Milan,

I do not think there is a universally accepted, much less an official, conchological terminology.  But I was told by Dr Mienis when asking about certain terms, the important thing was to define the term you are using and be consistent within the paper you are writing.

Tom E.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists of America List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Milan Peternel
> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 8:44 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: conchological terminology question
>
>
>
>  Hi all,
>
> Is there anything like "official conchological terminology" = a widely
> accepted list of malacological terms applied to gastropod shells ?
>
> I use definitions given in Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology
> but several things bother me.
>
> For instance: Rib (costa) is defined as “round-topped
> elevation......disposed
> colabrally on shell surface”.
> But  term rib or costa is often used (also in Treatise) for
> radial linear elevations which are not necessarily round-topped. That
> contradicts the definition given in Treatise.
> It seems that morphological terms are used quite liberally. And
> also, there
> seem to be no sharp boundary between thread, cord, costa(rib),
> carina(keel).
> They mostly differ by their width and prominence which is very subjective.
> What is a “cord” for me can be called “rib” by someone else.
>
> Any comment? Can you recommend some list of malacological terms
> “verified” by
> professional malacologists?
>
> Milan
>
>
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