The recent unethical, childish, non-kiwi attack on my various malacological
writings by Andrew Grebneff (a preparator at the University of Otago) was
unexpected, since the website in which it was published should weed out
personal attacks on members of the malacological fraternity. Criticism is
welcome, but not from members who have no produced any substantial molluscan
papers.

Not having a radula on hand at the time, I was unsure of the taxonomic
position of Latiromitra Locard,1897, and neither was its original author who
placed it in Buccinidae, and  Ponder who placed his Vexillum (Latiromitra)
problematicum Ponder,1968 in the genus Vexillum, family Costellariidae due
to the lack of soft parts.

It was not until the year 2000 that the taxonomic position of Latiromitra
was clarified by Bouchet & Kantor in "The Veliger". Contrary to Grebneff's
opinion that the species problematica belongs in the genus Metzgeria,
Bouchet & Kantor, on the basis of anatomical research acknowledge
Latiromitra as a valid genus-group (and it does NOT go as a synonym of a
species which escapes Grebneff's memory), and in their paper they also
describe several new species of Latiromitra. To use Grebneff's words, be
very wary of Grebneff's statements, they are often suspect.  I don't think
that Grebneff's attack on my professional competence deserves any further
comment by me.

Sincerely yours, W. O. Cernohorsky, NZ



----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Grebneff" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:51 PM
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Volutomitra


> Quite different except the three first syllabes!
>> As well as for all families belonging to the superfamily Muricoidea!
>> Patrice Bail
>
>>> Can I get some discussion of putting Volutomitra in my Volute
>>> collection?
>
> On 16/12/2008, John Wolff <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> Harry Lee, whose knowledge and memory far exceeds mine reminded me
>> that Volutomitridae dates from Iredale and McMichael (1962). The
>> subfamily name Volutomitrinae dates from Gray (1854), and all authors
>> over the ensuing years maintained it as a subfamily, variously in
>> Volutidae and Mitridae. Indeed, Cernohorsky (1970:90) devotes an
>> entire page to the convoluted history of the subfamily and related
>> genera.
>>
>> Cernohorsky, 1970 was the first publication on mitrids that I
>> obtained, and that probably led to my storing my (very few)
>> Volutomitridae together with Mitridae.
>>
>> Anyone else interested in these critters? How about Pleioptygmatidae?
>> Must we keep those separate?
>> John
>
> Cernohorsky messed this paper up, as was his usual way.  He wasn't
> sure about the identity of Latiromitra and places the New Zealand
> species problematica here; it plainly belongs in Metzgeria,
> Turbinellidae (or is that Ptychatractidae?). Be very wary... WOC was
> not a careful worker and often misidentified taxa. His nassariine work
> is also suspect.
> Latiromitra itself is probably not a volutomitrid, but a
> ptychatractine/id. It usually goes under a synonym which I can't
> remember at present, or is misplaced in Benthovoulta (a synonym of
> Exilia). Anyway, Volutomitridae is definitely a distinct family.
>
> Oh, by the way, I keep seeing Waimatea being used for some down-under
> species... this is a synonym of Volutomitra and is based on an Eocene
> fossil from NZ, which differs in no way from typical Volutomitra.
>
> Some workers still insist on using  superfamily Volutoidea (in
> addition to "Buccinoidea"), when these have been synonymized with
> Muricoidea (heck, some still insist on using the incorrect old -acea
> ending.
>
> Families belonging in Muricoidea:
> Muricidae (=Typhinae, Coralliophilinae)
> Buccinidae (=Fasciolariinae, Melongeninae, Nassariinae,
> "Cominellidae", "Neptuneidae", "Buccinulidae")
> Perissityidae (subfamily of Buccinidae?)
> Columbellidae
> Turbinellidae (=Vasidae)
> Ptychatractidae
> Volutomitridae
> Costellariidae
> Mitridae
> Volutidae
> Pseudolividae
> Babyloniidae
> Strepturidae
> Olividae
> Olivellidae
> Cysticidae
> Marginellidae
>
> (Personally, I am not too convinced by the validity of Olivellidae and
> Cysticidae).
>
> Turbinellidae is a nice transitional group between
> Muricidae/Buccinidae and "Volutoidea".
>
> --
> Andrew Grebneff
> Dunedin, New Zealand
> Fossil preparator
> Mollusc, Toyota & VW van nut
>
> <[log in to unmask]>

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