John, Spondylus linguaefelis is a Hawaiian endemic and is impossible to
mistake for any other species. It has many fine spines, evenly spaced,
and usually fairly even in length. In the Philippines they always use
the name 'linguaefelis' to describe Spondylus multimuricatus, but the
shells are very different. S. multimuricatus has longer, thicker spines
than linguaefelis, and they tend to be irregular in length, giving the
shell an 'untidy' appearance. (Both are beautiful species, of course!) I
don't know offhand the range for S. multimuricatus, but the specimens
available for sale come from the Philippines.


Simon Aiken
Simon's Specimen Shells Limited
www.simons-specimen-shells.com
Registered in England and Wales company number 05236725


-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
John Varner
Sent: 23 July 2006 03:53
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Spondylus ID

In the genus Spondylus, is the species multimuricatus a synonym of
linguaefelis?  If not, I'd appreciate a comparison of  geographic
& morphologic differences.
Thanks in advance
- John

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