Hi Ross and All,

I looked at your cowry before you put up the description of
it, and the first thing I thought was that it was probably a
hybrid.  I don't know that I would have necessarily guessed
ovum x errones, but that's about as good as any.  If it's a
hybrid, it must be ovum x something.  When you posted the
info that it came from deep water, that made me a bit less
certain.  I'm not familiar enough with the deepwater cowries
to guess what it might be, or whether an ovum might tend to
look like the other deepwater Philippine cowries (as yours
does) if it came from the same depth.

As for other hybrids, moneta and annulus cross regularly,
and I have other shells that appear to be annulus x errones,
arabica x depressa, and arabica x eglantina.  Practically
all of the annulus in American Samoa show some at least
some tendency toward obvelata, although the only obvelata
I have ever found here are long dead.

Cheers,



Don

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> From: Ross Mayhew - [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Cypraea hybrid? and a lovely Violet cone.
> Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 2:33 PM
>
> I have posted on the images page
> (http://www.geocities.com/conchlimages/Mayhew.html) a possible Cyp.
> errones x ovum hybrid.  Does anyone know how common these are - i can't
> find it in Rice, or anywhere else, but that doesn't mean too much i
> guess.  Further, how many sorts of Cyp hybrids are in fact know?
>