Is Monetaria caputdraconis poppei a good subspecies?
The remote Island Sala y Gomez was recently visited by a shell collector who brought back a few specimens of caputdraconis he collected in shallow water. These shells by definition belong to the population which has been named Erosaria (Ravitrona) caputdraconis poppei Ph. Martin (1989) La Conchiglia No. 242, p. 36. Back in 1993 Alex Hubert and I were reluctant to accept this name as subspecies because many of the shells we were offered by dealers did not really resemble those that have now been found. These all consistently show those features described by Philippe Martin: Smaller size, pale, nearly immaculate pinkish dorsal window. Generally, the shells seem more rostrated than their relatives from easter Island. Some of the shells still had remains of the animal inside, so DNA studies will be carried out to finally clarify the status of poppei. In my opinion, the status as a subspecies from a very small remote Island east of Rapa Nui (Easter Isl.) seems justified.
