Only an Alabaman could connoct this story.  And he was up way past his
bedtime (11:36PM), long after the Honda generator he uses for electrical
power should have run out of fuel.  It's amazing what the combination of
moonshine/RC Cola and boiled peanuts can do to these simple people's
imaginations after sundown.  However, I must say, we would accept this
holotype as we have many others which are equally as fanciful, but
unfortunately, actually published upon.
 
Doug, I'm just teasing.  I like people from Alabama, no matter what the
rest of the world thinks about them.
 
Kurt
 
At 11:36 PM 4/1/99 EST, you wrote:
>In the most recent issue of MALACOLOGICAL EXPOSITOR,  the renowned
>malacologist, Tom Foolery has published the description of an astonishing new
>species which has been recovered from the DeSoto Canyon in the northern Gulf
>of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida.  Its discovery was a fluke as it was caught
>in the trawl of Dr. Foolery's research vessel and the captain and crew
>thought the net had been snagged on a huge rock.  When the crew could not
>free the trawl it was winched by hand to the surface (a task which took more
>than 24 hours).  To their surprise and the delight of Dr. Foolery, the rock
>turned out to be a new species of Tridacna; the only species of the genus to
>be found in the Atlantic.  This new species measured 14 feet in length and
>weighed in at one ton; making the largest living mollusk in the world.  This
>Megaclam as it has been termed was taken from a depth of 401 fathoms.  Dr.
>Foolery has named this megaclam TRIDACNA APRILIAUNO.   The holotype and only
>known specimen has been deposited in the Florida Museum of Natural History.
>According to museum personnel it has been given the accession number
04011999.
>
>
>Doug Shelton
>Alabama Malacological Research Center
>2370-G Hillcrest Road #236
>Mobile, AL 36695 USA
>