Gary Rosenberg is perfectly right in pointing out that the type species of
Lunatia Gray, 1847 is Natica ampullaria Lamarck, 1822, and not Natica
ampullaria Sowerby, as I had stated in a previous message. I had quoted from
Wenz (p. 1034) without double-checking in the primary source whether that
information was correct.
This just goes to underscore the absolute necessity of reconfirming any and
all information gained from secondary sources.
 
For all those Conch-Lers who might have gotten stirred up by Gary's
elaboration on the possibility that the familiar name Natica heros Say, 1822
might be preoccupied by Natica ampullaria Lamarck, 1822 if the two species
should prove to be synonymous:
Calm down, you are not likely to have to change the labels in your collections
any time soon. Although Tryon in 1886 (as Gary had stated) and also Philippi
in 1852 had synonymized N. heros Say and N. ampullaria Lamarck, Recluz as well
as Deshayes considered them separate species. They regarded N. ampullaria
Lamarck as a junior synonym of N. catena da Costa, 1778. As Riccardo
Giannuzzi-Savelli has pointed out in a previous message, Mermod in 1953
arrived at the same conclusion. When G. Mermod in 1953 evaluated and figured
the types of Lamarck (Rev. Suisse Zool. 60, 151-204) he noted (pp. 182-183)
chain-like brown subsutural marks on the two syntype specimens. These marks
are typical for N. catena, and actually prompted da Costa to pick the name
"catena" (meaning the "chained" or "necklace" Natica) for this species. These
marks are absent from N. heros. Thus, it is fairly safe to assume that the
name Natica heros Say will hold up, with the correct generic assignment being
Euspira heros (Say, 1822). I might add that I have seen the two syntype
specimens at the Museum in Geneva, and I can confirm that they indeed
represent Eusipra catena (da Coasta, 1778).
 
Michael Hollmann
 
 
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