>Hello, Listers!
>
>I have in front of me a Cymatium lotorium, and a supposedly Cymatium
>perriyi.  I notice that the latter is shiny, as are some of the
>pictures I find on the Shell Catalog website.  But, if a lotorium
>were treated with acid it might very well become similar to the
>"perryi," including the shine that results when some Filipinos
>process a shell with acid, a process which is very common.
>
>Are there any characteristics to distinguish between real shells of
>the two species?  I have the data on the lotorium, but not on the
>perryi.
>
>Thanks,
>Linda

Hi Linda

C. lotorium grows considerably larger, I believe, and has dark-brown
parietal markings. C. triangularis is obviously very closely-related
(one is probably the ancestor of the other), but has reddish-orange
apertural margins as well as a lower spire.

I cannot bring myself to regard Lotoria as a good subgenus. These two
species appear to be very closely-related to Cymatium sensu stricto
ie C. femorale (genotype), tigrinum, ranzanii & raderi. It is quite
possible that other "subgenera of Cymatium", such as Monoplex
(=Septa) and Ranularia, are distinct genera.

Thanks to Harry for pointing out the synonymy of perryi with triangularis!
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<[log in to unmask]>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

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