Murex (Muricantha) trunculus var. propeconglobata Bellini, 1902a: 99–100

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 : 353

Murex (Muricantha) trunculus var. propeconglobata Bellini, 1902a: 99–100

Type locality: Capri Island (Naples, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) .

Original description: “rigonfio, varici mutiche. La varietà qui notata è riferita al M. conglobatus, Michelotti , il cui tipo è fossile del terziario piemontese; la nostra forma mediterranea, pur essendo vicinissima a quella descritta dal geologo torinese, ne differisce perché alquanto meno rigonfia e raccorciata ed è quindi da distinguersi col nome di propeconglobata, la quale velerebbe così ad essere l’anello di congiunzione principale tra le forme di questo tipo viventi e quelle esistenti un tempo nel mare pliocenico” [bulgy, with rounded varices. The— Hexaplex trunculus (Linneus, 1758) , reported as Murex (Muricantha) trunculus L.— variety here described is similar to M. conglobatus, Michelotti , whose type is a fossil from the Piedmontese Tertiary; our Mediterranean form, despite being very close to that described by the Turinese geologist, differs in being less swollen and shortened, and therefore deserves the name propeconglobata; it constitutes the conjunction between living forms and Pliocenic fossils].

Material examined: a single shell, presumably fossil, labelled by Monterosato “ M. trunculus v. propeconglobata Bell—Boll. Della Soc. Dei Naturalisti di Napoli 1901, p. 99 —Sciacca—Coll.Adami—fossile?” [Sciacca—Ad-ami collection—fossil?] (MCZR-M-7623) actually belongs to Hexaplex trunculus (Linneus, 1758) ( Fig. 4D, E ).

Remarks: having been instituted on the basis of insignificant morphological characteristics, we rank it infrasubspecific, and thus not available ( ICZN 2012: Art. 10.2, 45 .5, 45.6, glossary). Despite this, it was listed as a variety of Hexaplex trunculus (Linneus, 1758) by several subsequent authors ( Dollfus 1926; Priolo 1964; Settepassi 1970; Sabelli et al. 1992; Houart 2001). This taxon was not figured by Bellini (1902a); however, shell characters highlighted in the original description clearly point to H. trunculus . The nominal taxon may comprise a complex of cryptic species ( Marzouk et al. 2017).

Figures

FIGURE 4. A–C. Bittium iadertinum var. coralligena. A. Original figures. B. Possible type material from Capri Island (Naples)—4.9×1.5 mm. C. Original label handwritten by Bellini. MCZR—not numbered. D, E. Murex trunculus var. propeconglobata. D. Fossil(?) shell from Sciacca (Agrigento)—72.4×52.8 mm. E. Original label handwritten by Monterosato. MCZR- M-7623. F, G. Fusus (Pseudofusus) pulchellus var. curta. F. Original figures. G. Shells from Capri Island (Naples) and original label handwritten by Monterosato (up to 16 mm in total height). MCCIC—drawer 8, n. 146. H. Clathromangilia granum var. prausi. Original figures. I. Left. Cardium (Parvicardium) exiguum var. minimum. Original figure. I. Right. Cardium (Parvicardium) exiguum var. paludosum. Original figures.