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Auckland Shell Club |
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Auckland Shell Club |
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October Meeting
Our guest speaker was Peter Hunt, President of the Adelaide Shell Club (Malacological Society of SA).
He, wife Brenda, and sister Marsha are holidaying in NZ for a few months. Peter is now in his second year as President of the Adelaide Shell Club, and Brenda is the club Secretary. This club is the oldest shell club in Australia, with its 120th birthday being celebrated next year. Peter showed us a photo of the original manuscript of the club's formation, dated 1894, which he discovered by chance a few years ago. The club is a similar size to ours, and is closely associated with the South Australian Museum - the venue for their twice monthly meetings.
The temperate waters of southern Australia have plenty to offer shell collectors who are not deterred by the vast distances. One of Australia’s finest shell museums, run by Max and Coralie Griffiths, is in the town of Lakes Entrance, on the coast between Sydney and Melbourne. There is another collection at Lorne, and plenty of general collecting along the coast to Adelaide, especially near Mount Gambier and at The Coorong. Within the waters of South Australia are 19 marine parks. Fishing is allowed in those parks, but there are also designated "no take" zones covering about 6% of the South Australian waters. Kangaroo Island has fossil sites famous for Trilobites, as well as the giant shrimp Anomalocaris from the Cambrian period about 500 million years ago.
There is good collecting and diving at the end of the Yorke Peninsula, especially near Edithburgh. Black cowries, Zoilas, and large keyhole limpets can be found there. Browns Beach in Innes National Park is good for shelling, with occasional wash-ups and occasionally Paper Nautilus. The shelling in this area is similar to that in New Zealand, and we share many of the same species. But it is very hot and there is no shade because they don't have trees down to the beach as we do in NZ.
Introduced European land snails are a big problem on the farmland is this area. Peter showed us photos of rows of fence posts totally covered in snails in the 40 degree heat. South Australia has over a hundred species of native snails, most of which bury into the ground to escape the heat. So it is easy to distinguish the introduced species which live above the ground, but their populations have reached plague proportions.
With the exception of the Streaky Bay area there is not much to be found inter-tidally around the Eyre Peninsula, but good shells can be obtained by diving. Of interest though is a small area of introduced Pinctada alba (white pearl shell) at the northern end of the gulf. At Streaky Bay the club members once came across a die-off of Cassis fimbriata. About 1300 freshly dead specimens of this normally hard-to-find species were collected inter-tidally to around 1 meter of water. They apparently succumbed to intense heat and an algal bloom.
Dense populations of Pinna bicolour are the nearest thing they have to coral reefs here, providing a habitat for other sea-life. The adductor mussel of this species can be eaten, and Peter said they are even better than scallops.
The main roads across the Nullarbor Plain are good, and there are points of interest along the way. Southern Right whales can be observed in July and August from the top of 30m cliffs at the head of the Great Australian Bight. There is a 15km wide seashell fossil bed at Eucla Basin. Very good fossil shells of over 100 species can easily be found there but it is very arid and best visited in winter. In the small town of Balladonia, and also at Esperance Museum to the south, there is a display of debris from the Skylab space station which crashed nearby in 1979. Esperance is situated on the coast near Cape Le Grand where kangaroos are often seen on the beach eating sea-grass. Giant limpets (Patella laticostata) up to about 120mm across can be found on the reefs there.
Esperance was home to Peter Clarkson, the renowned abalone diver and scientist who co-wrote a book on Zoila. He had amassed an extraordinary shell collection from diving, and also discovered a large Spondylus species which is named after him. Tragically he was killed by a Great White shark about three years ago.
Well known shell collectors in Western Australia are Merv Cooper and Hugh Morrison. But Peter said that Peter Ignotti who lives in Margaret River has by far the best public shell collection in Australia.
Thank you Peter for a very interesting talk and slide show, and to those who brought in displays of shells from southern Australia.
Tonna spp.
Peter Poortman brought in three small (~50mm) Tonnas he found recently at Te Arai Point after a storm.
Two were similar, but the third was quite different and still contained the animal (on ice). Photos were sent to Bruce Marshall and Tonna expert Chris Vos, and the two similar specimens were tentatively identified as Tonna poppei Vos, 2005. That would be a new record for New Zealand waters.
The third specimen was ruled out as being a Tonna cumingii, and its identity could not be determined. This specimen was very similar to a larger one found at Bland Bay by Peter in July/2000, and by Paul Leary from dredgings off Pakiri (on Mission Bay) in 1996. Paul had brought in his Tonna specimen for comparison, along with another broken and unidentified specimen from the same location.
We would appreciate photos of any unidentified Tonnas in members collections, as well as any specimens thought to be Tonna cumingii.
Next Meeting – Tuesday 8th October
Epsom Community Centre, 202 Gillies Avenue, Epsom at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm). Supper provided.
The November meeting is CANCELLED because most of us will be away.
Next Meeting – Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 10th December
Epsom Community Centre, 202 Gillies Avenue, Epsom at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm).
We will meet in the large room for our last meeting of the year.
Annual reports will be presented, club issues will be discussed, and officers for the coming year will be elected.
This is your chance to have a say in the running and future direction of the club, so we encourage all members to attend. If you would like to put anything on the agenda then please contact our club Secretary or President.
We encourage members to support the club. If you have the time and the skills for any committee positions then please consider volunteering.
Heather will present a slide-show on her recent Great Barrier Reef trip with the Brisbane Shell Club to the Bunker Group and Capricorn Group. She will also tell us about the Australian Shell Shows she attended, as well as her and Alison’s month long trip from Perth to Broome by motorhome. Attendees please bring in for display any Great Barrier Reef shells that you may have in your collection.
We will finish the evening with our traditional Christmas supper (attendees please bring a plate).
All are invited to come and enjoy the convivial atmosphere, and we especially welcome members who have rarely or never attended our meetings.
Poirieria Magazine
The latest edition (Volume 37) is enclosed.
A big "thank you" to all contributors for the excellent articles!
Club Library
We have an extensive collection of books, magazines, and scientific publications available, as well as a biological microscope.
Note that the online library list has now been updated.
Other News
. Bruce Marshall (BruceM@tepapa.govt.nz) requires live specimens of Zeatrophon huttonii, Prototyphis eos, and Rolandiella scotti. They do not need to be great specimens, just anything that he can get a DNA sequence from. They should be stored in 98% ethanol or deep frozen. Live specimens of Paratrophon cheesemani which is restricted to the west coast north of New Plymouth are also required.
. The 10th Australian Shell Show will be held on 7-9th/February/2014 at the Balgowlah RSL Memorial Club 30-38 Ethel Street, Seaforth, Sydney, N.S.W. 2092. For more information email shellshow@sydneyshellclub.net. Michael Barlow (m.red.barlow@gmail.com or (09) 623 3231) has printed copies of the Show Schedule available for anyone who would like to have one.
. Items of interest for the monthly newsletter are always welcome - email to petermwp@gmail.com, or post to Peter Poortman, 26 Pendlebury Street, Green Bay, Auckland 0604.
