The problem I see here in separating the lion's paw scallop into two
separate species is that so far the justification has been based on minor
conchological variations.  What about the animal itself?  Is there any
difference in the soft parts to justify this separation?
For my part, until someone does such a study and confirms that there are two
species involved here, nodosus is the only name I will use.
 
John L. Jacobs
Seffner, FL
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-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Sturm <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, March 08, 1999 2:02 AM
Subject: Re: Let's talk Pectens
 
 
Jim,
  You can find information about Nodipecten fragosus and N. nodosus in JT
Smith, Cenozoic giant Pectinidae from California and the Tertiary
Caribbean Province.  United States Geological Survey Professional Paper
1391, dated 1991.  She lists N. fragosus as being the form from North
Carolina to the upper Caribbean region and N. nodosus as the species from
the lower Caribbean to South America.  This is also addressed in the
second of the two papers below.
 
Carole Marshall  American Conchologist 23(1):4-9   Recent Changes in the
Pectinidae Part. 1
 
C. Marshall Amer. Conch. 23(3): 4-6, 12  Recent changes in the Pectinidae
Part 2.
 
Sowerby used a different Argopecten as the type for A. circularis.
Several other names proposed were already preoccupied.  The next available
name was A. ventricosus (Sowerby 1845).  I do not have the paper that
discussed this at hand but Marshall gives a nice summary.
 
 
Charlie
****************************************************************************
**
Charlie Sturm, Jr
Research Associate - Section of Invertebrate Zoology
                     Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA
Assistant Professor - Family Medicine
 
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