Let’s start again …

It seems that this is something that happens yearly. I start with good intentions of trying to blog, which lasts a few months and then withers to nothing as work takes over. So, I’m going to just keep on trying and hopefully sometime it will stick and become more of a routine.

So, what approach should I take this year? Well, I thought I might update you on some of my recent works. Let’s start with a look at snails.

Fig. 1. The three extant members of the Terebellum. 1)  T.  terebellum (A-H). 2) T. delicatum (I-K). 3) T. hubrechti (L-M). (Image taken from publication: Maxwell et al. 201

So, my master’s student, Stephen has been working hard, and recently submitted his thesis for examination. He’s recently had a paper accepted in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, which provides a revision of Terebellum delicatum Kuroda and Kawamoto in Kawamoto and Tanabe, 1956 (Gastropoda, Seraphsidae). One of the primary purposes of this review was to give a higher level of taxonomic clarity, as there are at least three species of Terebellum that can be confusing to distinguish (Fig. 1). Although the paper hasn’t come out online yet, it’s a happy achievement all round.

Fig. 2. Contrasting T. terebellum and T. delicatum (Image taken from publication: Maxwell et al. 2018)

T. delicatulum’s (Fig. 2) new description is based on morphology, particularly colour. Generally, the shell has a base colour of tan, with circular white spotting. A single dark spot, smaller than each larger one, can be observed within each large white one. The resulting outcome is a white crescent shape that partially surround the darker spot. The axial ridge in the middle of the columella is also thickened, and white, being roughly 7-9mm long. However, adults may not show this thickening. T. delicatulum’s spire only bears 2.5 whorls, and it is quite long. The last whorl is cylindrical, but more straight-sided than in its sister taxon T. terebellum.

So, there you have it. If you didn’t know much about marine snails, hopefully you now know a little bit more than you did. One of the lessons out of this paper, I think, is that revisions and reviews are necessary to keep things in perspective. Whether you are a splitter or a lumper when it comes to taxonomic theory, it is always good to go back to the beginning and review the original author’s intentions. In some cases, looking a little different might not mean a new species. In other cases, this may be the opposite. Revisions give us new perspectives and allow us to learn more about the organisms that make our world so beautiful.

You can read more about my research in my publications, listed on my blog. You can also find me on ResearchGate, the James Cook University website and Twitter.