Aloha! I viewed the pix & it does have sporadic melanistic dorsal blotching but I wouldn't call it a melanistic cowry. It's just a dark dorsal colored Tiger. I've seen & found Tigers colored like this through-out the Pacific. It would be safe to say that the location isn't a contested issue rather the monicker of being a melanistic cowry is. My guess is the ID label is correct in it's locality but classifying it as a melanistic shell may be stretching the description of the coloration. It's still a nice shell & very colorful. Mahalo! CHRIS:) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------