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Excerpt from Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London, Vol. 14: 1920 1921
Evidence OF the size - The Helicidae, however, are also without peripodial grooves. But in this family the dorsal wall of the duct of the pedal gland is longitudinally folded,2 Which is not the case in Acantkinula, Vallom'a, or Pyramidala. Moreover, the very small size Of these snails at least suggests that they may not be rightly assigned to the Helicidae. It is true that the Rev. E. W. Bowell has expressed the Opinion that size has counted for too much in our systems Of classification But he goes on to point out that an increase or diminution Of size in an organism necessitates a re distribution Of symmetry, because the constituent cells do not change their size proportionately, and that this rearrangement Often involves a considerable morphological change. It would therefore seem improbable that a very great alteration'in size could be easily and quickly efiected in the course of evolution; and, if this be the case, the species of Vallom'a and Acantkmula are not likely to be very closely related to Helix pomatia and its allies.
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