>Dear Conchlers and Buxxlers,
>
>In Europe we might have several opinions. To which family
>belong Genus Nassarius, Fusinus, Fasciolaria eg. Do you
>keep Nassariidae and Fasciolariidae as own families or
>do you keep them under Buccinidae.
>Hope for an answer as soon as possible.
>Helmut from Innsbruck
>
>

Buccinidae, of course! Cernohorsky long ago said that there are no
anatomiocal grounds for separating Nassariidae from Buccinidae. Many
workers today are also synonymizing Fasciolariidae and Melongenidae. NZ
workers early in the century and even up to the 1970s still used
Cominellidae and buccinulidae!

Funny how some families are growing by accretion. Others are being split.
Bruce Marshall has separated Calliostomatidae from Trochidae on grounds of
protoconch morphology, radula and feeding habits (they're carnivorous,
which explains why they're common in deep waters) and other things.

It may be of interest to note that Syrinx, the largest living gastropod, is
now in the Turbinellidae.

The largest gastropod that I know of is Campanile giganteum of the Paris
Basin Eocene, which attains 95cm. That's a lot of snail!

Andrew