
> an area 50 meters square, we collected 2 cypraea
> depressas, 1 maculifera, 3 dark arabicas, and 3 cowries
> that for the life of me look like they are arabica crossed
> with either depressa or maculifera, but probably with
> depressa.  Is any such hybridization recorded between
> these two species?  The arabicas are about as normal
> as any you'd find in Samoa, as are the depressas.  The
> unusual cowries are about the size of the depressas
> from the same area, which is about half the size of the
> arabicas.  They are very depressed, though not quite so
> much as the depressas, with big spots on the calluses
> like depressa, a dorsal pattern somewhere between
> arabica and depressa, and a side profile that is fairly
> typical arabica.  In fact, they look something like the
> photo of the living depressa in Burgess' Cowries of the
> World, which I have always figured was probably a
> photo of a small arabica (note the lines on the dorsum).
>
> Another shell that I found last year is just as problematic,
> but I don't have multiple examples of this one to compare.
> It is a heavy shell, somewhat callused with a tall hump,
> not what I'd call depressed at all.  But, it has something
> of a blotch on the columella, so by the charts it would
> automatically be called maculifera.  It looks nothing like
> the maculifera from Hawaii, and not much like the ones
> from Samoa.  The dorsum is covered with netted rings
> (no lines) on a pale, banded background, and looks closer
> to histrio or grayana than any other cypraea in my collection.
> It is a heavier shell than any of the histrios or grayanas
> that I've seen, however.
>
> Any info or speculation on these guys?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Don Barclay
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