Hi Tom, Hi Mark. I am not a respected malacologist..heck, I'm not even a disrespected one..but I share Tom's idea. Why wouldn't subspecies appear in the same area as parent species..or at the very least in overlapping areas? Subspecies apparently share some of the same characteristics as the parent species..I can see where geographical separation could have caused some of the evolutionary differences that would split them into subspecies, but there must be some common link or why would they be designated subspecies instead of new species? Patti "I am so confused" Lounsbury New Mexico ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com