User talk:Invertzoo/Archive 11

ARCHIVE PAGE 11: November 2008

Sheppard
I delayed replying until I had checked the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Nothing there despite some very minor figures with the same name being included. I will try Linn Soc etc.Perhaps you could contact Mike Kearney Best regards Robert
 * NOTE: Robert is Notafly (talk. Sheppard is Major E.R. Sheppard R.A. FLS who named Pisidium henslowanum in 1823. Invertzoo (talk) 14:30, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

two shells for you
Hi, Invertzoo. Here's the image Image:Tide pools in Mombasa.jpg, which was taken in tide pools in Mombasa, Kenya. Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 02:47, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Mila, Nice image of a snail that we did not have represented on WP yet. I just now created a stub for subfamily Vasinae for that image. But I might have to ask the Graphics Lab to crop the image so people can see the snail better. Thanks again, I always like to see what you have seen! I assume you turned the snail over yourself?Invertzoo (talk) 14:47, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

New images
Thanks Mila, Nice image of a snail that we did not have represented on WP yet. I just now created a stub for subfamily Vasinae for that image. But I might have to ask the Graphics Lab to crop the image so people can see the snail better. Thanks again, I always like to see what you have seen! I assume you turned the snail over yourself? Invertzoo (talk) 14:48, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you, Invertzoo. I do not remember, if I turned the shell myself. It was four years ago. We were in Mombasa for 2 days. Both days we went to tide pools in a company of locals. Locals said they will find a stonefish for us, but they never did. On the other hand they were trying so hard to be helpfull that I assume they could have turned this snail for me. Have you noticed another cone shell in the upper right corner of the image? I'll crop the image myself later today.--Mbz1 (talk) 14:59, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Ah now I see it! Before I looked, but could not see a second one. I think it is a Cerithium species maybe... Invertzoo (talk) 15:07, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Would you like me to leave this one, when I crope the image?--Mbz1 (talk) 15:21, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * No, I think it's too far away from the other one. I think a nice crop that showcases the Vasum snail would be the best. Thanks, Invertzoo (talk) 16:32, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Any better? Image:Vasinae in Tide pools in Mombasa.jpg. Thanks.--Mbz1 (talk) 16:58, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Very nice thank you Mila! What a beautiful aperture the shell has, so many different colors.  Invertzoo (talk) 17:27, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Papillifera papillaris

 * Hi Snek, I just now started a stub for Papillifera papillaris, but it could very much benefit from your attention I think. Thanks, Invertzoo (talk) 15:25, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Hello Invertzoo - thanks so much for all your work on our little snaily friend - I'm so impressed with the speed with which you and Snek got cracking. Much appreciated! Stronach (talk) 20:36, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi to you Stronach. Snek and I work fast, it is true, even though he is a snail (snek means snail as you might already know). Actually I was glad to get this article done, as I recently put together an article List of non-marine molluscs of Great Britain as well as the same thing for Ireland, and doing the Papillifera papillaris article meant there would be one less red link on the GB list. Also, it is always nice to get requests, because it shows that someone else is interested in snails! Invertzoo (talk) 21:06, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Weeeeeeeell, I'm not sure I'm that into them: I notice them in my garden when the little sods eat my plants (I have the pretty grove snail in just about any colour combination you could choose and the boring old garden snail; there's a colony of Roman snails in an old drove near where I live). I have to admit I heard of the story through the Cliveden connection rather than a snaily one, but it's great to see them get their own page.  Thanks for your work! Stronach (talk) 21:34, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Well you just proved to me that you know more about them than the average person does! Good for you. I hope the nearby Roman snails do well and avoid ending up in the saucepan! Are you in Bucks? I live near Central Park and despite acidic soil, we even have one or two grove snails there. So, if you ever want to request another mollusk article, or have a mollusk-related question, please feel free to ask. Invertzoo (talk) 21:46, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Not Bucks, Cranborne Chase way, on the chalk. And just about the only reason I can identify Romans snails is I know someone who paid for his PhD funding years ago by breeding them and selling them to London restaurants. I think they're far too pretty to eat - best left on their tree trunks doing their snaily thing. Good to know I now know where to go in case of mollusc-related crises!! NYC, eh?  Enjoy tomorrow!! Stronach (talk) 22:00, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Suggested DYK hook for Papillifera papillaris
How about:

... that a colony of Mediterranean land snails Papillifera papillaris lived through English winters for over 100 years on an Italian travertine balustrade in a formal garden, until they were finally discovered in 2004?

Too much characters: 214. There is need to be less than 200 characters. What about this:

... that the successful introduction of Mediterranean land snails Papillifera papillaris to England was discovered after more than 100 years?
 * --Snek01 (talk) 17:26, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, that's OK, but how about:

... that the Mediterranean land snail Papillifera papillaris lived in England for over 100 years before being discovered?

or:

... that the Mediterranean land snail Papillifera papillaris came to England in an Italian balustrade, over 100 years ago?

Invertzoo (talk) 19:16, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Very good! DYK hook proposed. I will improve the surrounding image too. --Snek01 (talk) 19:32, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for putting it up for DYK, and putting it in my name, although I would have been happy to have it be in both our names. By the way, I think the facts in the hook need a clear citation linked directly to them, which they don't really have now, do they? Invertzoo (talk) 20:00, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Lasmigona
There is not the same scientific name of Alabama heelsplitter in its article and in the article Lasmigona. --Snek01 (talk) 17:11, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Oh I see, they are completely different! I will have to do some research later. Maybe there are two species that both have been called that? I don't know. I will let you know later if/when I find something out.Invertzoo (talk) 19:20, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

OK, it seems that it should be this way:


 * the Alabama heelsplitter is (Lasmigona complanata alabamensis)
 * the Inflated heelsplitter is (Potamilus inflatus)

I don't know where the mistake was made. Anyway, I "moved" the Potamilus inflatus to the title Inflated heelsplitter and changed the text in that article, but right now I have not checked the redirects to see if all is correct there or not.Invertzoo (talk) 19:40, 4 November 2008 (UTC) A small tweak. Invertzoo (talk) 19:41, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

I tried to fix the redirects to read correctly, but I did something wrong I guess because now I cannot get to the Lasmigona article. What did I do? And what should I have done really? Sorry Snek, maybe you know how to fix it. Invertzoo (talk) 19:51, 4 November 2008 (UTC)


 * I will do it like this (strong are article names, others are redirects):


 * Potamilus inflatus = Inflated heelsplitter, previously sometimes called Alabama heelsplitter.
 * Lasmigona complanata = 	Lasmigona complanata complanata = white heelsplitter.
 * Lasmigona alabamensis = Lasmigona complanata alabamensis = Alabama heelsplitter.
 * Alabama heelsplitter will be disambiguation page with explanations.

Do you agree? Can I do it like that? Then I will fix it. OK? --Snek01 (talk) 12:08, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Well I am certainly no expert on American river mussels, but that sounds perfect to me. Thanks Snek! Invertzoo (talk) 13:35, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

New articles in November 2008

 * Crepidula onyx --Snek01 (talk) 23:41, 6 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah a marine species! And one I know from my own field work in California! Actually I had to change the description a little, outside/inside, because the source itself had it wrong, as is obvious from their photo. Thanks for all your good work Snek! Invertzoo (talk) 03:04, 7 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Common periwinkle - article expanded. --Snek01 (talk) 16:01, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Veined rapa whelk - article expanded. --Snek01 (talk) 18:51, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Cylindrical lioplax - article expanded. --Snek01 (talk) 00:28, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

Good work, Snek. I try to go over your contributions list and check the prose/organization on everything you work on. It is nice to see the articles expanding and new articles being created. Invertzoo (talk) 14:39, 8 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Alasmidonta atropurpurea - cleaning finished. (I have deleted few information that were not species specific.) --Snek01 (talk) 01:20, 9 November 2008 (UTC)
 * That's good. Invertzoo (talk) 00:34, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

NYC Meetup: You are invited!
In the afternoon, we will hold a session dedicated to meta:Wikimedia New York City activities, finalize and approve bylaws, interact with representatives from the Software Freedom Law Center, and hold salon-style group discussions on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects (see the June meeting's minutes and the September meeting's minutes).

We'll also review our recent Wikis Take Manhattan event, and make preparations for our exciting successor Wikipedia Loves Art! bonanza, being planned with the Brooklyn Museum for February.

In the evening, we'll share dinner and chat at a local restaurant, and (weather permitting) hold a late-night astronomy event at Columbia's telescopes.

You can add or remove your name from the New York City Meetups invite list at Meetup/NYC/Invite list.

To keep up-to-date on local events, you can also join our mailing list. This has been an automated delivery by BrownBot (talk) 22:20, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

New articles in November 2008 - part II

 * Flat-spired three-toothed snail - article expanded. Be careful! They are known to eat crickets. Do they eat those jumping insect?!? It will be a great DYK hook! I will continue to work on that article irregularly. --Snek01 (talk) 23:21, 9 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi! I went through the article carefully and did quite a bit of fixing with the prose. I will look at it all again tomorrow. As for the "eating crickets" idea, I have two theories. One is that they ate crickets in captivity in the captive breeding program. The other is that almost any snail or slug will eat a yummy dead invertebrate, if they happen upon it. That is quite a different thing from capturing something and devouring it, especially trying to catch and eat a cricket, which is a very powerful jumper, as you say!  Best, Invertzoo (talk) 00:33, 10 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, I do agree with you. What about this?

... that Triodopsis platysayoides is protected by fence at area of greater than 4 km² and likes rock features? --Snek01 (talk) 23:12, 10 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi again Snek. Well personally, despite what I said, I can't resist trying to put the crickets in! I would say:


 * ... that the Flat-spired three-toothed snail eats flowers, mushrooms and crickets?


 * or maybe:


 * ... that the rare West Virginia land snail Triodopsis platysayoides is protected by a fence and likes rock features?


 * Invertzoo (talk) 23:27, 10 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your suggestions. Nominated. --Snek01 (talk) 20:18, 11 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you for putting it in both of our names! Invertzoo (talk) 22:56, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

There was suggestion to supply an alternate DYK hook, so I suggested one directly at Template talk:Did you know. --Snek01 (talk) 10:12, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Framing a map
Hi Invertzoo. I'm not sure. Will this do? --Geronimo20 (talk) 21:35, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi Geronimo, Thanks! Yes I reckon that will do nicely! Many thanks. Invertzoo (talk) 22:25, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Isabella Gordon
Perhaps you could help with this one? I think you;'re the ed. with the closest interests, though she did crustacea, not mollusks. DGG (talk) 18:20, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi. I did a little work on this article as you requested. Unfortunately I do not have a desk at the AMNH museum, and therefore I cannot get free access to the journals which have the best obituaries of Gordon online, instead, each one requires a fee to be paid. And although I know quite a lot about mollusks and malacologists, I know very little about Crustacea and carcinologists. If something else occurs to me over time, I will make more contributions to this article. If you want to reply to this, please do so on my talk page, thanks. Best to you, Invertzoo (talk) 19:09, 15 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I thought you did have access there, so I'll fill in some myself if nobody else comes by. ThanksDGG (talk) 21:29, 15 November 2008 (UTC)
 * PS, any chance of coming by tomorrow at columbia, either the meeting or the meal or both? DGG (talk) 21:29, 15 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Well I am a volunteer and for a couple of years a Field Associate, but not a paid employee, and the section I did the most work for (malacology) is currently closed down and has no staff at all. I suppose it's just possible that I might be able to access those journals online using the AMNH library computers. I could try the next time I am there I guess, to find out whether I can or not. I have not been able to go to the museum for the last several weeks because I sprained my ankle pretty badly and it is still healing. I also probably won't get up to the Columbia meeting, partly because of the ankle and also because weekends are my only time to spend a few hours with my spouse. Invertzoo (talk) 22:17, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Tumbling creek cavesnail
Tumbling creek cavesnail - article expanded and probably finished. There is no much information about this little one. --Snek01 (talk) 23:57, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

OK, looks good, I cleaned up the prose. Invertzoo (talk) 17:57, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Mollusc
Hi, Invertzoo. I admit I prefer short paras, per most "writing for the web" guides, but WP:MOS perversely prefers longer ones. --Philcha (talk) 18:56, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi Philca, As far as I can tell, the paragraph use in Mollusc does not contravene any of the WP MOS guidelines:

"Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. Overly long paragraphs should be split up, as long as the cousin paragraphs keep the idea in focus."

"One-sentence paragraphs are unusually emphatic, and should be used sparingly. Articles should rarely, if ever, consist solely of such paragraphs."

It seems to me that intro sections are one place that often really can benefit from short paragraphs, because ideas or themes are not developed there, but merely stated so that they can be developed later on in the body of the article.

Very best wishes to you, Invertzoo (talk) 19:17, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Valvata utahensis

 * Utah roundmouth snail (Valvata utahensis) - article expanded. DYK proposal: ...that Utah roundmouth snail (Valvata utahensis) is extirpated from Utah? --Snek01 (talk) 20:54, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, I like that DYK hook. I may have to clean up the prose in the article tomorrow, as I don't have much more time today.
 * OK, DYK hook proposed. --Snek01 (talk) 00:08, 18 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Have you got any idea for DYK hook for Tumbling creek cavesnail? Should there be Tumbling creek cavesnail or Tumbling Creek cavesnail?


 * I think it is Tumbling Creek cavesnail, because "Tumbling Creek" is the name of the creek where it lives. You know, like "Hudson RIver" and so on. I need to do a bit more clean-up on that one too.


 * As for a hook, you might want to go with this:
 * ... that the minute Tumbling Creek cavesnail is blind, is an endangered species, and lives in only one cave stream in Taney County, Missouri?

Siphon (mollusc)

 * I have not measured expansion of Siphon article but I would suggest a DYK hook something like this: ... that there is completely different type of siphon in gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods? --Snek01 (talk) 20:54, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh I can't submit Siphon (mollusc) to DYK, because it has no references at all and is not a 5x expansion. But I Just wondered what you thought of how it looked. Best, Invertzoo (talk) 23:31, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * DYK...that a siphon is used by an octopus for jet propulsion, by some sea snails for smelling or tasting, and by some clams for breathing, feeding and reproducing?
 * DYK ...that the Tumbling creek cavesnail, a blind troglobite snail which lives adjacent to large deposits of bat guano, is found only in the Tumbling Creek cave stream? --Geronimo20 (talk) 23:18, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Howdy Invertzoo. I think siphon (mollusc) looks great (nice pics)! You've nearly got the 5-fold expansion, the references shouldn't be difficult, and you've another three days. I'll help with the references if you want. --Geronimo20 (talk) 23:38, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Howdy to you too Geronimo! That's very nice of you to offer to help, I will take you up on your kind offer. However I only had a quick look, but it does not seem to be very easy to find suitable online references for this article. However I will give it more of a try with your help. Also, if you find anything good in the way of new info, feel free to throw it in. Best to you as always, Invertzoo (talk) 23:50, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Well I've added two references to each of the three sentences that are relevant to the DYK plug. You are right! Those references are difficult to find, and the ones I did find are a bit disappointing. But DYKs don't demand high standards – not like FAs – and they should be acceptable. I've nominated it for DYK. --Geronimo20 (talk) 12:45, 18 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Can't find any general references for the siphon in gastropods. The best I have found are just cursory references to particular groups. So I added three of those! --Geronimo20 (talk) 22:28, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Image:Cymbiola magnifica.jpg cropped and uploaded as a new file Image:Cymbiola magnifica edit 1.jpg for DYK. --Snek01 (talk) 20:14, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Clearing images/templates
As far as images/templates go, the "clear" commands prevent any text that follows from being displayed until prior images/templates have finished displaying. The variants are: Also sometimes useful when images are getting in the way, is forcing the TOC (table of contents at the top) to the left,, or to the right,. --Geronimo20 (talk) 21:37, 18 November 2008 (UTC)
 * – all prior images/templates (left and right justified) must finished displaying.
 * – prior left justified images/templates must finished displaying.
 * – prior right justified images/templates must finished displaying.

Thanks for all very useful info about the templates for clearing, I really appreciate it. One more thing: do you know why two of the images on the Siphon article are not appearing right now? Is it because the server is a bit overloaded at this time of day and things are running slow? And maybe those images are very big files? Does that matter do you think or not? Invertzoo (talk) 21:43, 18 November 2008 (UTC)


 * The servers are running slowly at the moment. I don't think it is of any consequence. --Geronimo20 (talk) 21:52, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Pallium (anatomy)
I agree with your second suggestion (disambiguation page and a separate neuroanatomy article). --Geronimo20 (talk) 23:41, 18 November 2008 (UTC)


 * I am not sure how to organize that article. Geronimo's suggestion is OK. --Snek01 (talk) 23:54, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm a bit tired and it's a bit late, but I had a go at making those changes. I will check it again tomorrowInvertzoo (talk) 02:28, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Valvata utahensis
Could you, please, check out Valvata utahensis once more. I have added public domain the description by Bryant Walker. --Snek01 (talk) 23:54, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

OK. I fixed it up pretty good. Invertzoo (talk) 02:01, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Pallium (anatomy) again
Hi, you just made an edit with the summary "remove tags to place them on the Siphon neuroanatomy talkpage". I don't understand what is going on here. Could you clarify, please? Fyi, "pallium" is a very important term in neuroanatomy -- it denotes the part of the brain that becomes the neocortex in mammals. Regards, looie496 (talk) 22:20, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Siphon DYK
I have verified your article for DYK, but I also left the following message:  "currently the only inline citations in the article are all for the three hook facts.  So while this article is waiting to be put in the queue, please work on adding more inline citations wherever you can." &mdash;Politizer talk / contribs 05:06, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

New shell image (kind of) with Sea otter, ?Mya arenaria and pea crab
Hi, Invertzoo. I'm not sure the images is of any use to you, but just in case here they are:Image:Sea otter fith shells at Moss Landing.jpg, Image:Sae otter on moss landing 1.jpg,Best.--Mbz1 (talk) 03:48, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi Mila! Oh yes that is useful, thanks. I believe the species of clam that the sea otter is eating is an invasive species, Mya arenaria, the soft-shell clam, so I put one of the images in that article. By the way, if you are still in the area and if you know one of the park service naturalists, can you ask them whether they know if the soft-shell clam Mya arenaria has been recorded from their part of the coast? It lives buried in mud on mud flats. Invertzoo (talk) 15:20, 23 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, I live about 100 miles from Moss Landing, but the thing is I've never seen a naturalist there, and I mean never. The particular images with the clams were taken not even at Moss Landing itself, but just off the road next to Moss Landing. There's no one to ask anything.Here are three more close up with the clams seen better and opened: Image:Sea otter with shells 3.jpg Image:Sea otter with shells 2.jpg Image:Sea otter with shells 1.jpg. Maybe this will help you to do positive ID. BTW do you see the small yellow crab on the third and second image on sea otter chest? Any idea what it is? May I please ask you what you meant under "amazing things" I saw? Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 16:47, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi again Mila, OK, I had to look it up, but I guess there might be someone at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve who would know (perhaps). I could try to call them and ask I guess. To answer your question about "amazing things", it is just that you have been to so many different places on dry earth and under the water, and you have seen so many different very, very beautiful things, in the sea, on the land and in the sky. Wow. When I look at your photos I see what you have seen, and I am blown away. Part of it is that you know how to "look" ... which most of us don't know, but another part is that you and your camera have been to some really beautiful places. As for the yellow crab, yes that was clever of you to notice that: it is a pea crab, also see. These little crabs live inside a lot of bivalves, They don't seem to do much damage and were considered to be symbiotic. Apparently now they are considered to be parasitic, however there is no real citation for that piece of information, but even if it is true, the clams I have seen that had pea crabs in them appeared to be perfectly healthy, so the damage must only be very mild. So I should put one of the images in the pea crab article too! Great! Best wishes to you, Invertzoo (talk) 21:56, 23 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you for helping me to ID the crab! I've never heard about crabs living inside bivalves. It is interesting!--Mbz1 (talk) 00:38, 24 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes it's a strange kind of way to live. They can't live anywhere else. Invertzoo (talk) 00:45, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

Until a sea otter gets the host.--Mbz1 (talk) 01:12, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

How many clams sea otter brought to the surface
Hi Invertzoo. It is not very important matter, but the sea otter brought up at least three clams as you could see from this image Image:Sea otter with shells 1.jpg, which was taken only a second before the one that is in the article now. I believe you think that the broken one she has in her paws and the one she has on her belly are two part of the same clam, but they are not. These are two different clams. So she has two clams on her belly (not yet opened) and one broken in her paws, which means she brouht up three clams. Best wishes.--Mbz1 (talk) 05:20, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Mila, Yes, I was having a lot of difficulty working out how many clams there were. At first I thought three, and then I started to think maybe it was only two. I wonder: do you think she must have brought one up in her mouth and one in each paw? I don't know how sea otters do these things. Invertzoo (talk) 18:26, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I also thought about this. I do not think she brought one up in her mouth. If I were a sea otter, I would have probably put the clams on my belly and hold them with both my paws. If we agree now on how many clams there were maybe we could correct the descrition in sea otter please?May I please wish you a Happy Thanksgiving?--Mbz1 (talk) 19:29, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
 * OK, I just changed the caption. I didn't do it earlier because I had to go to my back doctor, coz I threw my back out yesterday pretty badly, but now it is going to be OK. Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Invertzoo (talk) 21:36, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Lepyrium showalteri
Article expanded: Flat pebblesnail (Lepyrium showalteri). --Snek01 (talk) 22:33, 27 November 2008 (UTC)
 * OK I checked it and fixed it up some. Best wishes, Invertzoo (talk) 21:08, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Picture question
Hi Invertzoo, I hope your back is better. I'd like to ask you a question please. I took this image Image:Mussel at Ocean Beach.jpg few days ago. Could you please tell me, if the "hairs" are part of the animal and if, yes, what purpose they serve? Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 20:20, 28 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah what a great image! This image shows exceptionally well the byssus threads of the mussel. I think it has recently spun them, because they are so whitish rather than brown. The byssus is secreted by a mussel and is used to anchor itself to a solid substrate. The threads are not alive, they are more like hair or nails. The byssus threads are very strong and very elastic, as you will find out if you ever try to pull a mussel off of a rock. The round end of each thread is very strongly glued onto the rock and each thread is strong and elastic. The waves can break very hard against the rock but the mussel will still be OK and will not be washed off. I will put your image onto the byssus article and onto the mussel article! Thanks that's a very useful image. You will see I could not find a good image of mussel and byssus for the byssus article. My back is a little better. Thanks all round! Invertzoo (talk) 21:23, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Mila, Was this taken at Ocean Beach, San Francisco? Because there is also an Ocean Beach in San Diego. Thanks. Invertzoo (talk) 22:49, 28 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you, Invertzoo. You know everything! Yes, the image was taken at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.--Mbz1 (talk) 22:57, 28 November 2008 (UTC)



synonyms
I just started article Euspira lewisii, but there already is Polinices lewisii. Which one is a valid name? --Snek01 (talk) 20:14, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I have to say that don't know the literature hardly at all, so I am not absolutely sure who worked on the somewhat recent revision of the Naticidae, but I think it was Alan Kabat:
 * Kabat, Alan R. 1991. The classification of the Naticidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda): review and analysis of the supraspecific taxa. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 152(7): 417-449.

Before his revision, Naticidae had more or less only two genera: Natica with a calcareous operculum, and Polynices (genus) with a protein operculum. But now there are several more genera. I think the family needed a revision, and he is an expert on this family, so I think I would trust him and go with Euspira. Invertzoo (talk) 15:20, 30 November 2008 (UTC)