The heyday of institutions sending out research vessels to collect specimens
has largely passed, with a few exceptions. It is the commercial "dealers"
who are now supplying the new material and investigating the new areas. They
are a business and obviously need to make a profit to survive. But in my
experience these "dealers" (such a negatively loaded word) are more than
willing to sacrifice their profits for the advancement of malacology. Yet I
have heard "professional" malacologists rant against commercial collectors -
fine, put up or shut up. Given all of this, it is not uncommon today for an
"amateur" collector of a new species to say "OK, I'll give the specimens you
need to describe this species, specimens I collected at my own personal
expense, which I do NOT have to share with anyone [often specimens NOT in
any museum] to say "but I want a paratype." Really? A token specimen so that
a new species can be brought to light that would otherwise remain unknown?
Believe me, I would like all types to be in a museum, but if the science is
not "footing the bill" then they have no right to complain.

G. Thomas Watters, PhD
Curator of Molluscs
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology
The Ohio State University
Museum of Biological Diversity
1315 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH 43212  USA
v: 614-292-6170
f: 614-292-7774



"The world is my oyster except for months with an "R" in them" - Firesign
Theatre

"I have the world's largest collection of seashells.  I keep it on all the
beaches of the world...  Perhaps you've seen it." - Steven Wright

Visit the Division of Molluscs at:
www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~molluscs/OSUM2


"Let me take you, baby, down to the riverbed
Gotta tell you something go right to your head" - Spirit

So join the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society at:

http://molluskconservation.org/

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