Dear Conchlers,

I'll add something to the common names too. A some time ago I had trouble
with
an Austrian malacologist and collector for this reason as I said you could
translate
the scientific name of a shell into a common name as you like, as the
common names
don't have any worth. He said no and that the common names should be always
the
same to use. I disagree as you could translate by word from the Latin or
you could
describe the shell in another way for their structure or habitat, eg. I
don't like common
names as I don't know what is a cat's paw or a sunray venus, or what is a
clam.
A clam could be a Pecten or a Tridacna (maybe giant clam) or as in the
dictionary
a Veneridae. I don't think that there should be difficulties for a
collector to learn the
scientific names of a shell. Latin you can pronounce nearly as it is
written. And
you don't translate Caesar or Latin writers, you only have to learn a few
or more
names. Thats my simple opinion.
with best shelling greetings
Helmut from Innsbruck


Helmut "Helix" Nisters
private:
Franz-Fischer-Str. 46
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Europe
phone: 0043 / 512 / 57 32 14
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
website: www.netwing.at/nisters
office:
Natural History Department of the
Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum Innsbruck
Feldstrasse 11a
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Europe
phone: 0043 / 512 / 58 72 86 - 37
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
website: www.tiroler-landesmuseum.at


----------
> Hello All,
> I'll add my two cents.  Common names are "no good."  In Europe an
Illyanassa
> is a mud snail and in the US it is called a Periwinkle.  I read that
somewere
> and it would take a while for me to find the book that had the info. about
> that subject.  Also on p. 33 of A. Guide to field Identification;
Seashells
> of North Amica, by Abbott/Sandstrom, copyright '68, talks about introduced
> species.
> Jordan * (from an old sheller)
>