I was trained to use "cf." to mean "compare to" meaning in effect "similar
to this species, but probably not the same thing". If I write, for example,
"Conus cf. C. marmoreus" I'm indicating more uncertainty about the
identification than if I write "Conus marmoreus?"
By the way, technically it's not correct to write "Conus cf. marmoreus".
"Conus cf. C. marmoreus" is preferable, since "marmoreus" by itself is not a
species name.
Gary
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Gary Rosenberg, Ph.D. [log in to unmask]
Malacology & Invertebrate Paleontology gopher://erato.acnatsci.org
Academy of Natural Sciences http://www.acnatsci.org
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