>I have a question I've been postponing due to embarassment. I thought I
>could figure it out on my own.
>
>How do I know if I'm looking at a sinister Busycon carica or a dextral B.
>sinistrum?
>
>I can distinguish the other US Busycons but to me those two species look the
>same except mirrored.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Lawrence Whelk
>Durham, NC

I don't know if any DNA work has been done on the Busycon (Busycon)
group, but I very strongly suspect that such work would prove that
Abbott was right in his suspicions, and that there is only one
species, B. perversum (Linne 1758)... other than B. coarctatum, of
course. They all intergrade.

As far as separating the sinistrals into a separate subgenus, this is
nonsense, as coiling direction can change at any time in any species.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
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