Shell, Solen pinna

Shell from George Montagu’s collection (possible syntype).

Montagu described Solen pinna in Montagu G 1803. Testacea Britannica Part 2. p. 566–567, Tab. 15 fig. 3. This shell has been remounted on a wooden block and although it carries a number from the Montagu collection there are no original labels. In the register it is listed as “Pandora inaequivalvis Linn” with a subscript of “Pandora obtusa”. As the name pinna is not present on the labels or register we are reluctant to give type status to this shell.

For more information see Oliver PG, Morgenroth H (2018) Additional Type and other Notable specimens of Mollusca from the Montagu Collection in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter. Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(2): 281-303. This paper is open access.

In January 2020 the Montagu Collection was awarded Designated status by Arts Council England. This mark of distinction recognises the collection’s international significance to the scientific community - it is the most intact and taxonomically important collection of British shells of the early 19th century (1800-1816) to be found anywhere in the UK.