Some years ago, when I was actively trading shells and building a
personal collection, before I became a (dare I mention the word?)
dealer, a European collector wrote (yes, this was back in the days of
writing on paper) and asked me if I had any "turret shells" to trade.
I sent him the short list of Turritella species I had on hand. A few
weeks later I got a letter back. He was not interested in Turritella
(family Turritellidae) but in turrids (family Turridae). Some time
later a collector from Japan asked about turret shells. This time I
didn't take anything for granted - I asked if he meant Turritella or
Turris. He was talking about Latiaxis! The scientific names are
much safer.
Paul M.