Richard Salisbury and I are engaged in a worldwide revision of miters of the
genus Thala (Costellariidae). Our studies suggest that many species of Thala
have extremely restricted geographic ranges, but it is difficult to gather
enough material to fully understand the range of variation of some species.
I have Thala on loan from many of the major museums, but there are a number
of species for which I have seen only a few specimens.
I have had great success recently in getting material on loan from
conchologists that is extremely valuable for our research. Therefore, I
would greatly appreciate receiving specimens of Thala on loan from Conch-L
subscribers. Live collected Thala and specimens with protoconchs will be
particularly valuable. All specimens will be of interest, except those from
Florida and Bermuda, from which I have seen abundant material, and Thala
gratiosa and Thala solitaria from the Eastern Pacific.
Richard and I currently know of undescribed species of Thala from Yucatan,
Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the southern Lesser Antilles, South Africa,
Zanzibar, Mauritius, Timor, Taiwan, Japan, the Solomon Islands, Guam,
Kwajalein, and Hawaii. Any additional material of Thala from these and
adjoining areas might expand knowledge of these species. Most described
species are also poorly known, and most material I have seen in museums is
misidentified.
There are also areas from which I have never seen Thala, for example, ANY
continental mainland area from Mozambique to Korea; the Maldives, the
Comoros, Cocos-Keeling, the Caroline Islands, the Line Islands, Vanuatu, etc.
Thala have folds on the columella, as do other miters, but also have
denticles on the inner side of the outer lip that point toward the
columella. These denticles are always present in adults, and often even in
juveniles. Thala are never larger than one inch in length, and usually in
the 5 to 15 mm range. Most species are associated with coral reefs.
If you do send specimens on loan, please expect that I will probably need to
hold the material for at least a year, because extensive comparative studies
take time.
Thanks,
Gary
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Gary Rosenberg, Ph.D. [log in to unmask]
Malacology & Invertebrate Paleontology gopher://erato.acnatsci.org
Academy of Natural Sciences http://www.acnatsci.org
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Phone 215-299-1033
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195 USA Fax 215-299-1170
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