Comunidades de moluscos de los estratos foliares y rizómicos de un asentamiento profundo de Posidonia oceanica en el Tirreno central

The molluscan assemblages inhabiting the leaf and rhizome layers of Posidonia oceanica were studied in a deep water (–24/26 m) settlement of a highly heterogeneous substratum on an off-shore reef in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. This is one of the few works dealing with the rhizome layer and with Posidonia oceanica that has settled on hard substrata. The leaf assemblage only had a few species, less than other assemblages at a comparable depth in the same basin. This poorness may be due to the depth, but it may also be due to the high fragmentation of the meadow. However, the high percentage of carnivores is consistent with previous observations in deep water meadows. The rhizome assemblage is highly diverse both in terms of species and feeding guilds, which could be explained by the higher affinity for low light conditions of most molluscs and the greater habitat heterogeneity. The marked differences in the two taxocoenoses and the high diversification of the rhizome assemblage evidence that they should be included in studies on the potential diversity of Posidonia oceanica meadows. Failure to consider this layer seriously affects any evaluation of the biodiversity of this habitat, which is of great conservation interest.Las comunidades de moluscos de los estratos foliares y rizómicos de Posidonia oceanica fueron estudiadas en un asentamiento sobre un sustrato altamente heterogéneo de un arrecife costero del mar Tirreno central y de aguas profundas (–24/26 m). Este es uno de los escasos trabajos publicados hasta el momento del asentamiento de Posidonia oceanica sobre sustratos duros y de su correspondiente estrato rizómico. La agrupación de hojas tiene solo unas pocas especies, incluso menos que otras agrupaciones de una profundidad comparable en la misma cuenca. Esta pobreza podría estar causada por la profundidad pero también por la gran fragmentación de la pradera. Por el contrario, el alto porcentaje de carnívoros es consistente con observaciones previas en praderas de aguas profundas. La agrupación de los rizomas es altamente diversa, tanto en términos de especies como de categoría trófica y esto podría ser explicado por la mayor afinidad de la mayoría de los moluscos hacia condiciones de baja luminosidad y la gran heterogeneidad de hábitat. Las marcadas diferencias en las dos taxocenosis y la gran diversificación de las especies del grupo de rizomas aumenta la necesidad de ser incluidos en estudios sobre diversidad potencial de las praderas de Posidonia oceanica. No considerar este estrato afectará seriamente cualquier evaluación de la biodiversidad de este hábitat de gran interés para la conservación

Revue des types de Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) de l’Indo-Pacifique au Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris

Nous passons en revue les spécimens types appartenant à 71 espèces de Triphoridae Gray, 1847 de l’Indo-Pacifique conservés au Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle de Paris. Nous fournissons des informations détaillées sur la description originale, une diagnose selon les caractères diagnostiques les plus récemment reconnus, et des notes sur la conservation et la nomenclature. Les lots de Triforis (Iniforis) mirifica var. lifuana Hervier, 1898, Mastonia funebris Jousseaume, 1884, Mastonia issa Jousseaume, 1898, Inella numerosa Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia obesula Jousseaume, 1884, Obesula pantherina Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia peanites Jousseaume, 1898, Inella perimensis Jousseaume, 1898, Inella rossiteri Jousseaume, 1884 et Obesula senilis Jousseaume, 1898 contenaient des spécimens appartenant à plusieurs espèces et nous désignons ici des lectotypes pour stabiliser la nomenclature. Nous invalidons la désignation du néotype de T. pupaeformis Deshayes, 1863 en raison de différences importantes entre le néotype et la description originale de Deshayes. Triforis plicatus Deshayes, 1834 est un Newtoniellidae Korobkov, 1955. Enfin, nous considérons que le nom Triphora lamyi Selli, 1974 n’est pas disponible.We review the type specimens belonging to 71 species of Indo-Pacific Triphoridae Gray, 1847 stored in the ­Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. We provide detailed information on the original description, a diagnosis according to the most recently recognized diagnostic characters, and curatorial and nomenclatorial notes. The lots of Triforis (Iniforis) mirifica var. lifuana Hervier, 1898, Mastonia funebris Jousseaume, 1884, Mastonia issa Jousseaume, 1898, Inella numerosa Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia obesula Jousseaume, 1884, Obesula pantherina Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia peanites Jousseaume, 1898, Inella perimensis Jousseaume, 1898, Inella rossiteri Jousseaume, 1884 and Obesula senilis Jousseaume, 1898 contained specimens belonging to multiple species and we here designate lectotypes to stabilize nomenclature. We invalidate the neotype designation of T. pupaeformis ­Deshayes, 1863 because of significant differences between the neotype and Deshayes’ original description. ­Triforis plicatus Deshayes, 1834 is a Newtoniellidae Korobkov, 1955. Finally, we consider the name Triphora lamyi Selli, 1974 unavailable.</p

New data on the Polyplacophora of Madagascar (Western Indian Ocean) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora)

Abstract The chitons studied here are all from the coral reefs in the Tuléar area, SW Madagascar. This second note on Tuléar chitons benefits of the availability of well preserved complete specimens whereas the previous one (DELL &apos;ANGELO et al. 2004

Annotated catalogue of the types of Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom, London

We revise the type specimens of 132 nominal species of worldwide Triphoridae stored in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom (NHMUK), London. We provide the species name in its original combination, followed by bibliographic details of the original description, the location of the known type material, the original description (and its translation when in Latin), a diagnosis and curatorial or nomenclatural notes. We illustrated most specimens in the type series in colour and with SEM imaging and we have added the original figure whenever possible. The specimens of Triphoris alveolatus, T. granulatus, T. suturalis and T. verrucosus, all A. Adams & Reeve, 1850, T. pfeifferi Crosse & Fischer, 1865 and T. cucullatus de Folin, 1867, previously considered type material, are not considered here belonging to the type series. Adams & Reeve’s taxa should be considered nomina dubia. The name Triphora insularum is a manuscript name by H.E.J. Biggs who deposited “types” in the NHMUK but refrained from introducing the name due to the lack of apex of the studied material. We selected lectotypes for six species (T. concors Hinds, 1843, T. maxillaris Hinds, 1843, T. fuscomaculata E.A. Smith, 1904, T. shepstonensis E.A. Smith, 1906, T. eupunctata G.B. Sowerby III, 1907, and T. rufula Watson, 1886) to stabilize the nomenclature. Finally, we illustrate original specimens (although not types) of three species described by Turton, whose type material is lost

Annotated catalogue of the types of Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom, London

We revise the type specimens of 132 nominal species of worldwide Triphoridae stored in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom (NHMUK), London. We provide the species name in its original combination, followed by bibliographic details of the original description, the location of the known type material, the original description (and its translation when in Latin), a diagnosis and curatorial or nomenclatural notes. We illustrated most specimens in the type series in colour and with SEM imaging and we have added the original figure whenever possible. The specimens of Triphoris alveolatus, T. granulatus, T. suturalis and T. verrucosus, all A. Adams & Reeve, 1850, T. pfeifferi Crosse & Fischer, 1865 and T. cucullatus de Folin, 1867, previously considered type material, are not considered here belonging to the type series. Adams & Reeve’s taxa should be considered nomina dubia. The name Triphora insularum is a manuscript name by H.E.J. Biggs who deposited “types” in the NHMUK but refrained from introducing the name due to the lack of apex of the studied material. We selected lectotypes for six species (T. concors Hinds, 1843, T. maxillaris Hinds, 1843, T. fuscomaculata E.A. Smith, 1904, T. shepstonensis E.A. Smith, 1906, T. eupunctata G.B. Sowerby III, 1907, and T. rufula Watson, 1886) to stabilize the nomenclature. Finally, we illustrate original specimens (although not types) of three species described by Turton, whose type material is lost

Natural history museums as repositories of endangered diversity: the case of the United States Unionida in the Museo di Zoologia dell’Università di Bologna

The importance of natural history museums is often underappreciated, but they provide society with a number of services. Among these, they are a fundamental tool for assessing extinction rates and range contractions, or the only way to access species extinct in historical times. In this perspective, we describe here the collection of Unionida of the Museo di Zoologia dell’Università di Bologna, containing one extinct (Epioblasma haysiana) and nine threatened species, plus another 47 species. The collection was built in the mid-19th century and potentially provides baseline information for specialists. In the fragmented natural history museum system of Italy, this might be just the tip of the iceberg of a significant and important amount of material collected in the 19th and early-20th century