NEW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES 
Page 2 December 1980 Nos, 267 
REVIEW: 
CONCHS, TIBIAS, AND HARPS 
by Jerry G. Walls, 1980, TFH Publications, Box Bee one ie 
Jersey. 191 pages, over 200 color photos, 5 Lys x : 2 ic 
laminated cover. Price $9.95 plus $1.00 postage an a Ge 
this tome is a survey of the families 
h every living species illustrated in 
two previous books, 
As stated on the cover, 
Strombidae and Harpidae, wit 
color. The format is the same as for Wallis’ 
COWRIES, and CONE SHELLS, with two pages of color plates alternating 
with two pages of text. The book opens with discussions on conchs 
and their allies, on development, and ecology. It 1s profusely il- 
lustrated with sketches depicting opercula, verges, and outlines of 
the various forms of conch shells. Four full genera are recognized: 
Tibia, Terebellum, Lambis, and Strombus. Rimella is treated as a 
Subgenus of Tibia. Tibia martini Should be Spelled with a double 
"i ending (Marrat having named it for F. G. Martini). 


There have been new developments in the stromb world since Tucker 
Abbott monographed them in INDO-PACIFIC MOLLUSCA in 1960. Walls 
has numerous maps showing the known distribution of each species, 
Under the heading "Collecting Conchs and Harps,” the author lists 
what he considers the few rare and/or expensive species. (I recall 
that, when I was trying "to complete the family” years ago, Strombus 
(Canarium) haemostoma Sowerby was the most elusive and difficult to 
acquire.) Also, Wallis lists several species Cad ain Canarium) that, 
while probably not uncommon in nature, "have been hard to find for 
sale, perhaps because many dealers have found these species diffi- 
cult to identify until now." There is also a section on "Conchs 
and Harps in the Aquarium." 
With Harpa the author states that they "are a more difficult group 
to collect although only ten full species [including two species of 
Austroharpa |] are recognized here." When Harald Rehder monographed 
the harps in INDO-PACIFIC MOLLUSCA in 1973 he revised the group 
(based on his studies of typological material and the literature). 
This involved "switching" several names from our previous concept of 
those taxa. Involved were H. major ROding, H. davidis ROdding, arti- 
cularis Lamarck, ventricosa Lamarck, and conoidalis Lamarck. Rehder 
decided that the first four were full species, with the name H. co- 
noidalis in synonymy of H. major. Furthermore, he proposed a new 
species, H. kajiyamai. Walls' treatment goes a bit further: he con- 
siders H. davidis Roding to be a wide-ranging Indo-Pacific species, 
with ventricosa and major as variants [it may be pointed out, how- 
ever, that the taxon H. major Roding has page priority over H. davidis 
Roding]. Also, H. kajiyamai is considered by him to be a variant of 
Harpa harpa. Sketches of the patterns of pigmentation on the colu- 
mella are given as an aid in differentiating the various species and 
varieties. 
The book closes with a bibliography, checklist and pricing guide. 
It will be noted that the illustration index comprises two pages, 
while the synonymic index of these much-named families consists of 
five pages of names -- in small type! Recommended. 
William E. Old 
Department of Invertebrates 
American Museum of Natural History. 




