That last e-mail was poorly worded.  What I mean't to say:

Thanks again for the info, David.  I can personally vouch for the
shells being larger as you get farther from the equator.  This is
particularly true of the Cypraea.  All of the cowries, with the
possible exception of Cypraea lynx, are larger in Vava'u, Tonga
than in Samoa.  In fact, I've found examples of four different
species in American Samoa that are smaller than the listed
world records.

Here's an amateurish question for you:  What conchological
characteristics would cause Siphocypraea to be considered
ovulids?  I just dug out all of my ovulids and Jenneria, and
I don't see any obvious characteristics

OF SIPHOCYPRAEA VAUGHANI

that would make me
say, "Hey, this ain't no cowry..."  The folds on the anterior
tip of Sulcocypraea do look somewhat like the other ovulids,
and the "fossular area" isn't exactly like the cypraea, but
it's not much like the other ovulids either.  Is this what sets
them apart?

Thanks for the education,



Don



>
> I believe Sulcocypraea is currently considered an ovulid, despite its
> cowry-like appearance.  It is more common than Cypraeorbis in the Gulf
> Coast Eocene and also occurs in the Eocene silicified fauna near
> Orangeburg, S.C.
>
> Incidentally, the Gulf Coast Eocene faunas are typically a lot smaller than
> those in the limestones in the Carolinas and Florida.  Not sure if this is
> gigantism or dwarfism.
>
> The gigantism in mollusks at the cold end of their ranges has been
> attributed to a lack of suitable breeding conditions.  The energy that
> would be put into reproduction is put into growth instead.  However,
> Florida and mid to outer shelf of the Carolinas was probably warmer rather
> than colder than the Gulf.
>
>
> David Campbell
>