Thanks everyone for your input about my name (I had looked into that many
years ago, and concluded that my parents didn't fully investigate the
meaning before they chose that name! My husband Michel was very smug when he
discovered that his name means "God-like")
It was a little disappointing to find that it appears to be just an invalid
name for Conus monachus. Thanks to Marco Bettocchi for the detailed
information and lovely photo he sent. I think I might just re-label my Conus
monarchus as barbara for the heck of it. I have a Patella barbara which I
have known about for years, and of course I had to have one of those! Now I
guess I'll just have to discover a new species if I want any more with my
name.
Thanks again and hope you Northern-Hemispherites are making the most of your
summer for some great shelling!
Regards from the wet and damp Waikato, NZ