Cerion by Harasewych | Conchology - Cerion by Harasewych






Cerion indianorum

Clench, 1934


Synonymy:
Cerion mossi indianorum Clench, 1952:108
Cerion paucicostatum indianorum Clench, 1934:210-pl. 2, fig. F
Original Description:
Geographic Distribution:
Eleuthera Island, Bahama Islands
Type Locality:
Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera Island, Bahama Islands.
[25° 10' N, -76° 14' W]



Type Material:
Holotype, MCZ 103065
Additional Records:
MolluscaBase Information:
No MolluscaBase Information Found.
Remarks:
Clench (1934:211) noted "This form is considered a variety of C. paucicostatum because the two were found completely intergrading at one locality. If found as isolated colonies, these would be considered without question as two separate species. The ranges of these two forms had overlapped and a complete fusion of the characters had taken place. It is exceedingly difficult to properly frame a definition for a species in Cerion colonies are fertile interse. Two materially different colonies of Cerions that are completely isolated are no more 'good species' than any others that chance or design has brought together and whose characters have been fused by interbreeding. To hold the first arbitrarily as distinct species and the second as varieties of the other species would not properly evaluate these different elements. On the other hand, to call all Cerions one species with a host of varieties and subspecies simply because they do hybridize so freely would not solve the problem. For convenience at least, it would seem best to limit a species in Cerion to any that exists pure in one or more colonies. This, of course, does not mean that every colony that exhibits slight differential characters should be considered a separate species. Any large series of individual colonies of one species can usually be associated as a unit. If such a course be followed, only the varieties would be of uncertain status, and these would remain associated with another form until they were found existing in pure colonies."
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