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[benicypraea]

Hello dear all:

Bistolida stolida is a very interesting cowry for me: several local variants from Philipinnes, Western Australia and Melanesia are sometimes seen even as possible subspecies... Does anyone have heard about Bistolida stolida salharyensis? I have found this name in a website and I would like to know if there is a more recent revision of the genus Bistolida and, specially for the different stolida variations found in its range along the Indopacific region.
Also I would like to know if there is a general agreement about the taxa known as "Bistolida huvongoensis" (Massier 2004). First time I known about this name I was reading a very interesting article about the sp. and ssp. of Bistolida-Complex written three years ago.
Thanks in advance.
Regards,

_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[ricdoc57]

Dear colleague,
I can partly help you: Bistolida stolida uvongoensis (not huvongoensis) has been described by Werner Massier (2004) in "Schriften zur Malakozoologie", and named after the locality, Uvongo, in Natal (South Africa).

Bistolida stolida salaryensis (not salharyensis) has been described by Luigi Bozzetti (2008) in "MALACOLOGIA N.59" periodical published by the Museo Malacologico Piceno of Cupra Marittima, and named after the locality, Salary, in South-western Madagascar.

I do not know directly the first of these two taxa, but from the article published by Ronnie Watts it seems rather similar to clavicola and very different from brianoi, that lives in southern Madagascar. I do not know Felix's opinion about it (and would be curious to know it).

As to salaryensis, I have some specimens of it and it is a very curious form, indeed. It is small, constantly bluish, with the central blotch isolated and the lateral blotches very small and not rising along the margins. The general look is that of a small bluish diauges, much more than of a stolida. I suspect that only DNA studies would help solve this doubt; furthermore obtaining fresh material should not be a problem, given the number of specimens presently available (at absolutely reasonable prices) from several dealers. Yesterday I saw many specimens offered both by Bozzetti and by Briano.

On the other hand I have another doubt concerning Bistolida: I have some specimens certainly belonging to diauges but collected (or I should say labelled!) in the Andamanes (3 specimens, from three different collectors) and Philippines (2 specimens, from two different collectors). Does anybody have similar experiences? Labelling mistakes or something else?

Regards

Riccardo Sciaky

[benicypraea]

Dear Riccardo:

First, thank you very much for your reply and interesting remarks about these nice cowries. Sorry a lot for my mistakes about the names uvongoensis (not huvongoensis) and salaryensis (not salharyensis).
I think that Madagascar and surroundings areas are, in my opinion, some of the most interesting places to get "unusual" cowries these days (stolida brianoi, uvongoensis, salaryensis, androyensis, pelliserpentis, are only a few examples of nice shells found there). Really I didn´t know anything about these two recently described Bistolidas from these localities of Indian Ocean apart from a nice description of uvongoensis in the article devoted to Bistolida-complex in Indian Ocean so its a nice surprise to read your remarks about these shells.
I agree with you that it would be interesting to read the personal opinion of Lorenz about these two taxa.
A question: did you get your stolidas from this side of Madagascar labelled under the name of "salaryensis" or another else? I would like to get one of these shells but I don´t know if they are currently offered to the collector´s market under another name or if they are offered as "clavicola", for instance... Thanks in advance.
Perhaps do you have some information about the kind of habitat (substrate, depth, etc) of B. salaryensis from Madagascar? I think is an intertidal shell, or lives in shallow water there. Thks.
I have only a few stolidas from Philippines and they are very typical. I have a few diauges, too, but they are (or labelled) from Fundu Area, Tanzania. I don´t have in the collection similar shells to diauges labelled from Philippines or Andaman Sea. Perhaps Bistolida diauges (or similar shells, why not) are found from time to time in certain spots far from the "typical" area where they lives in Indian Ocean.
Kind Regards,
Beni
_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[ricdoc57]

Dear Beni,
I completely agree with your remarks about Madagascar, it is a very interesting place and it keeps providing new taxa and data even in a group like ours, that seemed rather well studied.

My salaryensis have been obtained as such, and none of the specimens seen by me in advance looked at all like it. Probably this area had not been explored for this kind of shells before, or not in the right way. I can give you the address of at least three dealers that can offer this species at low prices, if you wish. Maybe you'd better write to my e-mail address, so as not to spread personal data of dealers. If you want to see some photographs, on the other hand, I can post them here.

I have been collecting for some years by now and my collection of Bistolida is rather complete, so I can give you some personal remarks on any taxon you like, although they remain very personal, not being in any way a "professional" in this field.

Another strange population of Bistolida is, for instance, the so-called Palawan-form of stolida, a strange piriform and depressed population collected only in Palawan (as far as I know). Also in this case, what can it be? A local population or a sympatric species or subspecies? The problem of sympatric subspecies is puzzling me since I started studying Cypraeas, since in the other group of animals I have been studying (Coleoptera Carabidae) such a phenomenon is impossible to meet.

Best regards

Riccardo

[benicypraea]

Dear Riccardo:

Thanks for your email.
I am extremely interested in this group of cowries. If you can post any picture of these interesting cowries, It will be greatly apreciated, thanks in advance!
In the other hand, I would like to know if you have got in the collection an unusual Bistolida hirundo pink coloured found sometimes in Maldives Islands. I have one of these small cowries (fully glossy, gem, but perhaps subfossil ones) with finely dotted margins and white base and margins. The dorsum is pink with paler bands, and the extremities shorts and slightly blotched. They were found in moderately good quantity in Thuladoo Atol (Maldives) some years ago and then offered by a local sender to a friend who sent me two of these. At the first sight, I though I have in my hands a subfossil hirundo francisca, but I am not sure at all. Do you have any idea about it? Any personal opinion?
All the interested readers in this last matter are extremely welcome, of course. The opinion of Felix is also extremely apreciated.
About palawan var. of Bistolida stolida, I agree that is something different, and my personal opinion is that a local population. I don´t know many more about this, so I will wait for to have more data to provide a more complete opinion about this.
I will write you privately soon.
Regards,
Beni
_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[ricdoc57]

Hi to everybody!

As promised to Benicypraea, I add a small contribution to the knowledge of Madagascan Bistolida and a little puzzle for everybody.

Here are some photographs: Bistolida stolida salaryensis Bozzetti from the type-locality (Salary), length 28,92 mm:




Here is a Bistolida stolida brianoi Lorenz from Fort Dauphin, length 25,68 mm:




Now a Bistolida stolida clavicola Lorenz from Nossy Bé (North-western Madagascar) length 25,55 mm:





And eventually a biogeographical doubt: a Bistolida diauges Melville (or something very similar) from "Govinda Bay, SW Andaman Is", length 33,76 mm:



I have two more specimens from the same islands but collected by different collectors and in different dates. Is it possible that a population of B. diauges really inhabits the Andaman sea? Any data will be more than welcome.

Best regards

Riccardo Sciaky

[benicypraea]

Dear Riccardo:

Thank you very much for the pictures!!
The bistolida salaryensis is pretty. it remember for me an intermediate form between stolida diauges and perhaps, brevidentata (pattern). Anyway is a very beautiful cowry. Congratulations.
About the strange but certainly nice shell similar to "typical" diauges but labelled or collected in Andaman Sea, personally I think that is possible to find (virtually) diauges in that place because... why not? perhaps they live in a different habitat in that area, far from the typical ones, but in my sincere opinion is necessary to get more of these, eventually live collected, to determinate by DNA study the similarity with typical eastern-africa diauges.
You put pictures of stolida brianoi, too. It´s this cowry really so rare today than formerly or it´s perhaps possible to get live-collected ones frequently now? I have a very little knowledge about this nice shell.
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Beni
_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[Guest]

Dear Beni, Bistolida stolida brianoi is still very rare. While since its discovery many salaryensis have appeared on the market, brianoi is still very seldom seen and most of the specimens are dead collected anyway. Maybe Briano (of whom I sent you the address) could provide you with some specimens, from my side the one photographed is the only one I have.

As to the Bistolida diauges from the Andaman sea, it is really a mistery. Your observations are perfectly correct, a different habitat could easily host less known populations. Moreover I have another specimen from the Philippines, equally very similar to diauges. And here? What can the explanation be?

The pink Bistolida hirundo from the Maldives is absolutely unknown to me. The few Maldivian specimens I know are of normal color, bluish with some darker spots. Can you take a photograph of them? I would really appreciate it.

Best regards.

Riccardo

[benicypraea]

Dear Riccardo:

Thank you very much for your very INTERESTING remarks about brianoi and strange diauges var. You are right, I think brianoi is still rare in the collector market. Possibly the habitat is not very well know, but perhaps its not far from the coast. I think in the future we can obtain more info about this species.
About diauges from Andaman Sea, you put in the table very interesting questions...This matter remember me, personally, the cowry Luria tessellata: first found in Hawaiian Chain, time after found in New Caledonia, Philippines and Taiwan (t. lani Raybaudi, larger, heavier, very rare), perhaps in the future diauges can be available from another different localities far from Eastern Africa, for instance, Philippines or Andaman Sea. Sometimes I think that, for instance, the extremely rare and poorly known cowry Nesiocypraea alexhuberti, found in Andaman Sea years ago, will be avaiable from Philippines, Japan, Maldives, etc...
Another case, but from "closer" localities, is Nesiocypraea midwayensis: recently found in Philippines, were obtained years ago in Taiwan and Japan...
About pink hirundo variation from Maldives (in my opinion, of course), yes, of course, I will post a picture as soon as possible. What´s the problem? Now I don´t have the digital camera ready to make it. I promised to some australian collectors some pictures of my philippine tigris collection and by now I cannot put the picture. I will do all the pictures, I promise to all the friends of this nice forum.
All the best.
Beni
_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[Bart]

Another favourite of mine! I will try to post photographs of my specimens.
One of my most interesting specimens originates from Tonga.
_________________
I am always interested in buying or exchanging Cowries, especially when they are very variable.

[Stolida Boy]

My fave cowries off all time i now have plus 300!
As for salaryensis they are clavicolas according to Felix.
Sb