Thanks for your reply.

I do understand all of that.

Are you saying that the only discernable difference between C maculifera and
C. maculifera scindata is that the latter is from Tahiti?

Could be. I just needed that "description".

Maybe every island group should have a full list of ssp. And then every
island... and so on.

Personally I think that you should be able to see the difference in a group
of  1 or 2.

I did notice that "lists" had the prices of these shells at 2 to 4X as much
as a regular C. maculifera. Maybe that is a discernable difference - price
tag included in the data sheet.

By the way, I do have quite a pile of these, self collected from around the
Pacific.

I think that I'll give each one it's own name, unique, of course, to my
shell closet. Or maybe C. maculifera stinka - didn't get that one quite
clean enough.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Russ






Eduard had said:

Dear Russ
Subspecies are geographically isolated populations of a species which share
the main diagnostic shell characters of a species but the majority of
individuals of a subspecies differs from other populations of the same
species by at least one shell characteristic.
 A correct (valid) modern description of a subspecies must include
statistical data confirming the difference between shell characteristics of
a new subspecies and the other populations of a species and also a section
DIAGNOSIS (or DEFINITIONS)  that states in words characters that are
purported to differentiate the taxon. If a section DIAGNOSIS is absent or
the difference between shell characteristics of a new subspecies and other
populations of the same species is not singled out and stressed in its
description nobody, in my opinion, can help  us to form a scientifically
based opinion regarding a new taxon.
If you have enough shells of Mauritia maculifera from Tahiti in your
collection (several 30-50 at least) you can try by yourself to compare shell
characteristics of your batch of shells with shell characteristics of the
species from other areas of the world published in the malacological
literature.

Eduard Heiman



. ----- Original Message -----
From: "Russ Webb" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 5:30 PM
Subject: Cypraea maculifera scindata


> Can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between Cypraea maculifera
and
> ssp. Cypraea maculifera sindata (Lorenz 2002)?
>
> Russ
>
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