Gibbula umbilicaris var. acherusiae Bellini, 1903a: 23–24

Fasulo, Giuseppe, Duraccio, Sergio, Federico, Antonio & Crocetta, Fabio, 2019, The (almost) unknown Italian naturalist Raffaello Bellini (1874 - 1930): biography malacological publications, and status of his recent molluscan taxa, Zootaxa 4668 (3), pp. 343-369 : 351

Gibbula umbilicaris var. acherusiae Bellini, 1903a: 23–24 , figs. 5a–b

( Fig. 3D )

Type locality: Fusaro Lake (Bacoli, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) .

Original description: “prossima alla var. conica, Monterosato , ma più piccola e striata. Giri sei di color rossiccio con macchie rosse e bianche, con cordoncini sporgenti ed ombelico aperto” [shell similar to— Gibbula umbilicaris L.— var. conica Monterosato , but smaller and more striated. Shell of six whorls, reddish in colour with red and white flecks, with a protruding spiral sculpture and an open umbilicus].

Remarks/New status: having been instituted as a geographic race, we rank it subspecific, and thus available ( ICZN 2012: Art. 10, glossary). Considered a junior synonym of Steromphala umbilicaris ( Linnaeus, 1758) by Fasulo (2012). Taking into account the figure alleged to its description ( Fig. 3D ), as well as its peculiar shape and sculpture, we consider it here a misidentification for Gibbula ardens ( Salis Marschlins, 1793) , and thus a new junior synonym of the latter taxon. This seems confirmed by the fact that R. Bellini was presumably not aware of the real identity of G. ardens during his entire life (see also above in G. ardens var. acutispira Bellini, 1903 ). In fact, this variety was then subsequently ascribed by the same author to Gibbula (Colliculus) agathensis Recluz (see Bellini 1929), now considered a junior synonym of Steromphala adansonii (Payraudeau, 1826) (Molluscabase 2019a) . G. ardens was not found during samplings held in the area in 1975–2018 ( Russo & Ferro 1980; Ferro & Russo 1981, 1982; authors’ unpublished data), and therefore it presumably did not survive the anthropogenic changes to which the Fusaro Lake has been subjected in the last century.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A. Gibbula (Magulus) ardens var. acutispira. Original figure. B, C. Gibbula ardens. B. Shells from Mar Morto (Miseno, Bacoli). C. Original label handwritten by Bellini. MCCIC—drawer 145, not numbered. D. Gibbula umbilicaris var. acherusiae. Original figures. E. Trochocochlea castriotae. Original figures. F. Gibbula (Magulus) biasoletti. Shells from Lido di Venezia and original label handwritten by Bellini. MCCIC—drawer 189, not numbered.