Bahamian Seashells
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Colin Redfern
Bahamianseashells.com, Inc.

Some comments on the
 Compendium of Brazilian Sea Shells by Eliézer Rios (2009)

On page viii of the “Compendium of Brazilian Sea Shells” Prof. Rios acknowledges several people who sent him malacological photographs, including “Colin Redfern (Nudibranks)” [sic].
Apparently something has been lost in the translation, as I never sent any photographs. In fact I had no communication with Prof. Rios. No request to reproduce photos from Bahamian Seashells was received, so naturally none was granted. Such permission would have been happily granted if sought, but would have been accompanied by several requests.
The first request would have been that no black-and-white photos from  Bahamian Seashells should be artificially colored. For example, this black-and-white photo of Dendostrea frons (fig. 859 in Bahamian Seashells) has been reproduced in the Compendium in an interesting shade of violet:
Bahamian Seashells
The Compendium

Note also that the worm shell attached to the lower valve has disappeared - (see next request).

My second request would have been that no photographs from Bahamian Seashells should be subjected to cosmetic “improvements”. For example, this photo of Megalomphalus troudei with chipped outer lip (fig. 105A in Bahamian Seashells) has been reproduced (unattributed) in the Compendium with a regenerated lip:

Bahamian Seashells
The Compendium
The range of the above species, illustrated with a shell from Abaco, Bahamas, is given as Martinique and Brazil - (see next request).
My next request would have been that photos from Bahamian Seashells of species occurring in the Bahamas should not be used (without explanation) to illustrate different species that occur in Brazil. For example, a ventral photo of Trapania dalva (fig. 714 in Bahamian Seashells) is used to illustrate Trapania maringa in the Compendium, and a photo of Siraius kyolis (fig. 722) is used to illustrate Siraius ilo.
My fourth request would have been that no photos of living specimens from Bahamian Seashells should have the visible soft parts removed in an apparent attempt to make it appear that the shell is empty. This is especially misleading when pigmented soft parts are visible through a white shell. For example, a photo of living Melanella hypsela (fig. 344C in Bahamian Seashells) has been reproduced in the Compendium sans soft parts. This entailed removing the eyes, which were visible through the shell. However, the reddish lines on the animal’s head remain, giving the impression that they are part of the shell’s (non-existent) coloration.
235     Caecum lineicinctum
272     Megalomphalus troudei
275     Megalomphalus oxychone
470     Melanella hypsela
968     Odostomia somersi
1087   Aglaja unsa
1111   Ercolania fuscata
1112   Costasiella ocellifera
1113   Costasiella nonatoi
1115   Hermaea coirala
1123   Elysia tuca
1124   Bosellia mimetica
1130   Aplysia parvula
1132   Petalifera petalifera
1133   Phyllaplysia engeli
1176   Okenia zoohotryon [sic]
1177   Okenia impexa
1178   Trapania maringa
1180   Polycera odhneri
1199   Siraius ilo
1202   Discodoris evelinae
1215   Dendrodoris krebsi [sic]
1221   Lomanotus phiops
1222   Scyllaea pelagica
1223   Hancockia ryrca
1225   Doto caramella
1227   Doto pita
1228   Doto uva
1232   Janolus comis
1235   Flabellina marcusorum
1237   Eubranchus coniclus
1243   Cuthona tina
1251   Favorinus auritulus
1252   Dondice occidentalis
1254   Nanuca sebastiani
1397   Lopha frons
1454   Basterotia elliptica
1500   Tellina gouldii
Page 365   Apertural detail of Pyramidella crenulata
My final request would have been by far the most important. Thirty-nine photos from Bahamian Seashells have been reproduced in the Compendium. The photographer is identified in the text for twenty-three of those photos, but nowhere is it indicated that the photographed specimens were collected in Abaco, Bahamas, more than 3000 miles away from Brazil. To give only one example, a  photo of Nanuca sebastiani (fig. 753 in Bahamian Seashells) is used in the Compendium to illustrate that species from Brazil, regardless of the fact that the appearance of that animal varies considerably from the northern to southern limits of its range. Anybody using the Compendium for research would be justified in thinking that the published figure represents the appearance of that species in Brazil. My final request would therefore have been that the origin of all figured specimens collected from the Bahamas should be clearly indicated.
Perhaps the following list will be useful to future researchers. The species names are as they appear in the Compendium - (for example Flabellina marcusorum is listed, although it is illustrated by a photo of Flabellina dana Millen & Hamann, 2006). Each of the following species is illustrated by a specimen collected from Abaco, Bahamas.
Bahamian Seashells
The Compendium