For those of us dealing with common names of shells from the US and Canada,
there is a semi-official listing of common names prepared by Donna Turgeon
and other malacologists (including Gary Rosenberg). The list is published
by the American Fisheries Society. The original edition was published in
1988; there is a second, expanded edition that, I heard, will be published
sometime in 1998-1999 (Gary may have more precise information about this).
The work is very useful for folks working in museums, educational
institutions, governmental agencies, and other areas where there is a need
for consistent use of common names. Information copied from the American
Fisheries Society is given below; AFS can be reached at their web site:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/
 
D. D. Turgeon et al. 1988. Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic
Invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. AFS Special
Publication 16. 277 pp.
 
"Compiled in cooperation with major malacological organizations, this is
the new standard of nomenclature for 5,700 aquatic (and terrestrial) North
American mollusks."
 
Paper:Stock# 510.12P)Price: $28.00 Members: $22.00 ISBN 0-913235-48-2
 
Cloth:Stock# 510.12C)Price: $35.00 Members: $27.00 ISBN 0-913235-47-4"
 
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Jose H. Leal, Ph.D.
Director, The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor-in-chief, THE NAUTILUS
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