Hello Folks. I have to admit to haveing something of a fascination with this species (Cymatium parthenopeum) being as it is global in distrubution thanks to its plantonic veliger stage. It seems remarkable to me that a species would adopt a life cycle that so dramatically cast its larve in so wide a dispersion. Obviously the vast majority of larve would end up maturing in the deep sea and being lost. It would also seem for example that specimens found in, say, the Cape Verde or the Hawaiian islands, would have likely orginated OUTSIDE the location that they were found in because larve would have been transported away from coast before they matured, or am I missing something? Perhaps I am because there are at lease two subspecies, C.p. keenae (Eastern Pacific) and C.p. echo (Japan) which would suggest that sub-populations exist of this Cymatium species. I have a friend who uses microsatelight DNA to study relatedness within lizard species, I was wondering if similar studies are undertaken in any of these globe-trotting Cymatiums. If anyone can direct me toward any literature on the subject I would deeply appreciate their assistance. Thanks for your help! Doug ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------