Dear All,

Yuri Kantor was so kind to send me a reprint of his paper a while back.

One of the most comprehendable (by amateurs that is) characters he states
as different between the Olivellidae and Olividae is the complete
resorption of the inner shell walls in the Olivellidae. the animal has
evolved likewise and the visceral mass (the brown stuff that is in the top
of the shells, that is so hard to get out) above the stomach has lost the
spiral shape. I would agree with Gijs that Kantor has indeed done a very
detailed study, and it really isn't up to amateurs like us to say that
'because it looks similar it can't be different'.

My two bob's worth

Patty

P.S. I wish Gijs the best of luck in explaining in writing to this list how
his name is pronounced ;-)
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