NEW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 241 April 1978 Page 7 
enough to own specimens of this magnificent shell. 
Most of the specimens seen prior to 1976 were eith 
or collected a very long time ago and are angen Pairs collected 
It looks as if 1977 will be remembered as the year of the Cypraea 
valentia. A sudden population explosion of the species along with 
jew and improved techniques for collecting in the Philippines made 
the shell available to any shell lover who could affora its rather 
hefty price. These specimens were far more beautiful and striking- 
ly colored than any of those seen before. For the first time we 
were able to observe the true beauty of this shell. Its rich col- 
ors of brown and mauve, the rich dark lines at the canals (a unique 
feature of this species) and its handsomely spotted margins along 
with its inflated shape makes one feel that Burgess's statement 
was no exaggeration. 
We can now say with some degree of certainty that the species comes 
from Philippine waters. Until quite recently the geographical and 
distributional habitats of this species were unknown. The recently 
developed technique of sinking very fine mesh nets into extremely 
deep water in the area in and around Punta Engano, Cebu, Philippines 
has yielded the fishermen lucky enough not to lose their nets (which 
cost several months' pay to an average fisherman -- and losses are 
frequent) many rare and unusual shells, among them several of the 
world's greatest rarities including Cypraea valentia. We can sur- 
mise that the species is a deep water Aaotics Since these nets are 
sunk at depths greater 
than 100 fathoms. In- 
cidentally, what seemed 
to be an impending 
flood of specimens a 
few months ago has now 
been reduced to a 
trickle. I know of 
only two specimens that 
have been collected in 
the past several months. 
The specimen illustra- 
ted is perhaps the fi- 
nest that I have ever 
seen. It is extremely 
dark in color and has 
a beautifully defined 
pattern. It is 84 mm 
in size and is in the 
collection of NYSC mem- 
ber E. B. Martin to 
whom I am indebted for 
the use of the photo- 

Cypraea valentia Perry, 1811. 84mm graph to illustrate 
In the collection of E. B. Martin. this article. 
SEER SS ae ees 
RECENTLY ISSUED STAMPS OF ISRAEL depict Red Sea shells Malea pomun, 
Cypraea isabella, Lioconcha castrensis, and Gloripallium pallium. 
hey were designed by A. Glaser, Tel Aviv. 
