Paul, It is maybe a little off topic to the thread but I enjoyed very much your history observation of Perry being derided by the established men of science. John ________________________________ From: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Callomon,Paul <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, November 25, 2023 7:23 PM To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Hexaplex vs Chicoreus Hexaplex is one of the genera created by an interesting figure, George Perry, in his "Conchology" of 1812. Perry was a stonemason by trade, and his work was loudly derided by the "gentlemen" of science, snobs to a man. Well, George got the last laugh, as many of his genera (Hexaplex, Triplex, Monoplex etc.) survive today. However, just because he called a genus "Hexaplex" does not mean that all its members must always have six varices. Genus and family names can describe shell features, but not necessarily those of all their members. A good example is the family Planorbidae, based on the genus Planorbis, which means "flat spiral." Many planorbids are just that - the famous disk-shaped "Ramshorn Snails" - but in the same family we also find the genus Camptoceras, which looks like an elongated twist of paper - about as unplanorbid as you could imagine. George evidently intended his genus names to indicate shells with one, three and six varices, but over the years many others have been added to them that don't conform to that idea. You can't change an available name to make it more accurate, however, as anyone with a Cassis madagascariensis knows. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask]<mailto:[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/scripts/wa-UGA.exe?SUBED1=conch-l-L&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [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/scripts/wa-UGA.exe?SUBED1=conch-l-L&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------