www.cowries.info

niveko · Gender: Joined: 05 Apr 2009 Posts: 21 Location: Russia

Hello!
I have in a collection a Mauritia histrio found on Palawan, Philippines. The shell is bought from the famous Philippine dealer. However in the literature there are no facts of a finding of a Mauritia histrio on Philippines. Frage

felix · Posted: 04.10.2009, 13:59 Post subject:

niveko · Gender: Joined: 05 Apr 2009 Posts: 21 Location: Russia

Thanks, Felix!
I am glad that I have a Histrio from new rare locality. Ausrufezeichen

benicypraea · Posted: 05.10.2009, 22:20 Post subject:

Hello all:

I can believe because Mauritia histrio is also present in Western Australia under the name "westralis". I´m sure this is not an isolate report...
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.

niveko · Gender: Joined: 05 Apr 2009 Posts: 21 Location: Russia

Hello, Beni!
Histrio westralis is described in the literature and considerably differs from mine. The Philippine histrio is elongated and humpbacked!

benicypraea · Posted: 06.10.2009, 14:57 Post subject:

Dear Niveko:

Yes, its a very nice shell, a typical elongate and well paterned specimen of histrio. I have some similar to the shell pictured, obviosly these last from Indian Ocean (Tanzania, Kenya). Maybe more shells like this one pictured, from Philippines will be available in the coming future...
Congratulations...
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.

Bardamu · Posted: 08.10.2009, 07:09 Post subject:

Hi everyone-

Recent `Philippine Marine Molluscs' vol. 1 mentions histro as extremely rare in the Philippines.

Best regards
Lynton

benicypraea · Posted: 08.10.2009, 13:17 Post subject:

Hello all:

However, I can think that really the sentence "extremely rare" in the Philippines is almost always a relative question, because local fishermen are always collecting shells everywhere from the north to the south and from the east to the west side of the Archipelago.
Regards,
Beni Cool

P.D. Remember the "famous" and recent case of dayritiana dani. Formerly "extremely rare" just a few years ago, is currently available at moderate prices.
_________________
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.

Bardamu · Posted: 09.10.2009, 00:16 Post subject:

Hi all-

An interesting question related to this: what are the rarest cowries in the Philippines? Judging from PMM vol.1. and what I have heard it might be something like this:

tesselata, midwayensis, histrio, dillwyni, katsuae.

Strange huh? Forget about the classics like leucodon, porteri and guttata...

Best regards
Lynton

benicypraea · Posted: 09.10.2009, 13:20 Post subject:

Hello all:

In my own opinion:
Lyncina leucodon is not a rare shell in the Phillipines. However, collecting leucodon in deep water at night (over 50-60 meters deep) is a bad and sad job for native people from Philippines without SCUBA equipment.
For the rarest cowries, like tessellata, midwayensis, probably there are small populations everywhere in the Phillipines, but is necessary to research about the deep water environment where these shells ocurs.
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.

Mauritia histrio from Philippines?