Dear Bill Frenzan,

My name is David Touitou.
I am living in la MARTINIQUE island (french caribbean)
since 5 months. I found two spots (only...) with the c. floridanus burryae.
I think it is this specie.
Could you confirm. it seem to be  rare here !
I put pictures at : http://www.seashell-collector.com/pic/burryae.jpg
(Sorry for the bad quality picture, there are small ones...)

Sincerely yours

DAVID TOUITOU.


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----- Message d'origine -----
De : "Bill Fenzan" <[log in to unmask]>
À : <[log in to unmask]>
Envoyé : samedi 28 juillet 2001 02:19
Objet : Re: catch me up, please!


> David,
>
> You ask some interesting questions.  Here is some information that may
help.
>
> Conus anabathrum Crosse, 1865 was generally believed to be a synonym of C.
> japonicus until the mid-1980s.  Then, re-examination of the type specimen
> indicated Conus anabathrum is an earlier name for C. floridanus.
According
> to Vink, Cernohorsky petitioned the International Commission of Zoological
> Nomenclature (ICZN) to suppress the name C. anabathrum in favor of the
name
> C. floridanus.  According to R. M. Filmer (2001), the ICZN rejected this
> petition in 1989 and determined (Opinion no. 1539) that C. anabathrum is
the
> correct name for C. floridanus.  Even so, I don't know anyone who has
> changed their labels from C. floridanus to C. anabathrum, yet.  See
Hawaiian
> Shell News, October 1985, page 3 for more info on the taxonomy issue.
>
> The species known as C. floridanus (C. anabathrum, officially) has several
> subspecies or named forms.  The best known are C. floridanus floridensis
and
> C. floridanus burryae.   In general, the floridensis form has contrasting
> reddish brown dashes around the body whorl, but there seem to be
intergrades
> to the typical C. floridanus floridanus.  Vink treats the floridensis form
> as a synonym of floridanus.  Both C. floridanus floridanus and C.
floridanus
> floridensis seem to be found commonly on the west coast of Florida,
although
> I have heard of isolated records from other locations around the Gulf of
> Mexico.
>
> The burryae form is a shell that tends to a more uniform reddish brown all
> over.  It is usually considered endemic to the lower Florida Keys,
although
> specimens of this form have been reported from off Mexico, too.  Vink also
> notes that the burryae form has straighter sides.  He treats it as a
> subspecies of C. floridanus.  Seems most specimens from the Keys are
labeled
> as this form, but I have seen very few specimens that actually match the
> type in form and pattern.  Study of a large enough series of shells from
the
> Keys may show this form intergrades with the other forms of this species.
>
> Other forms you may encounter on labels are C. floridanus tranthami (a
small
> pale form from the upper Florida Keys/ Pickles Reef which I would like to
> learn more about.) and C. floridanus yucatanensis (can detect no
difference
> from form floridensis in my specimens of this form.  Usually only applied
to
> shells obtained from shrimpers working off Yucatan in the 60's.  May only
be
> a manuscript name.)
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Bill Fenzan
> Norfolk, VA.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 4:48 PM
> Subject: catch me up, please!
>
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > Someone familiar with Florida shells please tell me what's the
difference
> > between Conus anabathrum and C. floridanus floridensis. Of course, there
> are
> > other very similar cones, such as burryae. Can someone explain what the
> > currently accepted taxonomy is and why? Are there clear ranges for these
> > species or forms?
> >
> > I thought for sure there'd be a thread in the archives but I don't see
> > anything relevant.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > David Kirsh
> > Durham, NC
> >