Beautiful Shells of New Zealand Part 4

~RHYNCHONELLA NIGRICANS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 6 is an irregular-shaped, ribbed, black or dark brown sh.e.l.l, the left valve being much more rounded than the other. It is found up to one and a-quarter inches in breadth in the South Island and in the Bay of Plenty.

~TEREBRATELLA SANGUINEA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 7 (late Terebratella cruenta) is an orange-red, evenly ribbed, sh.e.l.l up to one and three-quarter inches in breadth, found in the South Island. The left valve in this sh.e.l.l is nearly flat.

~TEREBRATELLA RUBICUNDA~ (not shown on plate) is a smooth, pink, or dark red sh.e.l.l, of the same shape, but only half the size, of the Telebratella sanguinea, and found in considerable numbers in both Islands amongst stones. It is particularly plentiful amongst the stones on Rangitoto Island, in Auckland Harbour.

~MAGELLANIA LENTICULARIS~ (late Waldheimia lenticularis) is not shown in the plate, but is a large, smooth, red or brown sh.e.l.l, two inches long, similar in shape to the above. All the above four sh.e.l.ls, namely, the Rhynchonella, Terebratella (2), and Magellania, belong to the Terebratula family, and the right valve is longer than the left, and there is a small round orifice at the hinge end for the foot of the animal. On account of the resemblance these sh.e.l.ls bear to the old Roman lamp, they are known as Lamp sh.e.l.ls.

~LITHOPHAGO TRUNCATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 8 (late Lithodomus truncatus) is a thin brown sh.e.l.l, covered with a black or dark brown epidermis. It is found in the North Island, and attains a length of over one and a-half inches. It is a rock borer, and can bore into very hard rock. I have seen a small one that had bored into a thick Glycymeris sh.e.l.l.

~VENERUPIS REFLEXA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 9 is a very irregular-shaped greyish sh.e.l.l, with prominent ridges on the outside. The interior is yellow, with a large blackish-purple patch. It is sometimes an inch in length, and is found in both Islands in the sand or mud, amongst rocks.

~VENERUPIS ELEGANS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 10 is a white sh.e.l.l, with a white interior, and up to one and a-half inches long. The ridges on one end are very prominent. This sh.e.l.l is found only in the North Island.

~DIVARICELLA c.u.mINGI~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 11 (late Lucina dentata) is a milk-white sh.e.l.l, sometimes 1-1/4 inches in length. The grooves or furrows on the outside bend in the centre to almost a right-angle, giving it a peculiarly beautiful appearance, and making it easily recognisable. Found in both Islands on ocean beaches and in harbours.

~VENERICARDIA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 12 (late Cardita australis) is a pale brownish-white sh.e.l.l, with prominent ribs. Sometimes the outside is marked and splashed with reddish-brown. The interior is white, with pink or rose-coloured patches. The sh.e.l.l is about one and three-quarter inches wide. It is found in both Islands attached to kelp roots, which usually discolour one end of the sh.e.l.l. The Maori name is Purimu.

~CHIONE CRa.s.sA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 13 (late Venus mesodesma) is a white or brown sh.e.l.l, one inch in length. It is found in large numbers on ocean beaches after a gale. The markings on it vary very much, and consist of radiating bands, or zigzag lines, of brown or purple brown. The interior is white, with a violet band round the margin.

~TAPES INTERMEDIA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 14 is a brown or yellowish-white sh.e.l.l, with a white or grey interior. The young sh.e.l.ls are marked with brown wavy or zigzag lines. It is found in both Islands on ocean beaches and in harbours, being sometimes over two inches wide. It is known to the Maoris as Hakari.

~DOSINIA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 15 is a pale, pinkish-brown sh.e.l.l, with a white interior, turning to violet round the margin. It is found on ocean beaches in both Islands, and attains a length of three inches.

The Maoris call it Tupa or Tuangi haruru.

~DOSINIA SUBROSEA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 16 is a smooth copy of the above. It is pale pinkish-white, and found up to two inches long in the same localities as Dosinia australis. The Maori name for this sh.e.l.l is Hakari, the same as for Tapes intermedia.

There is another species of Dosinea (not shown in plate), about one inch long and pure white, found in the North Island. It is called Dosinia lambata.

~BARBATIA DECUSSATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 17 (late Arca decussata) is an irregular-shaped, brown or yellowish sh.e.l.l, the interior being white, varied with brownish-purple. It is covered with a long, brown, hairy epidermis. It is found in both Islands on ocean beaches and under rocks, and is up to three inches in length.

~SOLENOMYA PARKINSONI~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 18 is a dark brown, delicate sh.e.l.l, rayed with paler brown. The interior is greyish. The shining, thick, chestnut and black epidermis, which covers this sh.e.l.l, cannot be mistaken. It is found in both Islands on sandy banks in harbours, and is up to two inches in length. When the mantle is spread out in shallow water, this sh.e.l.lfish looks like a pink and purple flower.

~MODIOLARIA IMPACTA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 19 (late Crenella impacta) is a brown sh.e.l.l, frequently with a mixture of green near the edge. The centre is smooth, but both ends are ornamented with fine radiating ridges. The interior is highly iridescent. The sh.e.l.l attains a length of 1-1/2 inches, and is found in both Islands, in seaweed or gra.s.s and under rocks, both in harbours and on ocean beaches. The Maori name is Korona.

~LIMA BULLATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 20 is a white sh.e.l.l, about one and a-half inches long, and found in the North Island. Both it and the Lima zelandica are rare sh.e.l.ls.

~LIMA ZELANDICA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 21 (lately known as Lima squamosa and recently renamed Lima lima) is a beautiful white sh.e.l.l, with eighteen ribs. The spikes on the ribs are sometimes tinted with brown. It is found at Whangaroa North, and has also been dredged up at Stewart's Island. It attains a breadth of 2-1/2 inches. Although Lima lima is the latest name given this sh.e.l.l, I trust the name of Lima zelandica given it by Sowerby will be adhered to. It is quite as silly to duplicate the names of the family, to describe a species, as to have a kind of horse known as "horse horse." Crepidula crepidula (Fig. 27) is a similar instance.

~SUB-EMARGINULA INTERMEDIA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 22 (late Parmophorus intermedia) is a white limpet-like sh.e.l.l, covered with a thin brown epidermis. It is sometimes 1-1/2 inches long, the animal being like a large yellow slug.

~SCUTUM AMBIGUUM~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 23 (late Parmophorus unguis) is a white sh.e.l.l, covered with a thin brown epidermis, and is sometimes over 2-1/2 inches long. The animal is like a big black slug, and, in comparison with the size of the slug, the sh.e.l.l is very small. A slug the size of a man's fist would have a sh.e.l.l about an inch long. Most sh.e.l.l-hunters would pa.s.s by a Scutum abiguum, not thinking it had a sh.e.l.l embedded in its folds. The sh.e.l.l is found amongst rocks in sheltered places on ocean beaches.

~SIPHONARIA OBLIQUATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 24 is like a brown limpet, about one and three-quarter inches long. On the right side is the siphonal groove, which is much more clearly defined in the Siphonaria australis (Fig. 25). The sh.e.l.l is found in Dunedin.

~SIPHONARIA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 25 is a brown or chestnut-coloured limpet, up to one inch in length. The siphonal groove can be seen on the upper side of the figure. The best specimens I have found were on the piles of Tauranga Wharf.

~EMARGINULA STRIATULA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 26 is a whitish limpet, about an inch in length. The notch, or fissure, which is a peculiar feature of this sh.e.l.l, is seen on the end of the sh.e.l.l facing the Lima zelandica (Fig. 21).

~CREPIDULA UNGUIFORMIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 27 is a parasite sh.e.l.l, over an inch long, and found inside the lips of other sh.e.l.ls. It is a thin, clear white sh.e.l.l, and is well named, from unguis, a finger-nail, which it much resembles. It varies in shape from nearly flat to semi-circular, according to the curve of the part of the sh.e.l.l on which it grows. The Crepidula sh.e.l.ls are easily identified by the sh.e.l.ly internal appendage, or lamina, in which the body of the animal rests. From the peculiar effect of this lamina the Crepidula sh.e.l.l looks like a boat. This sh.e.l.l has recently been renamed Crepidula crepidula, a silly duplication, like Lima lima (Fig. 21). The Maori name for the Crepidula is the same as for a limpet, namely, Ngakahi or Ngakihi.

~CREPIDULA ACULEATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 28 (late Crepidula costata) is an oval-shaped white parasite sh.e.l.l, with purplish lines on the edge. It is a common sh.e.l.l in the North Island, and found on rocks and amongst roots of kelp, and on the outside of other sh.e.l.ls, especially mussels. It varies in colour and shape, but is usually deeply ribbed, and attains a length of 1-1/2 inches.

There is another species of the Crepidula, viz., Monoxyla, similar in shape to the Crepidula aculeata, but white and smooth, and much smaller.

~CALYPTRaeA MACULATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 29 (late Galerus zelandicus) is a circular sh.e.l.l, found on rocks or kelp, and sometimes is attached to other sh.e.l.ls, especially mussels. It attains a width of 1-1/2 inches, and is covered with a brown, hairy epidermis.

~HIPPONYX AUSTRALIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 30 is a limpet, which takes its name from its shape, being like a horse's foot. There was a colony of some hundreds of this Hipponyx under a flat rock, resting on other rocks, on the ocean side of Mount Maunganui, at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour. Although there were thousands of other rocks round it, I never found the Hipponyx except under the one rock I have mentioned, and as far as I know it has never been found alive in any other part of New Zealand.

~DENTALIUM NANUM~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 31 is like a miniature white tusk of an elephant. It is about 1-1/2 inches long. It is really a limpet, which, having chosen mud and sand as its habitat, has adapted itself to its surroundings and become long and thin, instead of broad and flat, like the rock-loving limpet. It is found on the West Coast of Auckland Province, especially between Manukau and Raglan.

~ACMaeA OCTORADIATA~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 32 is one of the dozen Acmaea found in New Zealand. It is a very flat sh.e.l.l, and lives amongst rocks in the surf.

~ACMaeA PILEOPSIS~ (Plate IX.).--Fig. 33 is a nearly round, smooth limpet, the outside being blackish, spotted with white, and the interior bluish, with a black margin. It is about an inch across.

Amongst the other ten Acmaea found in New Zealand the most noticeable is the Acmaea fragilis, a very delicate, thin, green sh.e.l.l, with narrow brown bands. There is a green ring in the interior of the sh.e.l.l. It is found under stones, and is about 1/2 inch across.

~PATELLA RADIANS~ (Plate IX., Fig. 34), and ~PATELLA STELLIFERA~ (Fig. 35) are two representatives of the many species of beautiful limpets we have. The limpet family has not had the attention of our scientists which it merits. The sh.e.l.ls vary so much that it is extremely difficult to cla.s.sify them. In the attempt to do so, Patella radians has been subdivided into five sub-species, but even this division is not a success. We have few more beautiful or interesting sh.e.l.ls than limpets.

We have them of every shape, and from three inches in width down to microscopic specimens. The limpet resides on one spot, but moves about with the rising tide in search of the vegetation on which it lives. This it mows down with its long scythe-like tongue, and, when satisfied, it returns to rest in its favourite spot. Limpets have the reputation of being indigestible, if not poisonous, but this is due to the head not being removed before the mollusc is eaten. If the head be removed carefully, the tongue, or radula, which is usually the length of the sh.e.l.l itself, will come with it. The 2000 or so fine teeth found on the average limpet's tongue will quite account for the belief that the fish is poisonous, as great irritation must be caused by these sharp little teeth. The Patella stellifera is usually found in caves or sheltered places amongst rocks exposed to the ocean swell. It is always covered with a coraline growth, usually of a pinkish tint, which growth has to be removed before the markings can be seen. Stars of all shapes, regular and irregular, will be found on the spire of the Patella stellifera.

There is a reputation yet to be made by the man who can cla.s.sify our New Zealand limpets. The Maori name for the limpet is Ngakihi, or Ngakahi, which name is also used for the Crepidula family.

~PECTEN MEDIUS~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 1 (late Pecten laticostatus) is the well-known scallop found among the gra.s.s banks in harbours as well as in the open sea. The sh.e.l.ls are sometimes five or even six inches across, and of all conceivable colours and mixtures of colours. The valve shown in the plate is the flat valve, which looks like a fan. The other valve, which is rounded, makes a good subst.i.tute for a scoop. This Pecten, or scallop, is the most delicate of our edible sh.e.l.lfish, but is never seen in our markets. The animal moves by opening its sh.e.l.l, slowly swallowing a large quant.i.ty of water, and in a rapid manner ejecting it, thereby pushing the sh.e.l.l backwards. The Maori name is Tipa.

~PECTEN CONVEXUS~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 2 is a much smaller sh.e.l.l than No. 1, and quite as brilliantly coloured. The valves are nearly equal in shape.

It is found amongst rocks, but is usually dredged in comparatively shallow water.

~PECTEN ZELANDIae~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 3 is a still smaller sh.e.l.l, and the most brilliantly coloured of our Pecten family. The valves are similar in shape, and covered with short spikes. It has only the one ear, or lug, at the hinge end, but sometimes a portion of the ear is found on the other side. This sh.e.l.l lives amongst rocks, or in sponges, or on the roots of kelp, in sheltered or fairly sheltered portions of open beaches. It is found attached to the rocks by a byssus, or beard.

~PINNA ZELANDICA~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 4 is generally known as the Horse Mussel. It is usually found amongst the gra.s.s, about low water mark, on sandy beaches, especially those containing a proportion of mud. The natives call it Hururoa or Kupa, and in some places it is a staple article of diet with them. This horse mussel is found in certain spots in great numbers, and is then useless for a cabinet. The collector should look for odd scattered specimens. As a rule, only about half an inch of the sh.e.l.l will be found protruding above the beach, in very shallow water, but in deep water more of the sh.e.l.l will protrude.

~MYTILUS LATUS~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 5 is the ordinary mussel, with a green epidermis, and the part near the hinge is usually eroded, as shown in the plate. It grows to a considerable size in New Zealand, being sometimes 8 inches in length, and is found in enormous quant.i.ties in favoured localities on rocks or attached by its beard in cl.u.s.ters to old c.o.c.kle and other sh.e.l.ls on the banks. About twenty years ago hundreds of acres of banks between the town of Tauranga and the sea were in one season colonised by mussel sp.a.w.n, and although the mussel was before that date a rare thing on these banks, yet after the colonisation the banks were simply a ma.s.s of mussels, and the water, being only from one to two fathoms deep at low spring tide, they were easily procurable. On the other hand, banks near Kati Kati Heads, that were covered a few years ago, are now without mussels. This is probably due to some disease breaking out through overcrowding. The Mytilus edulis (not shown on plate) is a purplish sh.e.l.l, of similar shape and habits to the above, but much smaller in size. The Maori name for a mussel is Kuku or Porope or Tore-tore or Kutai, and for the smaller mussels Kukupara or Purewa or Toriwai.

~MYTILUS MAGELLANICUS~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 6 is a bluish mussel, with prominent ribs, as shown in the plate. The interior is white, and the sh.e.l.l is found up to three inches in length.

~VOLSELLA AUSTRALIS~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 7 (late Modiola australis) is a rough-looking, uneven sh.e.l.l, of a pale chestnut colour. It usually has a hairy-looking growth near the edge, as shown in the plate. It is found up to four inches in length.

There are two other of the Volsella family in New Zealand, neither of which are ill.u.s.trated. The Volsella fluviatilis, a shiny, black mussel, shaped like the Edulis, and about 1-1/2 inches long, found in brackish water, is the most common. The inside is bluish-white, and purplish round the margin.

~OSTREA ANGASI~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 8 is a mud oyster, of which those dredged at Stewart's Island are the largest we have. Fine specimens were found in Ohiwa Harbour prior to the Tarawera eruption of 1886, but the deposit from that eruption appears for the time being to have destroyed them. There must be some large banks of this oyster in the Bay of Plenty, judging by the number of dead sh.e.l.ls washed up in places; but, although I many times used the dredge while in Tauranga, I never had the good fortune to find one of the banks. Cartloads of the sh.e.l.ls were at times washed up on the beach between the town of Tauranga and the entrance to the harbour.

The best known oyster in New Zealand is the Auckland rock oyster, the Ostrea glomerata (not shown in the plate), which is familiar to all who visit the seash.o.r.e in the North. The Maori name for the rock oyster is Tio, and for the mud oyster Tiopara.

~PLACUNANOMIA ZELANDICA~ (Plate X.).--Fig. 9 is of the family known in England as the pepper and salt oyster. The lower valve is flat and has the large oval opening, shown in the plate, through which the foot of the animal protrudes and holds the sh.e.l.l on to the rock. The sh.e.l.l is thin and fragile, and is found in both Islands. Another sh.e.l.l of the same family, the Anomia walteri (not shown on plate), is found at the Bay of Islands, and is usually coloured bright yellow or orange.

~MUREX RAMOSUS~, the last figure, is the latest addition to our New Zealand marine sh.e.l.ls, and is described with the others of the Murex family on Plate II., and on page 16.