EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



11 



somewhere In the United States. The pres- 

 ent financial secretary, Mrs. Imogene C. 

 Robertson, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buf- 

 falo, New York will receive the nominal an- 

 nual dues of one dollar. All readers are 

 urged to Join, attend the meetings if pos- 

 sible and aid in the work the Union is do- 

 ing for all. It is backed by the most emi- 

 nent specialists and shell workers in the 

 country. 



Nomenclature 



The international adoption of the 

 binomial (two name) system as applied to 

 every distinct species corresponds exactly 

 to the use by mankind of the Christian and 

 surname, as for Instance the generic Neri- 

 tina (equal to the family name of Smith) 

 and reclivata (its counterpart John) . The 

 relative position of the two in usage, how- 

 ever, is reversed. Thus we have Neritina 

 reclivata Say; the proper name following, 

 often abbreviated, representing the author 

 who first described the species. 



In order to recognize the further 

 variations of a given species the various 

 forms which require names are described and 

 we have, for example, Neritina reclivata 

 sphaera Pilsbry, a geographical race which 

 exhibits discernible characteristics but of 

 insufficient character to deserve separate 

 specific identity. A long series of speci- 

 mens from scattered localities would con- 

 nect the latter race with the typical form. 

 Thus, striking colors and forms, within a 

 given species, are, for convenience, named 

 and placed upon record. This system is 

 known as TRINOMIALISM. Certain schools 

 have carried this method to excess, creat- 

 ing entirely too many names, with resultant 

 confusion. 



von Linne was not the originator of 

 the binomial system but the first to apply 

 it to the entire animal and vegetable king- 

 dom and, in consequence, nomenclature takes 

 its origin in the tenth edition of "Systema 

 Naturae" in which work he first applied 

 generally the binary system of naming to 

 all specimens. That was in 1768. 



Names of genera and species are 

 words from the classical languages, Greek 

 and Latin, (or Latinized forms of words in 

 other languages) ; names of families and 

 subfamilies are formed from those of their 

 principal or typical genera, by omitting 



the last syllable of the genitive case of 

 the generic name and adding the termina- 

 tions "idae" or "inae"; for example, Volu- 

 tidae indicates the family, and Muricinae 

 the subfamily, of which the genera Voluta 

 and Murex are typical. 



SYNONYMY. On account of the vast 

 quantity of literature pertaining to natu- 

 ral history, in various languages, it is 

 inevitable that species are described many 

 times over, with resultant confusion. Fre- 

 quent revisions, therefore, become necessa- 

 ry. This state of affairs is one which al- 

 most immediately affects the novice but, 

 unfortunately, is unavoidable. The rules 

 of priority are rigidly enforced, sometimes 

 to the exclusion of long-established and 

 well-known names. 



UNIVALVES— POSITION FOR STUDY 



In order to study a univalve or 

 spiral shell correctly it should be held 

 with the apex (point or place of beginning) 

 upward and with the opening toward the ob- 

 server. In this position the aperture will 

 usually be found upon the right side. Such 



shells are DEX- 

 TRAL. See Fig. 4. 



VlTien the 

 opening, with 

 apex upward, is 

 on the left-hand 

 side the shell is 

 described as 

 SINISTRAL. See 

 Fig. 5. 



The length 

 of the tube, its 

 convolution and 

 form, require 

 certain terms of 

 expression which 

 are embodied in 

 the individual 

 descriptions of 

 the various spe- 

 cies. When these 

 terms can be de- 

 fined in a few 

 words they will 

 be found in the 

 glossary, other- 

 wise in the fol- 

 Fig_ 4 lowing explana- 



Dextral univalve, Fasciolaria tions. 

 t\ilipa 



