Paul M,

I have a specimen of Melongena bispinosa (unnamed until your query, thanks)
and I checked it out for both phosphorescence and fluorescence.  Nothing.
Under a UV light it is just a purple shell with some light ornage highlights
but no glow.  After exposure to the sun and then taking it into a dark
closet, again nothing.  My watch hands glowed brightly, but nothing from the
shell.  I tend toward the paint theory.  I believe there are both
phosphorescence and fluorescence paints that dry clear.

For the rest of the list.  I got a UV light (actually it was a birthday gift
from my wife) after reading Paul's article in "American Conchologist" on UV
and the shells that fluoresce.  It was really wild to hold the light over a
box of Cypraea and have the C. mappa and C. pulchra glow bright pinkish
purple.  What was intriguing was the C. pulchra glowed brightly while the
very similar looking C. lurida had no glow at all!  Since then I have been
thinking of setting up a section in the shell cabinet for just this
phenomenum.  Admittedly, most of this is a case of hit them with the light,
they glow, and that's it.  You're back to normal living.  It's not something
to keep you fascinated each and every evening.  But there are some
interesting effects.  Holding up a black Angaria melanacantha and then
seeing it glow pink and red under the UV is pretty wild.  There are also
surprizes, as I found the dull gray color of my Placuna sella (saddle
oyster) was highlighted with bright red veins under UV.

Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA