Dear Ross, dear Kurt, dear Phil,

mostly landshells from our zone you can classify without anatomical studies,. Many ssp,
you could divide from each other by the shell, their structure, their ribbings, eg. But you
have decide if it's a really good ssp. or not. Many species of Zonitidae, Vitrinidae, eventually
Succineidae and only a few more need an anatomical studies, but not ssp. of Clausiliidae
and Helicidae. There is the morphology of the shell which is sometime useful.
Also some books of exotic landshells as the Compendium are not always good, as they
loves to show grear variations of one and the same species, and then there are missing some
other important shells. In Europe we have the small handbook Weichtiere by Rosina Fechter
(for marine part - really not very useful) but a nice part of landshells by Gerhard Falkner
with some excellent photos. When I send landshells to collectors I mostly send only these
shells where I am sure.
today with best shelling greetings. We have 10 p. m., on television a good footballgame
and at 12 p.m I am ready to go to bed.
Helmut

Helmut "Helix" Nisters
Franz-Fischer-Str. 46
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Innsbruck
phone and fax: 0043 / 512 / 57 32 14
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
web:    www.netwing.at/nisters/
           (please visit it and sign guestbook)

office:
Natural History Department of the
Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum Innsbruck
Feldstrasse 11 a
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Europe
phone: 0043 / 512 / 58 72 86 - 37

----------
Please let me assure those potential land snail collectors that after a lot
of years studying land snails, I've had to utilize soft anatomy as a last
resort for identification on very few occasions.  Unless a collector
develops a agonizingly slow death-wish and pursues Succineidae (amber
snails), some helicids, or slugs, dissection is not required.

Shell characters may be slightly different than those used for most marine
groups, but not much.  We still deal with overall shape, apertural
characters, differences in protoconchs.  Some groups are more difficult
than others, but that stands true for marine species as well.  Epitoniids
are a curse to most collectors not well-steeped in the characters used by
those few enlightened ones.  I find cones a great source of consternation.
I've begun to think that there are only two species of freshwater clams,
long ones and round ones.......just kidding....maybe.

Land snails are great to collect.  True, unless you are collecting Cerion
and a few others, you can't enjoy the beach.  But you can find them
anywhere, except in the polar regions.  They are generally smaller so they
take up less space at home (and getting them home).  The lack of books on
the subject is frustrating, but not insurmountable.  With a little work you
can identify them all.

Phil's other comments are well-founded.  I could tell stories.....most of
them true....about land snail collecting.  It can be (and if you continue
doing it, it will be) entirely "unpleasant" (I couldn't think of a better
descriptor than Phil's).  But the pay-off can be enormous.

Speaking of pay-off, for those who purchase shells.....you can buy a lot of
terrestrials for the cost of but one Cypraea leucodon.....

Take a walk on the wild side......Kurt


At 12:16 PM 5/10/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Ross,
>
>I think one of the deterrents for the serious amateur collector of
>landsnails lies in the reliance on soft parts for identification.  Much of
>landsnail identification relies on anatomical studies- specifically of
>genitalia- that are beyond the skill set of most amateur shell collectors.
>
>Landsnail literature has always been full of detailed drawings of dissected
>gentalia that, I believe, could easily put off the less technically minded
>collector- what we really want is good pictures of shells.
>
>I also am seconding the comment about land snail collecting being a little
>less pleasant than marine collecting.  Every time that I find myself up to
>my elbows in leaf litter(with its bugs, worms and who knows what else), I am
>amused by imagining having a first time collector along with me.  The task
>is often dirty, unpleasant and brings you in close proximity to all sorts of
>critters that one isn't really anxious to meet.
>
>BUT, in defense of landsnails-
>        * one can find them just about anywhere.  I have been able to collect
>during business trips, family vacations, etc.  If               you know
how to look,
>they are waiting for you.
>
>        *they are extremely diverse. Be it color, size, sculpture, or shape,
>landsnails run the gamut of possibilities.
>
>        *they offer a fascinating insight into the world of adaptation.
Want to
>get hooked on landsnails? Just look at the the          incredible
structures that
>many snails have developed in their apertures!!
>
>        *they help to make every collecting trip a success.  Found the
reef or
>beach or rocks devoid of shells this year?              Well, how about
checking the
>bushes (or the rocks or leaf litter) for the local landsnails?
>
>Landsnails tend to be a little more subtle than your usual cowrie or muricid
>but they have so much to offer the collector who is willing to spend time
>with them.  In all, the dirt, bugs, snakes and funny looks from passers-by
>are worth it.
>
>Now, where do they offer those classes in snail dissection?
>
>A landsnail lover,
>
>Phil Liff-Grieff
>[log in to unmask]
>La Crescenta, California
>