>On www.malacolog.org the sinistral whelk of the Western Atlantic
>found from Florida to North Carolina is Busycon sinistrum Hollister,
>1958.
>
>My question: Are they now classified as Busycon perversum subspecies
>laeostomum (Kent, 1982) per the findings of Wise, Harasewych and
>Dillon "Population Divergence In The Sinistral Whelks of North
>America With Special Reference to the East Florida Ecotone"?
>
>Or Busycon sinistrum (Hollister, 1958)
>
>Or Busycon perversum (Linnaeus, 1758)
>
>John Timmerman
>Wilmington, North Carolina

I have requested a reprint or PDF of the senior author. However the
abstract clearly states that all sinistral polulations belong to B.
perversum (L 1758).

I will be most interested to hear what they have to say about DEXTRAL
populations, because I believe that all living (as well as Pliocene &
many Miocene) Busycon, whatever coiling direction, belong to this
species. The exception being B. coarctatum, of course, which is
distinct and does not inetrgrade with other forms. The others
intergrade in such a way that one cannot sort them out (without
ignoring the intermediate forms).
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<[log in to unmask]>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

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