Dear David.
Soke in pure liquid pinesol for a month, spray out the
aperature with a waterpick or small nozzle hose in the back
yard. (The smell will be horrible.) Dry in a shadded place,
spray with pure silicone, wipe dry and it will look like
the one you picked up fresh from the water.
Any ID questions on specimens from the gulf of specially
Kuwait, sead me a sample and I will tell you what it is. If
any smell at all remains, Put in a water- clorox mix of
10-1 for an hour. All odors gone.
Since I have also collecyed India and Sri LAnka I might be
able to help also.
Fred in MN

----------
> From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
> Date: Sunday, November 21, 1999 3:21 PM
>
> 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
> >>