Dear Ross,

Having just returned from vacation, I find am not the first to respond to your
cyberinquiry.  The original description [Abbott, R. T., 1958. A new Recent
species of Tudicula from Zanzibar (Gastropoda: Vasidae). Notulae Naturae 305:
1-4. April 25.] is somewhat more detailed than the treatment in Indopacific
Mollusca (basis for Lynn's recitation), but it offers no additional information
on size or habitat and none on breeding habits.  I shall send you a reprint
(non-photocopy) tomorrow.

I think very little is known about reproduction in the Vasidae as Abbott (1959)
failed to discuss this aspect of its biology.

To refine what Lynn said of the frequency of the species, the introduction to
the Abbott (1958) paper indicates that 87 stations were made on the NSF/ANSP
Zanzibar Expedition and at only one was T. zanzibaricum found.

The largest specimen I've seen is the 55 mm. one which was once yours.

The genus Tudicula H. and A, Adams, 1864, to which this species was properly
assigned by Abbott and subsequent authors is not available due to (junior)
homonymy.  Our friends Gary and Dick (Rosenberg, G. and R. E. Petit, 1987.
Ryckholt's Mélanges Paléontologiques, 1851-1862, with a new name for
Tudicula H.
& A. Adams, non Ryckholt. Proceeedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences 139:
53-64.) showed that Ryckhoff had two years earlier created the same name as an
(unwarranted) spelling correction of the confamilial genus Tudicla Röding,
1798.  To fill the void they created, they erected Tudivasum Rosenberg and
Petit, 1987, which accommodated your species and the rest of a handful of
Recent congeners.

Thus today the proper binomen for your topical species is Tudivasum
zanzibaricum (Abbott, 1958).  It is one my favorite shells.

Harry


At 11:42 PM 8/1/00 +0000, you wrote:
>I'd like to find out a bit more about Tudicula zanzibarica: what is its
>preferred habitat, in detail?  What is the largest it gets? (The one i sent
>Harry Lee was 67mm, i think)  What are its breeding habits?
>
>-Ross.

Harry G. Lee
Suite 500
1801 Barrs St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
USA   904-384-6419
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Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
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