Columbella rustica ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Russini, Valeria, Fassio, Giulia, Modica, Maria Vittoria, deMaintenon, Marta J. & Oliverio, Marco, 2017, An assessment of the genus Columbella Lamarck, 1799 (Gastropoda: Columbellidae) from eastern Atlantic, Zoosystema 39 (2), pp. 197-212 : 203-204

Columbella rustica ( Linnaeus, 1758)

( Figs 6A, B ; 7 A-D; 8C)

Voluta rustica Linnaeus, 1758: 731 .

Columbella reticulata Lamarck, 1822: 295 .

Columbella gualteriana Risso, 1826: 206 , n°533.

Columbella rustica var. elongata Philippi, 1836: 228 .

Colombella tumida Duclos, 1840 : pl. 1, figs 13, 14.

Colombella spongiarum Duclos, 1840 : pl. 3, figs 13-16.

Columbella striata Duclos, 1840 : pl. 6, figs 5-8 (not Menke 1829).

Columbella ambigua Kiener, 1840: 11 , pl. 2, fig. 3 [note: plate issued in 1840].

Columbella fustigata Kiener, 1841: 20-21 , pl. 5, fig. 3.

Columbella modesta Kiener, 1841: 22 , pl. 11, fig. 2.

Colombella aureola Duclos in Chenu, 1846: pl. 6, figs 17, 18.

Colombella simpronia Duclos in Chenu, 1846: pl. 15, figs 19, 20.

Colombella vestalia Duclos in Chenu, 1846: pl. 15, figs 15, 16.

Colombella zulmis Duclos in Chenu, 1848: pl. 24, figs 21, 22.

Columbella rustica var. cuneatiformis Pallary, 1900: 278 , pl. 6, fig. 17.

Columbella rustica var. lutea Pallary, 1900: 278 .

Columbella rustica var. minor Pallary, 1900: 277 .

Columbella rustica var. obesula Pallary, 1900: 278 , pl. 6, fig. 18.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Voluta rustica : 6 sh in the Linnaean Society ( LSL.348 [Dance label image ref: P-Z 0010728] http://linneanonline.org/17388/). — Type locality: Mediterranean.

Columbella reticulata : 5 probable syntypes MHNG-MOLL-92487. — Type locality: Mediterranean (imposed herein, ICZN 1999: rec. 76A.1.4).

Columbella gualteriana : lectotype ( Arnaud 1978) MNHN- IM-2000-6899. — Type locality: Mediterranean (imposed herein, ICZN 1999: rec. 76A.1.4).

Columbella rustica var. elongata : lectotype ZMB 13.994, 2 paralectotypes ZMB 112.717. — Type locality: Palermo (Sicily).

Colombella tumida : 2 syntypes MNHN-IM-2000-6373. — Type locality: “ China ”, erroneous, corrected to Mediterranean (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2).

Colombella spongiarum : 2 syntypes, MNHN-IM-2000-6385. — Type locality: Senegal.

Columbella striata : syntypes, 15 sh without locality label MNHN-IM-2000-6381, and 5 sh from Senegal MNHN- IM-2000-6382. — Type locality: Senegal.

Columbella ambigua : 6 syntypes MNHN-IM-2000-6935. — Type locality: “Asia”, erroneous, corrected to Mediterranean (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2).

Columbella fustigata : 7 syntypes MNHN-IM-2000-6904. — Type locality: “Iles Saintes” (Îles des Saintes, Antilles), erroneous, corrected to Mediterranean (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2).

Columbella modesta : MHNG-MOLL-95504 (5 probably not types from Delessert coll. and not “Mus coll” as in description). — Type locality: Mediterranean (imposed herein, ICZN 1999: rec. 76A.1.4). Colombella aureola : 1 shell MNHN-IM-2000-6346). — Type locality: “ Californie ”, erroneous, corrected to Mediterranean (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2).

Colombella simpronia : 4 syntypes MNHN-IM-2000-6389. — Type locality: Mediterranean.

Colombella vestalia: Not found, not present in MNHN. — Type locality: Mediterranean (imposed herein, ICZN 1999: rec. 76A.1.4). Colombella zulmis : MNHN-IM-2000-9609. — Type locality: “ China ”, erroneous, corrected to Mediterranean (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2). Columbella rustica var. cuneatiformis : not found at MNHN. — Type locality: Oran, Algeria.

Columbella rustica var. lutea : not found at MNHN. — Type locality: Oran, Algeria.

Columbella rustica var. minor : not found at MNHN. — Type locality: Oran, Algeria.

Columbella rustica var. obesula : not found at MNHN. — Type locality: Oran, Algeria.

DISTRIBUTION. — According to the present data, Columbella rustica ranges throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea, and extends in the Atlantic South to Senegal, and North to Portugal.

DIAGNOSIS. — Shell of medium size for the family 12-20 mm long, biconic/strombiform.

Protoconch of 1.5-1.6 smooth, convex whorls; protoconch-teleoconch boundary marked by a slightly opisthocline scar.

Teleoconch of 7-9 almost straight-sided whorls, penultimate whorl slightly convex, body whorl rounded and inflated, about 2/3 to 3/4 shell length.

Sculpture of nodulose axial ridges on the first whorls, fading after 2-3 whorls, and very weak, irregular spiral striae. Aperture narrow, elongate and sinuous.

Outer lip angulate posteriorly in some, thickened, especially medially, with 13-16 denticles, and rust coloured markings between denticles. Columellar wall with two weak ridges medially; parietal wall with 5-7 denticles anteriorly, sometimes with rust coloured markings between. Siphonal canal open.

Colour very variable, with white-whitish background and yellow, orange, brown, grey or black irregular spots, sometimes arranged into axial flames or sinuous bands.

Periostracum thin, brown.

Animal with whitish to yellowish background and tawny-orange spots, very dense on propodium, head and mantle; tip of cephalic tentacles white; siphon grey. Radula rachiglossate, with central tooth reduced to a slightly arched plate with no cusps. One pair of massive lateral teeth with a small, basal, outer cusp and a tall, sinuous inner primary cusp with three secondary cusps along the posterior edge: a narrow, pointed distal cusp, a flat central cusp slightly enlarged at the base, and a quadrangular and apically curved basal cusp.

REMARKS

We correct herein (ICZN 1999: rec. 76.A.2) to “Mediterranean” the evidently erroneous localities indicated for Colombella tumida , Columbella ambigua , Columbella fustigata , Colombella aurola , Colombella zulmis ; and impose (ICZN 1999: rec. 76A.1.4) “Mediterranean” for Colombella vestalia , Columbella modesta , Columbella reticulata , Columbella gualteriana . The five possible syntypes of Columbella reticulata Lamarck (MHNG-MOLL-92487, ex Delessert collection) bear “ Bresil ” as locality, quite probably a posthumous erroneous labelling.

Very variable in coloration, but also in size, with some populations of very small adult size (12 mm) and others attaining much larger length (20 mm).

Franc (1943) described the egg capsules and embryos of C. rustica : the capsules contained 39- 57 eggs, 250-280 µm in diameter, of which most were nurse eggs to nourish the 1-2 developing embryos (shell length at hatching 660-850 µm). See also Bandel (1975) for a description of the protoconch in specimens from Banyuls. Pelorce & Boyer (2005: fig. 11) described samples from Central Senegal as 10-14 mm long, with paucispiral protoconch of 1.5-2 whorls, the animal milky white or cream with amber-brown speckles, which matches remarkably the appearance of Mediterranean samples.

As already noticed by Moolenbeek & Hoenselaar (1991), Columbella striata Duclos (originally described from Senegal) is a junior homonym of Columbella striata Menke, 1829 and therefore is not usable as the valid name for any species. In Senegal two distinct protoconch types have been sometimes cited and interpreted as multispiral and paucispiral, respectively ( Thorsson 2003). However, based on Oliverio (1995), Rolán & Ryall (1999), Hernández & Boyer (2005) and Pelorce & Boyer (2005), all intact protoconchs of Columbella from Morocco to Mauritania, including Senegal, are paucispiral. Unfortunately, material from Senegal or Mauritania properly fixed for DNA extraction was not available for this study and the actual identity of the Columbella from this area could not be unequivocally assessed herein.

Three autapomorphic positions were scored in the COI sequences: 238 [C], 310 [T], 447 [G].

Figures

FIG. 6. — Columbella spp. types: A, B, Columbella rustica (Linnaeus, 1758), syntype of Voluta rustica (LSL.348), Mediterranean (permission of The Linnean Society of London); C, D, Columbela adansoni Menke, 1853, lectotype SMF, Cape Verde (after Moolenbeek & Hoenselaar 1991, figs 1, 2); E-G, Columbella xiphitella Duclos, 1840, lectotype (F, G) and paralectotypes (E) from lot MNHN-IM-2000-9599, Gabon; H-L, Columbella xiphitella, lectotype (H, J, K) and paralectotypes (I, L) of C. nucleus Kiener, 1841 from lot MHNG-MOLL-95502. Symbols:, the selected lectotypes;, the paralectotype with close-up of the protoconch (L).

FIG. 7. — Columbella xiphitella Duclos, 1840 Gabon: A, B, MNHN IM-2000-32498; C, D, MNHN IM-2000-32498; E, F, BAU 1120.7; G, H, paralectotype from lot MNHN-IM-2000-9599. Scale bars: 10 mm.