Australian Museum Journal Molluscs and echinoderms from the Emily Bay settlement site, Norfolk Island
- Shortform:
- Campbell and Schmidt, 2001, Rec. Aust. Mus., Suppl. 27: 109–114
- Author(s):
- Campbell, Colin R.; Schmidt, Lyn
- Year published:
- 2001
- Title:
- Molluscs and echinoderms from the Emily Bay settlement site, Norfolk Island
- Serial title:
- Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement
- Volume:
- 27
- Start page:
- 109
- End page:
- 114
- DOI:
- 10.3853/j.0812-7387.27.2001.1345
- Language:
- English
- Date published:
- 28 November 2001
- Cover date:
- 28 November 2001
- ISBN:
- ISBN 0-7347-2305-9
- ISSN:
- 0812-7387
- CODEN:
- RAMSEZ
- Publisher:
- The Australian Museum
- Place published:
- Sydney, Australia
- Subjects:
- ECHINODERMATA; MOLLUSCA; NORFOLK ISLAND
- Digitized:
- 28 November 2001
- Available online:
- 28 November 2001
- Reference number:
- 1345
- EndNote package:
- EndNote file
- Title page:
- Title page (11kb PDF)
- Complete work:
- Complete work (102kb PDF)
Abstract
The Emily Bay archaeological molluscan fauna as an ensemble is almost entirely intertidal in its natural occurrence, with seven species preferring sand or mud substrates and 13 species preferring hard substrates. The only exceptions are the pelagic cephalopods Nautilus and Spirula. The gastropod species Nerita atramentosa is dominant in both numbers and by weight. The rocky intertidal platform was the focus of mollusc collecting. The four most common species derive from this zone and habitually cluster in colonies, which would have made them a preferred prey. Among the many factors that may have contributed to eventual abandonment of Norfolk Island, a scarcity of easily harvestable coastal marine resources would probably have been significant.