Leuconia johnstonii 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

Leuconia johnstonii var. australiensis Carter, 1886

Leuconia johnstonii var. australiensis Carter, 1886c: 133 (no illustration).

Leucilla saccharata ; Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: 453.

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 BMNH 1887.7.12.28 (wet) and 72 (dried), fide Hooper & Wiedenmayer, 1994: 453). 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 conditions of ICZN art. 23.9 do not seem to be met, so it is proposed here to replace the original name by Paraleucilla bassensis nom.nov., named after its locality near Bass Strait. Hooper & Wiedenmayer (1994: 453) assigned the present variety to the synonymy of Leucilla saccharata ( Haeckel, 1872: 241) , but it was transferred to Paraleucilla by Borojevic et al. (2000: 240), so the species is currently named Paraleucilla saccharata .