In my opinion, we have to understand that collecting
shells is different from the scientific work which has
to be done for describing new species.

The description of a new species is much more than the
delight of a collector who has found something that
seems different from what he already knows.

Describing a new species requires an intimate
knowledge of biology, ecology and evolution and not
only an authentic passion for shells.

In recent times, I have moved my main interest from
identifying shells, to the comprehension of the
evolution of animal species.
Reading books by Darwin, Mayr, Gould and several other
evolutionists, and reading several papers on the
concept of species, I now think that most of the
descriptions of new species of shells (especially, but
not only, those published on non-scientific magazines)
are totally inadequate, since they do not show any
relation between the "new species" and the huge amount
of knowledge necessary on what a species is and,
therefore, what a *different* species is.

Still I am struggling to understand the concept of
sibling species, and the many ways in which species
can be created by evolution (the several hundred pages
of Mayr's "Animal Species and Evolution" are extremely
informative on this subject) make me think I will
never be able to describe a new species being certain
it is so.

The difficulties that has to be encountered in the
process of description of a new species may bring the
author to a mistake.
However, if the description has a detailed comparison
with the whole systematic group the species belong to,
a deep research into bibliography and a careful
comparison with the fossil record, then any mistake
has to be accepted.
But if a description of a new species lacks these
items, then that paper is maybe good for a collector's
catalogue or a dealer's list, but certainly not for
the process of increasing our knowledge on shells and
molluscs.

Seriously thinking I will never describe a new
species,
Paolo

P.S.: a good description of a new species can be done
by a professional or amateur alike, it's a matter of
method.

P.S.2: taxonomy and systematics has to be dealt with
with a scientific method.

Paolo G. ALBANO
Bologna, ITALY
Webmaster of Società Italiana di Malacologia website at http://www.aicon.com/sim




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