OK, Eduardo, here is my 2 cents' worth:

>2) Steyn & Lussi in their book Marine Shells of SA, say that Volva kilburni
>is found from Port Elizabeth to south of Durban. I received one specimen
>collected in Mozambique. Is it possible that the range of this specie goes
>up to Mozambique?

In the great scheme of things Mozambique is not all that far from Port
Elizabeth--maybe 1200 km?
>
>6) What is the right name: Pterynotus gambiensis or Purpurellus gambiensis
>Reeve, 1845?

According to Emily Vokes'  last opinion, it is Purpurellus

>7) Is Murex mindanoensis Dohrn, 1862 a valid specie or just a subspecie of
>brevispina? Springsteen & Leobrera and Radwin list it as a valid specie,
>while the label received from a shell dealer and the Rice catalog list it as
>a subspecie.
Haustellum ( Vokesimurex) mindanoensis Sowerby, 1841 (not Dohrn!) is valid.
Again per E. H. Vokes. It is supposed to have a protoconch of 1 1/2 whorls.
Don't forget, Rice's catalog is not at all authoritative, it is merely a
summary of dealers' lists. And dealers cannot be expert in all families.
...And even the experts are not always expert--or have differences of
opinion among themselves. According to EHV, Radwin has many, many errors.




John Wolff
2640 Breezewood Dr.
Lancaster, PA 17601, U.S.A.