Years ago I was offered one of the original pieces as I lived part-time in Cebu City. At the time +10yrs ago we considered this a ecormorphic variation of dayritiana known only from Palawan. Now I can catch a seaplane from Puerto Princessa to the source where they are harvested by hookah divers at night. At first a few dealers from Mactan ventured there but now Coron representatives travel to Punta Engano with shells to sell and/or leave on consignment. Specimens from deeper depths have the tell- tale course dentritic columellar teeth that stretches into the aperture as the original types do. Most are collected between 10-20m. As with most Philippines shells there will be the initial flooding followed by a lull period due to over-collecting in the type areas. Prices will stabilize once the dust settles. 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------