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benicypraea

Hello all:

A few years ago, in París Shell Show, I saw with great interest a couple of very nice Lyncina aurantium, the both for sale in a dealer table, but the surprise for me was really enormous when I examined the label: Lyncina aurantium. Taiwan, China Sea, very rare...
Before these shells, only I have seen the "typical" Lyncina aurantium coming from the Philippines. Obviously, I knew that the first specimens came to Europe from the scientific expedition made by James Cook and his "nautas" in the XVIII´ century... Also I had the chance to examine a list of cowries from the huge Raybaudi Collection, and amongst the large number of specimens from his collection, I found the references about a couple coming from Kwajalein Atol, Pacific Ocean.
And later, an australian friend, I believe to remember, said in this forum that his wife (if I am not wrong, again!) has found one aurantium in Fiji recently, the place where the first ones came to Europe, again...
Some hundreds of Km to the southeast, Lyncina aurantium have been found in east New Caledonia, also very rare, always according to a local shell collector from there. Very interesting!
Does anyone know about more localities where lyncina aurantium ocurs?
Thanks in advance,
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
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.

Peskadot · Joined: 15 Aug 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Western Pacific

As far as I know, Cypraea Lyncina aurantium is found throughout most of Micronesia and the Western Pacific. From personal experience I know they are found around the islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan. They are most often seen in pockets (small caves) along shear cliff walls at depths of 15 to 30 meters, although they have also been seen in calmer waters in the harbor channels.

benicypraea · Posted: 26.09.2009, 12:12 Post subject:

Dear Peskadot:

Thanks for info. Nice localities, indeed. Just for curious people: In south Spain there is a Naval Base of the U.S. located in a town called "Rota". This naval station was created thanks to a common resolution between United States and Spain in the 50´s of the past century. In fact, I saw in a bookshop in that spanish town a book related to the history of the village of Rota in Spain and Rota Island in Western Pacific.
More remarks, welcome,
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
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.

benicypraea · Posted: 27.09.2009, 17:11 Post subject:

Thank you very much for your last remarks about aurantium, dear Conchophyle. I apreciate it very much!
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
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.

XEP-BAM · Gender: Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 43 Location: Russia

And does anybody see REAL albino aurantiums?
I have seen twice...in privite collection and in ebay(probably it was a fake shell)

benicypraea · Posted: 27.09.2009, 21:15 Post subject:

Hello all:

Sincerely, I don´t know if real albinos of Lyncina aurantium does exist (in the market at least)! Smilie

. Maybe if I see someday pictures of live ones, I can believe it. For me, all the white aurantium that we can see (rarely, indeed) in the net are false 100%. Böse

Regards,
Beni Cool

p.d. just for curiosity, dear XEP-BAM, how can you be sure about the " real" albinos of that private collection? Are they fully white, like a cypraea eburnea, f.e.? or maybe are they paler coloured like pink? Geschockt

Thanks in advance...
_________________
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.

XEP-BAM · Gender: Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 43 Location: Russia

This private collection was also in the internet Winken

so I am not sure that this is a real one.
It was fully white Geschockt

Regards, Serge

benicypraea · Posted: 28.09.2009, 14:39 Post subject:

Thanks for info, dear XEP-BAM.
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
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.

Notocypraea

benicypraea · Posted: 08.10.2009, 12:04 Post subject:

Hello Simon:

Thank you very much for those correct points to the history of collecting aurantium in the Pacific Islands...Yes, certainly I was a bit wrong with the locality. I think that your wife was fortunate to find so interesting shell there, but also I think that maybe is possible to find alive ones in deeper water...
Yes, I agree, Solomon Islands is one of the spots where these cowries occurs, a friend of mine confirmed to me this point.
Maybe in Cape york, Queensland?? Geschockt

Still not recorded or confirmed.
Great spot, no doubt, for many cowries and other shells...
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
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.

Lyncina aurantium comes from to the Pacific, but ... where?