Aloha Cecil!
Even here in Hawaii all the litterature points to Cymatium gemmatum being
found here when the ID is actally mundum. It occurs on shallow reefs with a
full hairy brown periostracum. The shell's color is white while gemmatum is
light brown w/a elongated body. In the Philippines true gemmatum occurs in
deeper divable depths while mundum are snorkeling depths.

Also our Hawaiian refference material identifies Cymatium vespaceum as being
found here when the correct ID should be comptum. True vespaceum isn't found
here though both species occur in the Philippines also. Beu's recent work
clears alot of the confusion. For example Hawaiian beui was once reffered to
as a brown rubeculum & some have compared it to occidentale from Florida.

Back to the question in hand there is a true gemmatum & mundum. When
compared side by side there is no question that there's 2 distinctive species.
                                                     Mahalo!  Chris Takahashi

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