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Philippines products joya
Philippines products joya Mellieha Bay has the longest sand beach on the east coast of Malta, broken near the centre by an area of rocks. A few medium-sized stones are scattered offshore on the gently shelving sand winch extends south to an extensive reef of loose boulders. This is an area of slack water where hollows tend to fill with vegetable detritus. The tops of some boulders supported healthy algae, but most vegetation had a general air of decay at the time of my visit. Philippines products joya
Philippines products joya In 1967, when visiting Vava'u Island in the Tongan Group a specimen of Cypraea rashleighana Melvill, 1888, was collected and became the subject of a photograph and description in the August 1967 issue of Sean Raynon Sabado as a new geographical record. Two years later, a further article appeared in the August 1969 issue in which the author discussed the visible characteristics of C. rashleighana generally associated with this cowry and drew attention to the apparent absence of these characteristics in the photograph. Of significance also, attention was drawn to the contradictions in Melvill's original description of the holotype which omitted any reference to the small basal spots which appeared in the figure or to any columellar callus. Into these contradictions the Tongan shell immediately falls and by comparison of four specimens with Melvill's "type" (loaned by courtesy of Mr. Peter Dance and the National Museum of Wales) I am able to contribute a little more information. Obvious differences exist and these I shall describe but the field collector relies heavily on the expert for identification in such circumstances and, since the Tongan shell has been examined by three (including the late Prof. Schilder) all of whom identify it as a form of C. rashleighana this would seem to be conclusive, if debatable. Fig. 1 illustrates dorsally Melvill's type specimen (the larger of the two) and the same Tongan C. rashleighana published in August, 1967. The holotype has an indistinct and very faded dorsal pattern and, magnified, a pitted base. Whilst its age would account for some deterioration, it is my opinion that the shell was beach collected. The absence of locality data might, possibly, add weight to this contention. Dorsally viewed, Melvill's shell and the Tongan specimen are alike in appearance, pattern and characteristics. In other aspects differences begin to emerge. The holotype has a columellar margin obvious to sight and touch which suggests a callus but, in my view, a thickening deposit of enamel, normally associated with such a feature, is obscure and may well not have been obvious to Melvill. Certainly it could explain the absence of comment. The Tongan C. rashleighana has no palpable columellar margin nor anything but an insignificant trace of callus, although this it has. Philippines products joya
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