Dear Mr. Dayle
thank you for an interesting picture of shells (enormous quantity) belonging
to the "teres complex". I am very interested in any bit of information
regarding this confusing group of similar species, especially when an
attempt is made to study this group conchologically.
I have a small suggestion: when talking about the "teres complex", not all
terms, shell characters, definitions etc. are completely clear to all of us.
Let us once clarify them and agree about the definitions we will use in the
future.
What is, for example, the "burgessi type" of shells in your interpretation?
What shell characters are needed in order to consider a shell belonging to
this type?  Let us ask shell collectors, just now, to look at  their
collections and to check shell characters of Cyp. burgessi they have; ask
them whether these shells have the columellar callus, the labial callus or
both of them? whether they have small marginal  spots or large ones and what
is small and what is large? whether they have the dorsal blotch or not? etc.
etc. Several shell differentiating characters are given in the original
description of Cyp. burgessi. Should we use the same shell characters  in
the future or do you suggest additional, new characters as a criterion for
separation of this type of shells?
And what about "the alisonae" type of specimens? or the "teres type"? Can we
separate these types at all? If yes, let us agree on criteria, which are
necessary for that.

Respectfully
Ed

Eduard Heiman  [log in to unmask]




----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Dayle <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 12:10 AM
Subject: Upcoming research into Hawaii's "teres" complex...


> For the cowry watchers among us,
>
> Through the summer, I will be reviewing available information
> on the Cypraea teres 'complex' as it occurs in Hawaii and,
> to the degree limited data available on the web allows,
> other Pacific, as well as Indian, Ocean areas.
>
> To start with, I had to visually 'map' my own specimens, and
> I thought that others with interests in cowries would like to
> browse the nearly 900 specimens that I hold personally. The
> main 'map' is an image of nearly a quarter-megabyte and can
> be found at http://www.cowrys.org/research/gifs/allteres.jpg
>
> The shells are in order of their aribtrarily assigned number
> in my database. The top row is almost entirely composed of
> 'rashleighana' and 'burgessi' types of specimens. (When the
> database was initially set up, these were the first groups to
> be studied thus they were first to be assigned numbers.) Also,
> with only one exception (I think), all "mated pairs" have their
> anterior tips pointed toward one another; note that at #725,
> four shells are in one group--one large and three smaller.
> The numbers are not always contiguous, so mind the numerical
> 'signposts' as you go along.
>
> Hopefully, this will be an informative addition to the on-line
> community.
>
> Aloha,
>
> makuabob (a.k.a. Bob Dayle)
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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