Aloha Forum, One possible explanation is the colder water temperature. Take the Humpback Cowry, Cypraea mauritiana Linnaeus, 1758, a common Indo-Pacific species. In it's range Hawaii tends to be farthest from the Equator & thus has the coolest water temperatures. Organisms tend to take longer to reach sexual maturity in cooler temperatures but will often reach larger matured sizes in some aquatic species. This is purely speculation as i'm not aware of any molluscan studies conducted on temperature vs size ratios outside of Abalone farming. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------