A contact in Zanzibar has sent me an unusual Ovulid, which i have no
literature to ID.  So, i ask your assistance (it is spoken for, but i
would like to have a name for the critter, before sending it off into
the blue!).  First, is there a more-or-less comprehensive Ovulidae
book?  This is a wonderful family which i am recieving more of , of
late, so a good book would come in handy!
        OK- on p. 99 of the Compendium of Shells, is a photo of Prinovula
fruiticm Reeve.  Imagine an adult specimen 21mm, of the same general
outline, with the little columellar fold, but without the ridge across
from the lip.  The aperature is narrower, similar to Calpurnus v. -three
photos over.  The dentition is much finer, resembling the Diminovula
sinensis Sowerby photo next door, but with more teeth, especially
towards the ends.  The lip is thick, resembling an Ovula, and the color
is a grayish-white, except  for the lip, which is pure white.  The
dorsum has a number of indistinct, low ridges, such as occasionally
occur on many Ovulids.  This is my beast.  Any ideas??
 
                                                                                                        -Ross M.
 
P.S.:  Does anyone know of any dealers who have listed *Tudicula
zanzibarica* Abbott, recently?  I have a couple, but Rice seems not to
have found this species (which is much spinier than the photo in the
Compendium, unless mine are another species??) in his searches , so i'm
in a quandary!  (my apologies for "pushing the envelope" with this
queery, but i would like to know how common this chap is.   Also, it
illustrates an occurance which no doubt has confused many over the
years:  Sometimes an identification book features an atypical specimen
of a particular species, which can be rather confusing at times- one
doesn't know if the shell in your hand is "normal", or an unusual form.
The moral is, do not always assume that a photo in a shell book depicts
a typical specimen, especially for uncommon or rare species. (of course
in this case, my long-spined guys might come from an unusual local
population.  Alternately, the holotype in the Compendium may have come
from a  short-spined population, in which case it would be typical for
the locality, but----: having only one photograph, it is impossible  to
say which is the more frequent form!!))