> Please excuse me. > > I rarely post, but this issue sparked some interest. Occasionally a > researcher discovers a species which is so unique that it is obvious > to him > or her that it is new to science. What is the minimum number of > examples > required to be considered? I'm unable to find the answer in the > ICZN. There are species of shells where only a single specimen was known and described at the time. > Second question. How does one determine if a new species is > juvenile, if he > or she does not have a baseline to compare? I can't help you with chitons. Many groups of shells can show evidence of immaturity seen by a thin or fragile edge. I imagine Cypraea can give conchologists and malacologists quite a challenge. When we used to dive the Bay Islands off Honduras, we found typical small Latirus martini around an inch long (25-30mm). We started exploring other areas around Roatan Island and we found a few monster L. martini which were over two inches. These shells looked more like Latirus carniferus when larger. Someone on that trip thought these monsters were something else. I argued, "Suppose I chop the spires off these big ones. Now what do I have?". The other diver then agreed with me. I hope this helps Ghost Sheller. I also hope I don't come across an invisible collector when I am out in the field. Andrew