Hi Karen, I'd be glad to do some trading when I get things sorted out. Are
you averse to micros?
--David

>David-
> I am sure that you have already been swamped, but if you have "extras"
>after you have ID'd your catches, I would be interested in trading. Let me
>know if and when you are ready!  Karen
>-----Original Message-----
>From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Sunday, November 21, 1999 4:17 PM
>Subject: Re: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
>
>
>>Hi Eduard,
>>I will be trying to identify my catch in the near future. I suspect they
>>are all common especially given how easily they were obtained. I'm sure
>>most people on the list-serv will be better at identifying Cypraea species
>>than I. My helvola from Sri Lanka looks like my helvola from Hawaii but is
>>it helvola?
>>
>>Here's a technical question: Since I had to keep my live shells in formalin
>>temporarily, is it sufficient that I dipped them in water? Cypraea soft
>>parts are hard to extract, so will any retained formalin keep eating at the
>>shell?
>>
>>Also, note to all: my Terebra from Varkala appears not to be a Terebra. It
>>seems likely to be Bullia tranquebarica Roding. I found them in abundance
>>where the waves were splashing up on the sand. Like Donax variablis, they
>>have many different color patterns within the same area of beach and are
>>covered and uncovered with each passing wave. Strange to think such
>>dissimilar shells might occupy a similar ecological niche. I can't tell
>>what they were eating. There are some small Donax species in the same place
>>but the sand bugs (don't know the Latin name, but the rounded crustaceans
>>that dig backwards in the sand) were numerous enough to be eligible to be
>>prey for the Bullias.
>>
>>--David Kirsh
>>Durham, NC
>>
>>>Dear David Kirsh
>>>I note you collected several Cypraea species during your interesting trip
>to
>>>India/Sri Lanka. Could you please let me know which species of Cypraea you
>>>found. The place you visited is very interesting because several rather
>>>confusing species of Cypraea may be found there and any bit of information
>>>may be usefull.
>>>Best regards
>>>Eduard Heiman
>>>[log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Date: Sunday, November 21, 1999 3:08 AM
>>>Subject: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
>>>
>>>
>>>>Fellow shellers,
>>>>
>>>>I'm back from my 2 week trip. I'll be glad to fill people in on some of
>the
>>>>travel details if anyone wants.
>>>>
>>>>As for shelling, now I know why no one knew about Southwest India: there
>>>>are apparently no accessible reefs. Shells are mostly pounded to bits on
>>>>the beaches; not even any shell grit for micros. However, there are
>shells
>>>>in Kerala. Where I stayed in Varkala, Kerala, the locals told me that
>after
>>>>the monsoons have passed for a month or so, the visibility clears so that
>>>>it is possible to snorkel over the offshore rocks and find plenty of
>>>>sealife. Usual means to get there are the three logs lashed together that
>>>>most fisherman use. There were beached shells in good numbers south of
>>>>Varkala in a spot where the "backwaters" (lagoon) open to the sea. In an
>>>>hour jaunt, found Murex, Sinum, Terebras and other goodies. There are
>also
>>>>some shells on the rocks at low tide. Couldn't leave India without a
>chank
>>>>shell, so I bought one from a local fisherman who said he got it in four
>>>>meters of water off the beach. NB: bring your own methyl alcohol because
>it
>>>>is prohibited in Kerala. I had to obtain formalin for my small live
>shells.
>>>>I was lucky that customs didn't insist on opening my shell pack and get a
>>>>whiff on the way back home.
>>>>
>>>>I found out that the airfare from Trivandrum (capital of Kerala) to
>>>>Colombo, Sri Lanka is about $110 round trip. So I took a four day stint
>to
>>>>a recommended resort town of Hikkaduwa, three hours bus ride south of
>>>>Colombo. As I had been told, there were shells. Yes, well, I was a virgin
>>>>to the Indo-Pacific faunal region. I'd been to many spots in the
>Caribbean
>>>>and to Gulf of California but nothing like this. I didn't even get to
>>>>explore the reef (too rough). Just in the place where the edge of the
>reef
>>>>meets the beach, there was a staggering number of shells. Every time I
>>>>looked there was something else I had never seen. Maybe some of you have
>>>>gotten jaded about this, but I never saw a place where there were six or
>>>>more species of live Cypraea in inch-deep water. No to mention plenty of
>>>>other types of mollusks.
>>>>
>>>>And the shell grit under magnification was kind of like looking at a
>>>>treasure chest of jewels with a multitude of pastel colors and
>sculpturing.
>>>>Something new each time I scanned a different place in the drift. I don't
>>>>know if any of it is unusual but it was quite an experience for me.
>>>>
>>>>On the way back through Kuwait, I stayed at a hotel that wasn't the
>airport
>>>>hotel for transit passengers. That took some extraordinary gyrations and
>>>>considerable expense for me. (My advice is to get your Kuwaiti visa in
>>>>advance of a visit, perhaps through a 3-star-or-less hotel). The beach
>near
>>>>the Hotel Safir International, right by Applebee's and Chili's, has
>plenty
>>>>of shells.
>>>>
>>>>Some of my immediate questions from the trip are:
>>>>1) What books are going to identify the micros from Sri Lanka? Any?
>>>>
>>>>2) What is a 1/2 inch long mollusk whose shell looks like a fat taco open
>>>>on one side and pointed on the other? The animal is light orange with a
>>>>bright orange and a black stripe. Lives around green algae in tide pool.
>>>>
>>>>3) Is Seashells of Eastern Arabia likely to be useful for Kerala (on the
>>>>Arabian Sea) and Kuwait (Persian Gulf)? Is that the same book as Shells
>of
>>>>Muscat and Oman?
>>>>
>>>>4) Does anyone have a count of the known sinistral chank shells in
>>>existence?
>>>>
>>>>5) Anyone venture a guess about the one live shell very abundant on the
>>>>beach at Varkala? (It's their version of the Coquina). It's a Terebra
>about
>>>>1 and 1/4 inches long. Subsutural axial wrinkles tend to fade out toward
>>>>the body whorl. Extremely variable colors: from pure white to deep wine
>and
>>>>black, some are orange or rose, or those colors with white bands. Animal
>is
>>>>off-white and very active.
>>>>
>>>>More questions are bound to come up.
>>>>
>>>>David Kirsh
>>>>Durham, NC
>>>>