Thanks to everyone for the i.d. help on the Amathina (corrected spelling).  It
was not in Abbott's "Compendium" or Eisenberg's "Guide" and that always sets me
back.  I've added the family to my database and I am now just waiting for the
next shell to stump me.  You cannot be the Conch-L for a quick i.d. or update.
 
Back on seashell hybrids and species.  One of the shells I collected on the
peninsula west of Seattle, Washington, USA was a recently dead Murex
(Ceratostoma) foliatus.  I now have two specimens of this species.  One from
Southern California which looks just like my specimen of Murex (Ceratostoma)
burnetti from Korea and this new one from Washington which is not really
foliated and looks like a totally separate species and given time I'm sure it
will be a separate species.  So if we think hybrids are confusing, how about two
different species separated by the Pacific Ocean that look alike and one species
spread along the west coast of the US that looks totally different at the two
extremes.  If these were cypraea they would be at least subspecies.  Oops did I
say that? No offense meant to the splitters and their fans of the over-named
little round shiny shells with the fantastic colors.  Yes, I like cowries - I
just think some of the subspecies are stretching it a bit.
 
Tom in New Mexico, USA