>Hello Gang
>I have a non-Conch-L person in our club requesting some help.
>Please copy any posting to the list directly to her as well.
>Thanks, Leslie
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: two different shells or two names for same species??
>
>HI there.
>I had purchased a white version of a murex at the shell show,
>that looks exactly like some others I have
>, and they also have data slips inside,
>I looked at all the slips and found I have several different names here:
>
>One group of data slips says Chicoreus cichoreum, (Gmelin, 1791),
>
>and another says Chicoreus cichoreum endivic Lamarck, 1883 ..?
>I think the year is correct (hand written).
>
>I looked them up on the internet and found pictures and another name,
>Hexaplex cichoreum (Dunker, 1869).
>
>So that is 3 different names and authors.  Which is correct?
>Thanks for any sources you can point me to.
>
>Rusti Stover
>Word Merchant
>[log in to unmask]

Hexaplex cichoreus (Gmelin 1791) is correct.

The genus Hexaplex differs from Chicoreus in shell-characters only in
that it has 4 or more varices per whorl; Chicoreus has 3 (abnormal
specimens with more are very rare). Objectively it may be that one of
the two names is not a good genus and should be included in the
other, perhaps with subgeneric status. Both genera were described in
1810, and I don't know which was published first (the first-published
name would have priority if a synonymization is done).

Murex endivia Lamarck 1822 is a synonym, and this specific name
should not be used.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<[log in to unmask]>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

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