Auckland Shell Club

Our intrepid Club President managed to send an email from the ship "Spirit of Enderby", which at the time was sailing through the hot and humid equator enroute to Tokyo.
She reports many bird watching successes, as well as exciting encounters with pods of sperm whales.
...
"Very few shells in the Solomons! I think they have all been eaten!!
We are well and thoroughly enjoying ship life, great food and very entertaining company.
Happy shelling,
Heather"

April Meeting
Margaret Morley gave an interesting presentation on animals that live in tubes - including molluscs, tube worms, and other species that live in a pre used burrow.
This was an interactive "buzz group" session that included thought provoking questions such as "what are the advantages and disadvantages of tube habitation?" (advantages - protection and reproduction, disadvantages - reliance on food being brought by currents, and inability to move from predators).
Tubeworm like molluscs are often overlooked by collectors because they do not look like normal shells, so it was good to receive the following overview.

Siliquariidae ...
. Stephopoma rosea - Loosely coiled and cemented to substrate, tube pinkish white, a pinkish pimply protoconch is the identifying feature. Diameter of tube about 5mm. The operculum is covered in forked bristles which act as strainers preventing large particles entering, but they allow water to enter even when operculum is closed. Found on low tide rocky reefs under rocks.
. Tenagodus weldii - Cork screw shell with a slit, large clumps intertwined in orange sponge. Safety in numbers - hard for fish and crabs to get hold of.

Vermitidae (meaning worm) ...
. Serpulorbis zelandicus - Irregularly coiled pale brown tube with one side flattened where attached to the substrate. Irregular ridges. 0range-red foot thickened to act as an operculum. Wider diameter than S. roseum - about 8mm.
. Serpulorbis aotearoicus - Cannot tell apart from S.zelandicus by the shell. Need to see colour of the animal. Foot is black. Under low tide rocks at Milford.
. Novastoa lamellosa - Loosely coiled, strong ribs, masses attached to mid tide rock faces exposed habitat. Eg. Bay of Islands, North Cape. Has operculum. Animal black yellow and scarlet.
. Pectinodonta spp - Limpets in wood in very deep water. Uses empty burrows of Teredo bivalves.

Non molluscan species ...
. Spirobranchus caelatus - Very spiny tubeworm. Lives in large numbers on the tops of rocks, especially on ridges. Best position for filtering? Seems to compete with the oyster Crassostrea gigas. Take a few home, leave out of water for a few hours, then add sea water to watch the dark filtering apparatus.
. Spirorbis polychaete worm, small coiled tubes 2-3mm on shells and brown algal fronds. True tube worm.
. Boring sponge produces bore holes in cockles.
. Polybranchia - Small, common on cockle shells.
. Holes in high tide sandstone made by an isopod. The mollusc Onchidella nigricans uses the holes when empty, and also takes advantage of empty burrows of pholads Irus reflexus and Zelithophaga truncata.

Throughout the discussion Margaret handed around a variety of specimens, and we also had reference to the new book "NZ Coastal Invertebrates Volume 1" which contained many excellent photographs.
At the end we were given a quiz, and Thomas Simpson was awarded a very nice Haliotis virginea huttoni from the Auckland Islands for his top score.

Due to time constraints it was decided that Peter's buzz group (a test of everyone's knowledge of NZ shells) would be kept for another meeting.

Next Meeting
202 Gillies Avenue, Epsom at 7:30pm on Tuesday 11th of May (doors open at 7pm)

Heather will regale us with tales from the high seas and exotic lands!
She and her twin sister sailed aboard the ship "Spirit of Enderby" from Tauranga to Tokyo via Norfolk Is. New Caledonia, Solomon Is. Caroline Is. and islands off Japan. Although bird-watching was the main purpose of the trip, it was also an excellent opportunity for access to many interesting foreign shell collecting locations.

Also, Rod and Maureen Sudlow will travel down from Dargaville to show us the mystery rocks they found at Coopers Beach many years ago.

Shell related news and items of interest (Eg. recent finds, media articles, etc.) are always appreciated.
A large variety of shells will be on sale. Bring anything you would like to sell - remember, one man's rubbish may be another man's treasure!
Supper will be provided, as well as our regular shell raffle kindly donated by Doug & Judith Snook.

Shell Auction - Albany Hall, Saturday 23rd October 2010
If you would like to sell at the auction then please register your interest with Peter Poortman (Ph: 09 817 1397), preferably with an indication of how many lots you would like to enter.

Poirieria Magazine
We welcome all contributions to our club magazine 'Poirieria'.
Anything related to shells or collecting would be greatly appreciated - Eg. shelling trips/finds, personal observations/tips, scientific research, historic anecdotes, notable washups, etc.
Please send to Jan Munroe at kevandjan@slingshot.co.nz, or 42 Black Teal Close, Albany, North Shore 0632. Contact Patricia Langford on (09) 479 6149 if you have any queries.

Club Library
We have an extensive collection of books, magazines, and scientific publications available, as well as a biological microscope.
And now also an excellent new book "NZ Coastal Invertebrates Volume 1". If anyone would like to nab it before the next meeting, contact Michael Barlow on (09) 623 3231.

Other Club News
. A new species of foreign Placostylus has recently been named in honour of our late great member Norman Gardner. André Delsaerdt (andre.delsaerdt@telenet.be) will be making his publication "Placostylidae on the Solomon Islands" available on 14th/May at the International Shellshow in Belgium. In this publication he describes Eumecostylus gardneri of which the holotype and one paratype from the Gardner Collection is in the Auckland Museum. Type specimens may be labelled as "Eumecostylus gardneri Delsaerdt, 2010".

. Andrew Pendergrast (andrwp@xtra.co.nz) is looking for NZ specimens of Charonia lampas (capax or rubicunda form) greater than 190mm in length.

. Markus Niiranen, a shell collector from Finland, is looking for Bursidae Cassidae Ranellidae and Maurea species from New Zealand. He is interested in all species from these families from common to rare, but would prefer specimens with good collect data. If you have some specimens from these families for sale (recent or fossil), please contact Markus at markusni@hotmail.com.

. Items of interest for the monthly newsletter are always welcome - email to peter.poortman@xtra.co.nz, or post to 26 Pendlebury Street, Green Bay, Auckland 0604.

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