I agree with you , Andrew . Maybe in some cases being desperate to mate
because of too small a population of its own species at the boundaries of
its range is not the only reason for a specimen of a species A to mate with
a specimen of a species B instead of a specimen of its own species . Franck

-------Message original-------

De : Conchologists of America List
Date : 03/18/04 10:49:44
A : [log in to unmask]
Sujet : Re: Réf. : Re: Re: Réf. : Re: Harpa Hybrids

>I don't understand: what are the intermediate specimens between Lambis
>lambis and Lambis millipeda if they are not hybrids? How can you have
>specimens half-way between two species, especially when they are
>sympatric, and not refer to them as hybrids. Would their existence
>not then call into
>question the validity of the two species?

They may not BE hybrids. If hybrids are fertile and begin to breed
together, a new species is established (another mode of evolution
inevitably ignored).

L. wheelwrighti may have begun as a hybrid but now be breeding true.
Of course it will probably hybridize readily with both of its parent
species...

I do NOT believe that hybrids will uysually occur near the
boiundaries of distributions. This implies that the organisms there
are few and far between and are DESPARATE to breed, and this is
simply not the case.

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