Hello fellow shellers,

I have a question for those knowledgable in cowries and their biology.

I love to collect tiger cowries (cypraea tigris) and I now have close to a
hundred of them because I can't resist buying different and unusual
colour/pattern/shape variations. Can anyone explain to me what causes these
variations within the species. I realise that this is not the only cypraea
species to show a wide range of variation. Obviously there are locality
issues, as this is such a widespread species, but what exactly makes these
physical differences from one locality to another?  (Although sometimes you
can find wide variation even within a group of specimens taken by the same
fisherman on the same day from the same locality). Is it environmental
conditions or perhaps a genetic factor which is limited within a given
locality? What causes melanism? What causes the hawaiian specimens to grow
so much bigger than average? Any comments or observations on this would be
appreciated, as my curiosity is piqued and I would like to be able to
respond when people ask me about my display of variations of this species.

Thanks and kindest shelly regards,
Barbara Jouvernaux
Walton
New Zealand

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