To all Conch-L ers:
 
        Although Kim's original question was referred to Zoila
(Gigantocypraea) gigas in the posession of Don Pisor, I must add my two
cents worth about the status of fossil cypraeaceans of the eastern Pacific.
I do regret that the potential availability of this marvelous specimen was
not made public (at least to me) until just before its departure to Europe
(for sale no doubt rather than made available for research purposes).
 
        The 1996 meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists featured a
Cypraeacean symposium where I reported that there are at least 86 species of
Cypraeidae and Eocypraeinae (Ovulidae) from the eastern Pacific (this survey
does not include Ovulinae).  Cypraeacea-wise the "eastern Pacific" is
currently defined as Vancouver Id., British Columbia, Canada to Caldera,
Atacama Prov., Chile and the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, Panama, and
Colombia as the isthmus was open until the latest Pliocene/earliest
Pleistocene.  A faunal list, current to 1996, and reference list can be
examined in the 1997 Annual Report of the Western Society of Malacologists
29:7-10.  Since then I have described two new species referred to as "n.sp."
in the list and several additonal "new species" have come to light since
then as well.  Within this geographic area species range from Early
Cretaceous to Recent and are broken down by period as follows: 10
Cretaceous; 5 Paleocene; 23 Eocene; 1 Eocene/Oligocene; 10 Miocene; 8
Pliocene; and 29 Pleistocene/Recent.  The final version of this reoprt with
the description of at least 7 new species is in manuscript form and will be
published in the (hopefully) "near future."  With co-author Terry Arnold of
San Diego, I am attempting to sort out what the genus Muracypraea really
truly is in the Caribbean and adjacent areas, and how many species there
currently are.  Miocene species of the Muracypraea henekeni "group" have
apparently been over split, particularly in the Caribbean. Terry has
published several preliminary abstracts on the subject in the above
mentioned WSM Annual Report and in a previous issue (v. 27) and more
recently in The Festivus (v. 30, no. 8).  Stay tuned on this one as well.
Questions and/or comments should be directed to me off-line, unless someone
feels that the entire group would be interested.
 
Aloha,
 
Lindsey
 
 
At 10:59 AM 9/26/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Hello all!
>
>Anyone out there interested in fossil Cypraeidae? Please E-mail me.
>
>Kim Hutsell
>San Diego
>
 
 
**********************************************
Lindsey T. Groves
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Collection Manager Malacology/Invert. Paleo.
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007
Voice: (213) 763-3376 (Mal) 744-3485 (IP)
Fax: (213) 746-2999/7646
e-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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