The Decapoda described by Henri Filhol: checklist and dates of publication (Crustacea: Anomura, Brachyura, Caridea)

Low, Martyn E. Y. (2013): The Decapoda described by Henri Filhol: checklist and dates of publication (Crustacea: Anomura, Brachyura, Caridea). Zootaxa 3636 (2): 385-393, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3636.2.

The Brachyura described by the Australian carcinologist William Aitcheson Haswell: checklist, dates of publication and bibliography (Crustacea: Decapoda)

Low, Martyn E. Y. (2012): The Brachyura described by the Australian carcinologist William Aitcheson Haswell: checklist, dates of publication and bibliography (Crustacea: Decapoda). Zootaxa 3220 (1): 61-64, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3220.1.4, URL: https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3220.1.

Nerita tautirana Curtiss 1938

Nerita tautirana Curtiss, 1938, a synonym of Nerita plicata Linnaeus, 1758 Original description (p. 192). “The whitish Tahiti nerita has a whitish shell, marked with spiral furrows. Its opening is crescent-shaped, with four teeth on the inside of the inner lip, and six on the inside of the outer lip. The outer lip has a sharp edge, but is thicker further down. The entrance is closed with the dull brownish-yellow membrane of the bottom of the foot, when the animal is inside. The shell is rounded out, almost like a half a globe, the first whorl of the spire being large, and the rest of the spire pretty flat and small. The under side of the shell is flattish. This is found on rocks near the sea-side, and is called by the Indians hihi. (Nerita tautirana. (Seaside, near Tautira.))”. Identity. The detailed description of the conchological characteristics (notably the whitish shell marked with spiral furrows and an aperture with four teeth on the inside of the inner lip, and six on the inside of the outer lip) easily identifies this species with Nerita plicata Linnaeus, 1758, a widespread Indo-West Pacific species. Confusion with other congeners recorded from the French Polynesia by Tröndlé & Boutet (2009) is unlikely.Published as part of Low, Martyn E. Y. & Tan, Siong Kiat, 2014, On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda), pp. 394-400 in Zootaxa 3764 (3) on pages 398-399, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/22659

On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda)

Low, Martyn E. Y., Tan, Siong Kiat (2014): On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda). Zootaxa 3764 (3): 394-400, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.

Cypraea tautirana Curtiss 1938

Cypraea tautirana Curtiss, 1938, a synonym of Monetaria obvelata (Lamarck, 1810) Original description (p. 190). “The Tahiti cowry, called poreho by the Indians, has a smooth shell, five-eighths of an inch long. Its spiral is enameled over, and does not appear outwardly. The shell is smooth and white, with a large bluish-gray spot on its highest part, elevated, but still smooth. The opening is long and slit-like, toothed on each side, and with a canal at each end. The animal is snail-like. This is found in the sea, below tide-mark. (Cypraea tautirana. (In the sea, near Tautira.))”. Identity. Although the description provided by Curtiss is rather short, distinctive characteristics were mentioned. In particular, the mention of the “large bluish-gray spot on its highest part, elevated, but still smooth” strongly suggest that it is a cowrie with a distinct elevated hump in the dorsum. This agrees very well with what is now known as Monetaria obvelata (Lamarck, 1810). Curtiss’s Cypraea tautirana is probably identical to the plain form nubilis Sullioti, 1924, since no mention was made of a dorsal orange ring or patterns.Published as part of Low, Martyn E. Y. & Tan, Siong Kiat, 2014, On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda), pp. 394-400 in Zootaxa 3764 (3) on page 397, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/22659

FIGURE 2 in Dates of publication of the Zoology parts of the Report of the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76

FIGURE 2. The title-page of the fourth volume of the Zoology of the Report on the Scientific Results of the H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873–76. Image from a work no longer in copyright held by the library of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and digitised under the Biodiversity Heritage Library initiative (see text for details). Note, the first line "(Provisional Title)" was removed from the title page of this and successive volumes (see Fig. 1).Published as part of <i>Low, Martyn E. Y. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2013, Dates of publication of the Zoology parts of the Report of the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76, pp. 401-420 in Zootaxa 3701 (4)</i> on page 403, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3701.4.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10099090">http://zenodo.org/record/10099090</a&gt

Sepia flagellata Curtiss 1938

<i>Sepia flagellata</i> Curtiss, 1938, an unavailable name based on a hypothetical concept <p> <b>Original description (p. 188).</b> “The <i>feé árava</i>, as the Indians call it, is said to be a twelve-armed species of cuttle that comes out of the ocean at night, and feeds on turds, small rats, and other nasty things. I never saw one, and it may be a fable; but many Indians, whose words proved true in other matters, assured me that there was such a creature. The words <i>feé árava</i> mean merely <i>striped cuttle</i>, the word <i>árava</i> meaning a stripe or weal, like the mark left by a whip. (<i>Sepia flagellata</i>. (Seaside, near Tautira.))”.</p> <p> <b>Identity.</b> To the best of our knowledge, there is no known cephalopod species with twelve arms. Furthermore, Curtiss himself seems to have suspected that this entity was based on folklore, a conclusion supported by the additional notes on this animal’s habits. Article 1.3.1 of the <i>International Code of Zoological Nomenclature</i> (ICZN 1999: 3) makes it clear that “hypothetical concepts” are excluded from the provisions of zoological nomenclature. As such the name <i>Sepia flagellata</i> is not an available name and does not enter into zoological nomenclature.</p>Published as part of <i>Low, Martyn E. Y. & Tan, Siong Kiat, 2014, On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda), pp. 394-400 in Zootaxa 3764 (3)</i> on page 396, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.9, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/226594">http://zenodo.org/record/226594</a&gt

Sepia barffi Curtiss 1938

Sepia barffi Curtiss, 1938, a synonym of Octopus cyanea Gray, 1849 Original description (pp. 187, 188). “The Tahiti octopus or eight-armed cuttle is usually about the size of a man’s fist, with eight legs dangling down, and no tentacles besides. The web at the base of the legs does not come far down, and there are no horns. The body is rounded at the rear, with no fins. Both body and legs are gray, with the sucking disks reddish. At breeding-time one of the legs of the male octopus swells up and serves him as a prick or intromittent organ; it is jerked loose by the female, who carries it away, and so seven-legged octopusses are sometimes seen. The Tahiti octopus is tough, and must be pounded before it is cooked; but, if properly prepared, it is just as good as those of Italy or Gibraltar. It is common on the barrier-reef, and is called by the Indians feé. (Sepia barffi. (In the sea, near Tautira.))”. Identity. The description of the Tahiti octopus provided by Curtiss seems to agree well with Octopus cyanea Gray, 1849, even though we acknowledge that the colouration of living animals can be variable. Males of Octopus cyanea are known to wave a raised and coiled modified arm tip at the females during courtship displays (Norman 2000), which also agrees with Curtiss’s observation on the apparent swelling of a leg in males during the breeding season. Octopus cyanea is one of the most common near shore species on the coral reefs of the tropical Indo- Pacific, and the animals are collected and sold in fish markets in the central and southern Pacific (Norman 1998).Published as part of Low, Martyn E. Y. & Tan, Siong Kiat, 2014, On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda), pp. 394-400 in Zootaxa 3764 (3) on page 396, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/22659

Turbo maoa Curtiss 1938

Turbo maoa Curtiss, 1938, a possible synonym of Turbo setosus Gmelin, 1791 Original description (p. 191). “The maóa is a large sort of sea-snail, common on the barrier reef, and much used for food by the Indians. They break off its shell with a hammer, pick it clean, separate it from its hard knob, and put it in hollow bamboo stalks, with taioro sauce. It will keep in that way for several days. (Taioro sauce is the clean meat of a ripe coconut, grated fine, and seasoned with the juices squeezed from the heads of river shrimps.) Its shell is large and rounded, the spire, however, coming to a point. It is grayish-brown outside, white inside, and like mother-of-pearl under its outer covering. The opening is circle-shaped, and without teeth, and under the foot is a hard, round knob, like half a marble in shape, with which it closes the opening when it is inside. The outside of the outer lip of the opening it variegated with yellow and chestnut-color, and has elevated streaks, which, becoming less elevated, run on around the spire of the whole shell. The maóa is sometimes found on rocks close inshore, but more usually on the barrier-reef. (Turbo maóa. (Near Tautira.))”. Identity. The description of the operculum (hard, round knob, like half a marble) leaves no doubt that this is a species of the genus Turbo. Four Turbo species, T. argyrostomus Linnaeus, 1758, T. marmoratus Linnaeus, 1758, T. petholatus Linnaeus, 1758, and T. setosus Gmelin, 1791, have been recorded in the French Polynesia (Tröndlé & Boutet 2009). However, T. marmoratus would not have been seen by Curtiss as it was only introduced to the region during the 1960 s (Yamaguchi 1993). The utility of this species for food was emphasized by Curtiss. Turbo argyrostomus and T. setosus happen to be the two species most commonly collected for food in the South Pacific (Yamaguchi 1993; Poutiers 1998), but Curtiss’s description is insufficient to clearly determine which. Based on our interpretation of the description, Turbo maoa is more likely to be conspecific with Turbo setosus Gmelin, 1791, which is distinctly more round in shape and fits better with Curtiss’s description of a large rounded shell with a pointed spire as the shells of T. argyrostomus normally have distinctly angular whorls. Turbo setosus Gmelin, 1791, is a widely-distributed Indo-West Pacific species (Poutiers 1998).Published as part of Low, Martyn E. Y. & Tan, Siong Kiat, 2014, On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Ta h i t i in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda), pp. 394-400 in Zootaxa 3764 (3) on page 398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3764.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/22659

FIGURE. 1. Cancer lactatus Linnaeus, 1758 in Identification of Cancer lactatus Linnaeus, 1758 with Lophozozymus pictor (Fabricius, 1798) and reversal of precedence (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae)

FIGURE. 1. Cancer lactatus Linnaeus, 1758, syntype (Linnaeus Collection UUZM no. 244): A, whole specimen in cardboard storage box; B, dorsal aspect of carapace; C, frontal view; D, dorsal aspect of right P5, dactylus missing. Photographs by S. H. Tan.Published as part of <i>Low, Martyn E. Y. & Mendoza, Jose Christopher E., 2013, Identification of Cancer lactatus Linnaeus, 1758 with Lophozozymus pictor (Fabricius, 1798) and reversal of precedence (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae), pp. 292-294 in Zootaxa 3683 (3)</i> on page 293, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3683.3.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10098966">http://zenodo.org/record/10098966</a&gt