Leuconia nivea var. australiensis Carter, 1886

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 95-96

Leuconia nivea var. australiensis Carter, 1886

Leuconia nivea var. australiensis Carter, 1886c: 131 (no illustration).

The variety was described by Carter from Port Phillip Heads in South Australia (Bassian ecoregion), approximate coordinates 38°S 144.9°E, depth not given (syntypes 2 specimens BMNH 1887.7.12.27 and 1887.7.12.71, cf. also Burton 1963: 631). This variety cannot belong to Leuconia because the characteristic pugioles ( Borojevic et al. 2002: 1194) were expressly stated to be absent. In view of Carter’s description, it is likely this variety is a Leucandra , of which no senior synonym appears to be available [it was ignored by Hooper & Wiedenmayer (1994)].

Carter (1886c) described three Leuconia species with a variety australiensis, L. fistulosa var. australiensis on p. 127, L. nivea var. australiensis on p. 131, and L. johnstonii var. australiensis on p. 133. According to ICZN art. 57.2 these three are primary homonyms, of which the species names L. nivea var. australiensis and L. johnstonii var. australiensis are junior homonyms that are permanently invalid, except if they meet the conditions of a nomen protectum under ICZN art. 23.9. The present variety from Port Phillip Heads in South Australia has not been treated by later authors and certainly fails to meet the conditions of a nomen protectum. Accordingly, I propose a new name, Leucandra wilsoni nom.nov. named after the collector J. Bracebridge Wilson.

L. johnstonii var. australiensis (cf. above) was assigned to the synonymy of Paraleucilla saccharata ( Haeckel 1872: 241) by Hooper & Wiedenmayer (1994) and Borojevic et al. (2000), so even if technically it is here given a new name Paraleucilla bassensis nom.nov., it remains a junior synonym.