Living Strombidae
Barneystrombus kleckhamae
Cernohosky, 1971
Holotype, No. AK 71326, copyright Auckland Museum.
Size 40 - 60 mm
Depth ~100-200 mts
Synonims
Strombus (Dolomena) kleckhamae kleckhamae Chernohosky, 1971
Common names
not available
Copyright Michael Petterson, Auckland University of Technology.
Distribution
Type locality: West side of Matupi Island, Simpson Harbour, Rabaul, New Britain, Territory of Papua and New Guinea; in pumice bank, 10 feet (3 metres) above sea-level.
Known distribution: Papua New Guinea (New Britain and New Ireland Islands), Solomon Islands; West Papua (Indonesia) to be confirmed.
Original description
Cernohorsky W.O. (1971), “New molluscan species of Strombus (Strombidae) and Cancilla (Mitridae) from New Britain and Taiwan“, Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 15: 131-135.
Name etymology: from Mrs. Marjorie Kleckham, Port Moresby, PNG, who provided the first specimen to Mr. Cernohosky.
Description
Linnaeus, Carolus, 1758, Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Stockholm
Notes
- very elusive species, first specimens, including holotype, all coming from Rabaul and subfossils on pumice banks emerging from west of Matupi island, probably from the Matupi volcan eruption by 1937
- reported few cases of live specimens dredged at 100-180 mts deep in Papua, Solomon Islands and West Papua (Indonesia):
- September 1977 – Hawaiian Shells News pag. 5. Lawrence Godberg and Elmer G.Leehman reporting that the diver and HSN member Brian Bailey was able to collect live specimens by dredging in the Solomon Islands. This finding also mentioned by Hinton (“Guide to Shells of Papua New Guinea”, 1978)
- March 1977, Hawaiian Shells News pag. 5. Bob Morrison about 2 living Barneystrombus kleckhamae specimens dredged by Brian Bailey at 100-300 feet of water near Florida Island in the Solomons. He also mentions about R.T.Abbott reporting several additional live specimens trawled by Dr. Barry Wilson off Ceram, Indonesia
- December 1978 – Cernohosky on Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum Vol. 15, pp. 67-68, mentions about live specimens reported by R.T.Abbott as found in the Geelvink bay (West Papua, Indonesia) and about a live specimen dredged by Brian Bailey at 183 mt deep close to Tulagi in the Solomon Island which is 1000 km far from Rabaul. For this last specimen a picture is reported without operculum.
- March 1984, Aurora Richards, at that time living in Rabaul, on Hawaiian Shell News describes the difference in between Barneystrombus kleckhamae and boholensis and tell us that a team of divers was collecting endemic shells in the area of Matupi Island.
- All the pictures of specimens from Stromboidea.de are from Papua New Guinea
- Only 5 pictures available of fresh specimens with their opercula (Stromboidea.de, Walls 1980, HSN 1977), but I’ve never seen information or even a photo of the soft parts.
- Differently from most of Strombidae specimens which are shallow water, living Barneystrombus kleckhamae specimens have been dredged in 100-200 mts deep water, explaining why they are so rare despite the range of distribution is clearly much larger than originally knonw (Rabaul, East New Britain, PNG).
Personal collection
- Cernohorsky W.O. (1971), “New molluscan species of Strombus (Strombidae) and Cancilla (Mitridae) from New Britain and Taiwan”, Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 15: 131-135.
- Godberg L., Leehman E.G. (1977), “From wartime wreks to rare shells”, Hawaiian Shell News,Vol. XXVI, No. 3, New Series No. 2017, pag. 5, September issue.
- Morrison B. (1977), “Strombus kleckhamae”, Hawaiian Shell News,Vol. XXVI, No. 3, New Series No. 2017, pag. 9, September issue.
- Cernohorsky W.O. (1978), “Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum”, Vol. 15, pp. 67-68.
- Hinton A. (1978),”Guide to Shells of Papua New Guinea“, Robert Brown & Associates, pp.8-10 , Port Moresby, PNG.
- Walls, Jerry G. (1980), “Conchs, Tibias and Harps”, T.F.H. Publications Inc. Ltd
- Richards A. (1984), “Differences in Strombus kleckhamae”, Hawaiian Shell News, Vol. XXXII, No. 3, New Series No. 291, pag. 13, March issue.
- Mühlhäusser H. (1984), “Concerning Strombus kleckhamae”, Hawaiian Shell News, Vol. XXXII, No. 5, New Series No. 293, pag. 12, May issue.
