Beautiful Shells of New Zealand Part 3

~TROPHON DUODECIMUS~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 22 (late Kalydon duodecimus) is a pale yellow sh.e.l.l, usually covered with a thick, rough grey or brown coralline growth. The length is under half an inch; and it is found in the North Island amongst rocks on partly-sheltered beaches.

~TROPHON PLEBEIUS~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 23 (late Kalydon plebeius) is a brown or slate-coloured sh.e.l.l half an inch in length. The interior is reddish-purple, with six or eight narrow darker lines on the whorl.

~TRICOTROPIS INORNATA~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 24 is a pale brown or white sh.e.l.l, under half an inch in length, and found all over New Zealand.

~MARINULA FILHOLI~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 25 is a pale chestnut-coloured sh.e.l.l, with two large and one small white plaits on the inner lip. It is about a-third of an inch long, and is found in Auckland and Ma.s.sacre Bay.

~TRALIA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 26 (late Ophicardelus costellaris) is a brown, h.o.r.n.y-looking sh.e.l.l, over half an inch long. It has two plaits on the inner lip. It is found in Auckland amongst mangroves near high water mark, and is also found in Australia. The maturer sh.e.l.ls have narrow, dark brown bands on them.

~TURRITELLA VITTATA~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 27 is a yellowish-white sh.e.l.l, with spiral brown bands. It is under two inches in length, and found in the North Island.

~TURRITELLA ROSEA~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 28 is a reddish-brown, or yellowish, sh.e.l.l, finely banded with purplish-brown. It is found over three inches in length, and, though common enough in the North Island, is rare in the South. It is found amongst gra.s.sy banks during very low tides, point down, and almost buried in the sand. A sand bank of considerable size near Rangiawahia, in Tauranga Harbour, was inhabited by nothing but Turritella rosea. Four other kinds of Turritellae are found in New Zealand, all smaller, but similar to the above.

~TRIVIA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 29 is the New Zealand Cowry sh.e.l.l.

It is less than 1/2 inch in length, and is white, with one or more flesh-coloured spots. It is found in the Northern part of Auckland Province and in Australia.

~CYLICHNA STRIATA~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 30 is a small, very narrow, smooth white sh.e.l.l. It is found in Auckland.

~HAMINEA ZELANDIae~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 31 is an exceedingly thin, h.o.r.n.y, white or grey sh.e.l.l. It is sometimes called the sea snail, and is found on the marine gra.s.s in harbours, as well as in the open sea. Stray ones may be found in mud or sand.

~BULLA QUOYI~ (Plate VII.).--Fig. 32 is a smooth, greenish sh.e.l.l, an inch and a-half long. It is sometimes marbled with purplish-grey, or with white dots. This sh.e.l.l is found in Auckland and Australia. The Maori name is Pupu wharoa.

~BARNEA SIMILIS~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 1 is a white rock borer, up to two and a-half inches long. It is found all over the North Island, and at Waikowaiti, in the South Island.

~PHOLADIDEA TRIDENS~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 2 is also a white rock borer, found up to nearly two inches in length. It seems particularly fond of the soft sandstone in the Auckland Harbour.

~PANOPEA ZELANDICA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 3 is a widely-gaping white sh.e.l.l, upwards of four inches long. It is common in the North Island, but rare in the South. It lives a considerable distance below the surface of the sand in the open sea or on exposed beaches. One, caught in situ, by Mr.

C. Spencer at Cheltenham Beach (Auckland) was about eighteen inches below the surface of the sand at about half-tide mark. One species of the Panopea family, which is found in South Africa, lives at a depth of several feet. All bivalves that live in the sand have sh.e.l.ls which gape more or less, apparently to enable them to push their syphons through the sand to the water. The deeper in the sand the sh.e.l.lfish lives, the longer and stronger the syphon must be. The Panopea burrows deeper than any other of our sh.e.l.lfish, and therefore requires the largest gape. As mentioned on page 12, bivalves do not leave their beds to feed, but push the syphon through the sand to the water and draw the water down one syphon and eject it through the other, absorbing the animal and vegetable matter as it pa.s.ses through the mollusc's stomach. The Maori name is Hohehohe, which is also given to the Tellina family, on Plate VIII.

~COCHLODESMA ANGASI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 4 (late Anatina angasi) is a very white, almost transparent, thin sh.e.l.l, three and a-half inches long. One valve is nearly flat, and the sh.e.l.l gapes to a considerable extent at the narrower end. It is found in the open sea in sand in the North Island, Cook Strait, and Australia.

~CORBULA ZELANDICA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 5 is a yellowish or pinkish-white sh.e.l.l, with fine longitudinal lines on it. The interior is brownish, and the sh.e.l.l over half an inch long. It is common in the North Island and Australia.

~SAXICAVA ARCTICA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 6 is a rough, distorted, yellowish-grey sh.e.l.l, about three-quarters of an inch long. The interior is whitish. It is usually found in the roots of kelp or in sponges, and is obtained in both Islands.

~MYODORA STRIATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 7 is a whitish or greyish-white sh.e.l.l, with fine longitudinal lines, the interior being pearly. It is 1-3/4 inches long. The right valve is rounded and the left valve flat.

It is found in harbours, as well as on ocean beaches. The flat valves make excellent counters for card-players.

~MYODORA BOLTONI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 8 is a smaller and narrower sh.e.l.l than the Myodora striata, and the left valve is flat. In colour it is similar to the Striata. It is seldom over half an inch long, and lives on flat, sandy beaches. It is often found when sifting sand for small sh.e.l.ls through a fine meshed sieve.

~MACTRA DISCORS~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 9 is a large, rotund, greyish-white sh.e.l.l, with a blackish-brown epidermis. It is over 3-1/2 inches across, and is found on sandy ocean beaches all over New Zealand. The Maori name is Kuhakuha.

~MACTRA aeQUILATERA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 10 is a yellowish or white sh.e.l.l.

It generally has a bluish-purple patch round the hinge. It is found on ocean beaches, and is over two inches long. The Maori name is Kaikaikaroro, which is also used for the Struthiolaria (Plate IV.), and Chione costata (Plate VIII.).

~STANDELLA OVATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 11 is a thin, brownish-white, and somewhat wrinkled, sh.e.l.l over three inches long. The edge of the sh.e.l.l, and sometimes the whole sh.e.l.l, is covered with a brownish epidermis, the interior being yellowish. This sh.e.l.l is found all over New Zealand on muddy beaches, and especially near mangrove bushes in Auckland Harbour.

~STANDELLA ELONGATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 12 (late Hemimactra notata) is a solid, greyish-white sh.e.l.l, four inches long. It is covered with an epidermis of pale chestnut, sometimes with darker chestnut bands, dots and splashes. The interior of the sh.e.l.l is yellowish.

~RESANIA LANCEOLATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 13 (lately known as Vanganella taylori) is a smooth, white sh.e.l.l, covered with a thin, pale chestnut epidermis, the interior being white. It is upwards of four and a-half inches in length. It inhabits sandy ocean beaches in both Islands of New Zealand.

~ZENATIA ACINACES~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 14 is a greyish-yellow sh.e.l.l, four inches long, and covered with a brown epidermis. The interior is bluish-green, pearly, and iridescent. This sh.e.l.l also inhabits the sandy ocean beaches of both Islands.

~PSAMMOBIA STANGERI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 15 is a purplish-white sh.e.l.l, sometimes rayed with darker purple. The interior is pinkish-purple. Its length is 2-1/2 inches, and the sh.e.l.l is found in both Islands on sandy ocean beaches. The natives call it Wahawaha.

~PSAMMOBIA LINEOLATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 17 is a purplish-pink sh.e.l.l, with darker concentric bands. Its interior is reddish-purple. This sh.e.l.l, which is found in both Islands on open ocean beaches, attains a length of 2-1/2 inches. The Maori name is Kuwharu, or Takarape.

~SOLENOTELLINA NITIDA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 16 (late Hiatula nitida) is a thin, almost transparent, purplish-white sh.e.l.l, covered with a smooth, polished, h.o.r.n.y epidermis. The interior is much the same colour as the exterior. Its length is about two inches. It is found in both Islands on sandy banks in harbours, and on sandy ocean beaches, but those found in harbours have sometimes little or no colour. The Maori name is Pi-Pipi.

~SOLENOTELLINA SPENCERI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 18 is a thin, almost transparent, milky-white sh.e.l.l. The interior is white. It is very like the Tellina alba (Fig. 21) in colour and general appearance, but much narrower, and the posterior end is curved and comes to a finer point.

Its length is about two inches. I have found over a dozen live specimens washed up on Buffalo Beach, in Mercury Bay.

~TELLINA GLABRELLA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 19 is a smooth white, or pale yellow, sh.e.l.l, 3 inches in length, with a thin brown epidermis on the outer edge. The interior is chalky white. It is found on ocean beaches, but is also common on c.o.c.kle banks in harbours. It lives some inches below the surface. Dead sh.e.l.ls are found in considerable numbers, but the live ones are rare. The Maoris call this sh.e.l.l Hohehohe or Ku waru or Peraro. The name Hohehohe is also given to the Panopea (Plate VIII., Fig. 3).

~TELLINA DISCULUS~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 20 is a clean smooth yellowish-white sh.e.l.l, with a bright yellow centre, the interior being the same colour as the exterior. Its length is 1-1/2 inches, and it is found only in the North Island.

~TELLINA ALBA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 21 is a very thin, flat, nearly transparent, glistening white sh.e.l.l, the interior being the same colour.

Its length is 2-1/2 inches, and it is found on sandy ocean beaches in both Islands. The native name for this sh.e.l.l is Hohehohe, which name is also used for the Tellina glabrella.

~TELLINA STRANGEI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 22 (late Tellina subovata) is a whitish sh.e.l.l, similar to the Tellina alba, but more globose. It is under an inch long.

~MESODESMA VENTRICOSA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 23 (late Paphia ventricosa) is an opaque white, solid, smooth sh.e.l.l, found in the North Island, especially on the ocean beach near Kaipara. It is one of the many useful food molluscs we have. In the Kaipara district the natives take horses and ploughs on to the beach, and plough up the Mesodesma ventricosa like potatoes. Under the native name of Toheroa, a factory at Dargaville preserves these bivalves in tins. The specimen photographed was only a half-grown sh.e.l.l. In the Bay of Plenty I have found this sh.e.l.l seven inches long and extremely solid and heavy, and I am inclined to think from the shape and structure of the valve that the Bay of Plenty Mesodesma is different from the Ventricosa; but I never secured a live one while in Tauranga.

~MESODESMA NOVae-ZELANDIae~ (Plate VIII.)--Fig. 25 (late Paphia novae-zelandiae) is the common oval Pipi, or Kokota, of the Maoris. This whitish sh.e.l.l, covered with a thin, h.o.r.n.y epidermis, is sometimes 2-1/2 inches long. It is found in both the North and South Islands on sandy banks in harbours and in tidal rivers.

~ATACTODEA SUBTRIANGULATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 24 (late Paphia sp.i.s.sa) is a white sh.e.l.l, found in considerable quant.i.ties on sandy ocean beaches at half-tide mark. When the tide is flowing it is a very common sight to see great numbers of these bivalves washed up by the surf from their beds, and it is very interesting to watch the speed with which they can bury themselves again. They attain a length of about two inches, and are known to the Maoris as Tuatua or Kahitua.

~CHIONE COSTATA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig 26 (late Venus costata) is a strong, solid white sh.e.l.l, with thick radiating ribs. The only live ones I have found were either washed up on ocean beaches, or inside schnappers. This fish appears very fond of the Chione costata, and swallows it without attempting to crack the sh.e.l.l. It attains a length of about two inches, and the Maoris call it Kaikai karoro, which name is also given to the Struthiolaria papulosa (Plate IV.) and the Mactra aequilatera (Plate VIII.).

~CHIONE STUTCHBURYI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 27 (late Venus stutchburyii) is the common round c.o.c.kle, found in both North and South Islands. Although when found on clean sandy banks it is usually reddish-brown on the outside and bluish-white inside, it varies in colour if the sand contains an appreciable quant.i.ty of mud. It is called Anga or Huai or Pipi by the Maoris, and attains a length of two inches.

~CHIONE OBLONGA~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 28 (late Venus oblonga) is a brown or brownish-white sh.e.l.l, with a white interior, and is rather larger and more solid than the Stutchburyii, besides being more oval.

~ANAITIS YATEI~ (Plate VIII.).--Fig. 29 (late Chione yatei) is a pale yellowish or brown sh.e.l.l, with a purple or slate-coloured patch round the hinge. The ridges on the outside, especially on the young sh.e.l.ls, are thin and very high. As the sh.e.l.l attains its full size these ridges wear down. The old sh.e.l.ls become thick and heavy, and are over two inches in width. It is found on exposed or ocean beaches in the North Island, and rarely in the South. The Maoris call it Pukauri.

~HALIOTIS IRIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 1 is the Pawa or Papa of the Maori, and the Mutton fish of the colonist. The outside is brown, and the inside a dark metallic blue and green, with an iridescent play of yellow and other colours. It is found on rocks in the open sea or on exposed beaches, and is six or seven inches wide.

~HALIOTIS RUGOSO-PLICATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 2 is about half the size of the Haliotis iris, and is known to the Maoris as the Pawa-rore or Koro-riwha. The outside is pinkish-brown, the interior being pale and highly iridescent. It is usually found with the Haliotis iris, but is not so common.

Another Haliotis, named the Virginea, is much smaller and thinner than either of the above. The interior of this is like that of the Haliotis rugoso-plicata, but the exterior is variegated, and dotted and splashed with every conceivable colour. It is rare, and usually found on the sheltered side of small islands in the open sea.

~GLYCYMERIS LATICOSTATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 3 (late Pectunculus laticostatus) is a very solid, reddish-brown sh.e.l.l, sometimes (especially in the immature sh.e.l.ls) splashed with chestnut and white.

The six or eight teeth near the hinge on both valves are of even size and shape. It is usually found cast up on ocean beaches. The sh.e.l.l attains a length and breadth of three and a-half inches. The younger sh.e.l.ls have ridges or ribs on the outside, but these wear off with age.

The Maori name is Kuakua.

~GLYCYMERIS STRIATULARIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 4 (late Pectunculus striatularis) is a small brownish sh.e.l.l, irregularly marked with chestnut, red, or white. The interior is whitish and brown, the exterior being smooth, and the extreme length of the sh.e.l.l about an inch. The markings of the hinge and teeth are similar to those of the Glycymeris laticostata.

~CARDITA AVICULINA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 5 (late Mytilicardia excavata) is an irregular-shaped white sh.e.l.l, with yellow, pink, or dirty brown markings. The longitudinal grooves on the outside are very rugged and deep. The sh.e.l.l is over an inch in length, and is found in both Islands and in Australia.