Bruceina chenoderma (Barnard, 1963)

Herbert, David G., 2015, An annotated catalogue and bibliography of the taxonomy, synonymy and distribution of the Recent Vetigastropoda of South Africa (Mollusca), Zootaxa 4049 (1), pp. 1-98 : 41

Bruceina chenoderma (Barnard, 1963) —new combination

Calliotropis chenoderma Barnard, 1963a: 263 , fig. 16c. Kensley, 1973: 36, fig. 64. B.A. Marshall, 1979: 526. Vilvens, 2004: 31. Type loc.: off Cape St Blaize, 125 fathoms [229 m] (lectotype locality); and off Cape Morgan, 47 fathoms [86 m]; lectotype here designated in SAMC (A9296) and one paralectotype (A9297).

Herbertina hayesi Herbert, 1995: 255 , figs 1–6, 7. Type loc.: off Algoa Bay, living, in crayfish trap, 150 m; holotype in NMSA (V888/T1327). Syn. nov.

Distribution. Agulhas Bank, from Algoa Bay to Cape St Blaize; 100–210 m (living 100–150 m).

Notes. The type material of this species is composite. The specimen from off Cape St Blaize (SAM A9296), which was the one figured by both Barnard (1963a) and Kensley (1973), even though it is in very poor condition, is without doubt a juvenile of the species that I subsequently described under the name Herbertina hayesi ( Herbert 1995) . The second specimen (SAM A9297) from off Cape Morgan [Kei Mouth], which is in much better condition, is also a juvenile species of the same genus, but as noted by Barnard, it lacks the coarse ‘goose-skin’ sculpture of the illustrated specimen. It is in fact almost certainly a juvenile specimen of Bruceina eos . Since Barnard’s name predates both of the other names, one of the junior names must be relegated to synonymy. That Barnard drew attention to the sharp upstanding points on the spiral cords of the second and third whorls of his Cape St Blaize specimen and that this was the one he chose to illustrate, despite it being broken and flaking, indicates that this was the one he considered best typified the characters of his species and from which he derived the specific epithet chenoderma [=goose-skin]. I therefore select this specimen as the lectotype (SAM A9296) and place Herbertina hayesi in synonymy with Calliotropis chenoderma , at the same time transferring the latter to Bruceina . Barnard was prone to base new taxa on poor quality material, and the descriptions and figures of the species are often compromised as a result—an unfortunate aspect of his otherwise valuable legacy.