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Collecting in Bali

by John, Jenny, Alex and Charlotte Whicher
Photography by John Whicher

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In the summer of 2002 we spent our holidays in Bali indulging our usual interests in scuba diving, shell collecting, exploring the countryside and trying the local culinary delights. We were at the extreme east of the island, four hours by road from the fleshpots of Kuta and Sanur. The area is very underdeveloped, just a few small family run "hotels" made up of little self-contained cottages. Not self-catering, for food in the little local restaurants was excellent and dinner for four cost less than $20. Wonderful countryside and beaches. The skyline dominated by Gunung Agung, a 9,000ft volcano. Major eruptions in 1962, '64 and '74. The 1964 one covered the area in lava flows down to the sea, killing 3,000 and making 100,000 homeless. The other big volcano has a magnificent caldera filled with a crescent-shaped lake about 20km across with an active central cone.

The diving and snorkelling were very good on pristine reefs and lots of shells and a very fine wreck from WW2. Most of our shell collecting was done wading or snorkelling on the reefs within a couple of miles of our hotel.
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We did not collect a large number of shells though we got a good selection. Notices on the beach asked us to preserve the reef, so in deference to that we were sensitive about collecting live shells. There was no ban on collecting, either from the sea or the beach, but we tried to be eco-friendly and collect only one or two of each species. The major problem, as always, is cleaning and the ants really couldn't be relied upon to always complete the job! One day snorkelling just opposite our beach we found a flat area of rocky bottom between patch reefs covered with about 20 very large Lambis chiragra Linné, 1758; we collected a couple thinking that we could get more at the end of the trip but never saw them again. Another day the same rocky patch was covered with Conus distans Hwass, 1792 and Conus marmoreus Linné, 1758; never saw them again either. Where were they hiding? We found several fine large Vasum ceramicum Linné, 1758 in about one metre of water just opposite our hotel.

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Conus marmoreus Linné, 1758
Returning to the airport we dropped in on the (now) infamous Kuta Beach. There were a selection of locals selling shells, particularly Cassis cornuta Linné, 1758 and Chicoreus ramosus Linné, 1758, very fine large specimens; after much negotiation we got them for £1 or so. You have to select carefully as they have a habit of grinding the outer lip.
This article by John, Jenny, Alex and Charlotte Whicher was first published in our magazine Pallidula in April 2003.
Species list
Arca ventricosa Lamark, 1819
Bursa tuberosissima
Reeve, 1844
Cantharus undosus
Linne, 1758
Cardita variegata Brugiere, 1792
Casmaria ponderosa
Gmelin, 1791
Cassis cornuta
Linne, 1758
Chicoreus brunneus
Link, 1807
Chicoreus ramosus
Linne, 1758
Collisella striata
Quoy & Gaimard, 1834
Colubraria sowerbii Reeve, 1844
Conus coronatus
Roding, 1798
Conus distans
Hwass, 1792
Conus emaciatus
Reeve, 1849
Conus imperialis
Linne, 1758
Conus lividus
Hwass, 1792
Conus marmoreus
Linne, 1758
Conus miles
Linne, 1758
Conus monachus Linne, 1758
Conus musicus
Hwass, 1792
Conus striatus
Linne, 1758
Coralliophila erosa
Roding, 1798
Coralliophila neritoidea
Lamark, 1816
Cymbiola aulica
Sowerby, 1825
Dentalium elephantinum
Linne, 1758
Drupa morum
Roding, 1798
Drupa ricinus
Linne, 1758
Drupa rubusidaeus
Roding, 1798
Glycymeris amboinensis
Gmelin, 1791
Haliotis glabra
Gmelin, 1791
Haliotis planata
Sowerby, 1833
Lambis chiragra Linne, 1758
Lambis scorpius Linne, 1758
Latirolagena smaragdula
Linne, 1758
Latirus gibbulus
Gmelin, 1791
Latirus lanceolatus
Reeve, 1847
Latirus polygonus
Gmelin, 1791
Latirus turritus
Gmelin, 1791
Modulus tectum
Gmelin, 1791

Monodonta canalifera Lamark, 1816
Morula biconica
Blainville, 1832
Morula granulata
Duclos, 1832
Nassarius velatus
Gou1d, 1850
Nerita albicilla
Linne, 1758
Nerita costata
Gmelin, 1791
Nerita exuvia
Linne, 1758
Nerita plicata
Linne, 1758
Nerita undata
Linne, 1758
Oliva annulata
Gmelin, 1791
Oliva reticulata
Roding, 1798
Patelloida saccharinoides Habe & Kosuge, 1966
Periglypta reticulata
Linne, 1758
Pterynotus elongatus
Lightfoot, 1786
Rhinoclavis sinensis
Gmelin, 1791
Stomatia phymotis
Heibling, 1779
Strombus labiatus
Roding, 1798
Strombus luhuanus
Linne, 1758
Strombus microurceus
Kira, 1959
Strombus mutabilis
Swainson, 1821
Terebra crenulata
Linne, 1758
Terebra dimidiata
Linne, 1758
Terebra subulata
Linne, 1767
Thais echinata
Blainville, 1832
Thais echinulata Lamark, 1822
Thais hippocastanum
Linne, 1758
Trachycardium angulatum
Lamark, 1822
Trapezium
sp Tridacna squamosa Lamark, 1819
Trochus stellatus
Gmelin, 1791
Turbo bruneus
Roding, 1798
Turbo chrysostomus
Linne, 1758
Turris cryptorrhaphe
Sowerby, 1825
Turris nadaensis Azuma, 1973
Tutufa rubeta
Linne, 1758
Vasum ceramicum
Linne, 1758
Vasum turbinellum
Linne, 1758
Zierliana woldemari
Kiener, 1838

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