Dear Ross and all,

the list has been published with comments in my latest book:
http://www.conchology.be/en/shelltopics/phil-book/index.php?page=detail&volume=marine_mollusks

I repeat it here for the benefit for all:

Recluzia lutea
Separatista blainvilleana
Malluvium lissus
Strombus thersites
Varicospira crispata
Tibia martinii
Cypraea childreni
Cypraea becki
Cypraea guttata
Cypraea porteri
Cypraea teramachii
Cypraea martini
Cypraea saulae
Cypraea katsuae
Cypraea leucodon
Cypraea aurantium
Cypraea valentia
Phenacovolva dancei
Cypraeacassis rufa
Phalium coronadoi wyvillei
Phalium glabratum
Morum kurzi
Morum grande
Morum watsoni
Amusium obliteratum
Eufistulina mumiae

This list was a political issue many years ago. Of course, it concerns
only specimen coming from the Philippines, and the law says you can
not push the collecting of them, with other words, you cannot pay
fishermen for collecting these or collect them yourselves. This
implies you can handle shells from old collections. Where to put the
limit is difficult here.
None of these shells are rare or even uncommon in their biotope:
Recluzia lutea is a pelagic snail with cosmopolitan distribution, so
it's protection has no sense. Separatista blainvilleana is a synonym
of something. Morum watsoni is a juvenile Morum of which only the
holotype is know, it is virtually impossible to say which species is
concerned there. Eufistulina mumiae lives deep in the sand and there
are probably less than a dozen specimen ever collected in the
Philippines as virtually nobody knows how to find them. Cypraea
aurantium was the source of income of a particular Island.

The only justified protection above is Cypraea leucodon, a shell that
has cost dozens of human lives to collect. The last two specimen I was
offered - but we don't buy these because Conchology, Inc. has to stick
to the rules as a big company - costed the life of 3 divers in front
of Hilton Hotel on Mactan. The shell is common as dirt in it's
biotope, but hard to get because quite deep, so it does not need
protection for that, but it's too bad many people lose their life for
a shell.

A local protection also goes for Charonia tritonis and Cassis cornuta.
Both these protections are justified as these shells are very
vulnerable because very visible on the bottom and they are picked up
by the growing number of thousands of divers. Of Charonia tritonis
there are almost none left, i've seen only 3 pieces in 1400 dives.

Mabuhay from Mactan island, the Philippines.

Guido T. Poppe

Websites: www.conchology.be
                  www.poppe-stamps.com
                   www.poppe-images.com
                   www.mambele.be
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