I'll take one, please.
 
Aloha,
 
Bob Dayle
____________________________
 
Andrew K. Rindsberg wrote:
>
> A technical article by Enrico Savazzi has just been published, entitled
> "The colour patterns of cypraeid gastropods" (Lethaia, v. 31, no. 1, 15-27,
> 1998). According to Savazzi, the color patterns of adult cypraeids
> (cowries) differ from those of most mollusks by having three-dimensional
> structure, the result of being generated two-dimensionally. Most mollusks
> with a color pattern have a one-dimensional "program" for color generation.
> In other words, most mollusks have color patterns made of unevenly
> distributed pigment, but cowries have color patterns determined by the
> different thickness of a pigmented layer. This would account nicely for the
> subtlety of coloration in cowries. The article is well illustrated with
> black-and-white photos and describes a computer model of cowry
> pigmentation. Given that 190 of 200 species of cypraeids are strikingly
> colored, Savazzi concludes that the patterns must have some functional
> significance (which may differ from species to species), but, as usual,
> "More research is needed" to discern the functional patterns behind the
> color patterns.
>
> Lethaia is a paleontological journal that is widely distributed in college
> libraries. I will send photocopies to the first five emailers who write
> with their mailing addresses. Please don't ask if you already have access
> to the journal in a library.
>
> Andrew K. Rindsberg
> Geological Survey of Alabama