Dear Dan,
When I collected a Pachychilus species in Palenque in  1988  I had also a
big problem with identification.
I identified this species as Pachichylus indiorum MORELET because the shell
of this species  is smooth and without any ribs. This is well-known mayan
edible freshwater snail!
With my best regards,
                              Zoltán Erőss from Budapest

>From: Leslie Allen <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Pachychilus glaphyrum?
>Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 04:47:20 GMT
>
>Hi Dan
>..Quite a nice shell to have!!!
>
>When Fred Thompson helped me to identify my Belize, Guatamala& Honduras
>materials he labeled it as:
>Pachychilus glaphrius  (with the added "i" in the ending as shown)
>
>It is a fresh-water shell rather than a land shell.  I do not know the
>range of
>it but it can specifically be found in the Mecal River.  Hundreds of these
>were
>dug from the middens at Cahol Pech, which is a Mayan palacial site in San
>Ignacio, Belize.  The Mecal River runs through the edge of town, which is
>located somewhat in the center of Belize (north to south), near the
>Guatemalan
>frontier.  It is the Belize highlands, on the other side of the mountains
>from
>the coastal plain which often referred to as the (infamous) Mosquito Coast.
>
>Pachychilus glaphrius is often encrusted and looks somewhat like a large
>Pacific Cerithid at first... but with its chestnut periostracum showing, at
>second glance it reminds me of a Buccinid.
>
>Hope this was helpful if not amusing.
>.. I sure miss those traveling and collecting days!
>Leslie
>
>PS - Getting good literature on Mesoamerican land and freshwater Mollusca
>has
>been a bit of a daunting task for me... & I finally gave up.  Seems for the
>most part it is scattered through a dozen journals, a species or two at a
>time,
>over a hundred + years.  There are a few expedition reports that I have
>acquired but never a lot of content, (typically new species only
>illustrated,
>with other species only listed), and mainly never from a place where I
>went...
>
>---------------------------------
>To all the exotic landsnail buffs,
>
>Today I received a package from a friend, with a very strange
>operculated landsnail, labeled Pachychilus glaphyrum from Palenque,
>Chiapas, Mexico.  I have searched the internet with that name and come up
>empty .  Does anyone have any idea of a website where I might compare this
>specimen.
>Thank you in advance for any help.
>Dan Yoshimoto
>
>Dan, Hiromi & Kuma Yoshimoto
>1164 Vista Dr.
>Eureka, California 95503-6018 U.S.A.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
>To leave this list, click on the following web link:
>http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
>Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
>click leave the list.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------


Zoltan Peter Erőss,1151 Budapest, Bem street 36. HUNGARY

_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar - get it now!
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------