Dear Andrew and Paul -  I knew you two could be counted on to come up with
good answers to the question of shell name endings (or almost anything for
that matter).  Wouldn't the same rules apply to geographical subspecies?
The reason why I specify "geographical" is that that is about the only kind
of subspecies that I consider valid, and even some of those I question.
And, Andrew, I think a short list would be very helpful.  Thank you both.
 
Betty Jean, The Tall One
 
 
Dear Paul -  At 12:39 PM 3/25/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Ross,
>
>The basic rule is simple, but the application of it is not always.
>In Latin, nouns are assigned "gender", but not on the same basis as
>in english.  In english names of inanimate objects are neuter gender.
> The only masculine and feminine nouns we have are those which refer
>specifically to a male or female person or animal.  Mother, sister,
>hen, and ewe are feminine nouns.  Brother, uncle, stag and bull are
>masculine.  However, we don't generally think about noun genders
>because english adjectives do not vary with the gender of the noun
>being modified.
>In Latin the situation is very different.  Many names of inanimate
>objects are classified as feminine or masculine nouns.  For example,
>the Latin words for farmer, table, road, and water are all feminine
>nouns.  Feminine Latin nouns typically end in the letter "a"
>(Littorina, Cypraea, Mercenaria, Crepidula).  Masculine nouns
>typically end in "us" (Conus, Nassarius, Mytilus, Fusinus).  Neuter
>nouns end in "um" (Sinum, Gloripallium, Umbraculum, Buccinum).  The
>rule governing Latin adjectives is that the adjective ending must
>reflect the gender of the noun it modifies.  Therefore Buccinum
>undatum is correct.  Buccinum undata or Buccinum undatus are
>incorrect because of the gender incontinuity between the genus (noun)
>name and the specific name (adjective).  Nerita undata is correct
>however, for the same reasons.
>Abra alba, but Nassarius albus
>Sinum maculatum, Amoria maculata, Trochus maculatus
>Simple!  But not always.  Some Latin nouns, especially masculine
>ones, have alternative endings.
>In those cases, the adjective still has to match, but sometimes the
>adjective gets the alternative ending, while other times it follows
>the a-um-us system.  From this point on, it gets pretty complicated.
>But you can see that if a species is reassigned to a different genus,
>and the new genus has a different gender, then the specific name
>ending has to be changed to match the new genus.
>
>Paul M.
> 
 
 
Betty Jean Piech    
Hockessin DE,USA
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_@/-The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.-\@_
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