Helix rapida Pfeiffer, 1853

Brook, Fred J. & Ablett, Jonathan D., 2019, Type material of land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) described from New Zealand by taxonomists in Europe and North America between 1830 and 1934, and the history of research on the New Zealand land snail fauna from 1824 to 1917, Zootaxa 4697 (1), pp. 1-117 : 95-96

Helix rapida Pfeiffer, 1853

Pl. 11, fig. F

Pfeiffer, 1853. Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie, 10: 54.

Type material: Sntypes (5), NHMUK 1998173 (dry shell material); ex Museum Cuming (Acc. no. 1829) .

Label details: ‘ rapida Pfr. New Zealand’—in Pfeiffer’s handwriting.

Type locality: New Hebrides [= Vanuatu] ( Solem 1959: 153); incorrectly stated as ‘Nova Seelandia’ by Pfeiffer (1853c: 55), and as ‘New Zealand’ by Reeve (1853 [in 1851–1854]: species 1038).

Previous illustrations of type material: Reeve (1853 [in 1851–1854]: pl. 158, fig. 1038), Solem (1959: pl. 11, figs. 1–3).

Remarks: The heft of Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie containing Pfeiffer’s description of H. rapida was issued in March 1853 according to a footnote on p. 64 of volume 10, and Reeve’s plate 158 and accompanying text were issued in May 1853, so Pfeiffer (1853) has priority.The type material of Helix rapida was mis-localised, and there have been no valid records of this species from New Zealand (see Hutton 1880: 24, 1884b: 199; Suter 1892c: 281). Records of Helix rapida from northern Australia ( Cox 1868a: 19, 1868b: 69; Hedley 1887: 49) were based on mis-identifications (see Hedley 1889: 100). Pfeiffer’s species is endemic to Vanuatu [ New Hebrides] (Hedley 1890: 100; Solem 1959: 153). Helix rapida Pfeiffer, 1853 is the type species of Hebridelos Solem, 1959, by original designation.

Current Taxonomy: Listed as Delos (Hebridelos) rapida (Pfeiffer, 1853) by Solem (1959: 153).

Distribution: Vanuatu ( Solem 1959).