Aloha Conchers, In Hawaii Pustularia takahashii started appearing in the fossil records at the 15ft level(roughly 150,000yrs ago). Same level where 2 endemic species, Conus kahiko & Strombus ostergaardi, disappeared. Commonly found at this level to present strata are Conus pennaceus & Cypraea maculifera hawaiensis. During this era the Hawaiian Islands were much closer to the Equator due to plate techtonics. One would think the North-Eastward plate movement towards colder waters might have have changed the local species. This means the water temperature gets colder as time goes on & some species may die-off while others establish themselfs. Look at Lambis chiragra. This species prefer warmer temperatures & was present in Hawaiian fossil records 150,000yrs ago. Today no chiragra occurs in Hawaii. Could the colder waters restrict veliger developement? Or could the location of the islands in comparison to the Equator limit the veliger range of dispersion & settlement from other Indo-Pacific Islands? One must also consider the ocean level 150,000yrs ago in Hawaii was 15ft higher before the last ice age. Also 1.5 million yrs ago small Midway Atoll was a large major mountaneous Hawaiian Island roughly where Oahu is today. 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------