Limax fuliginosus Gould, 1852

Pl. 13, fig. C

Gould, 1852. United States Exploring Expedition, 12: 5, fig. 4.

Type material: Formerly in USNM, but apparently lost. The number of specimens in the type series is not known.

Type locality: ‘ Bay of Islands, New Zealand’ (Gould 1852: 5) .

Previous illustrations of type material: Gould (1856: pl. 1, fig. 4, a [here reproduced in pl. 13, fig. C]).

Remarks: The original description of Limax fuliginosus was based on material collected “among turnips in a garden” in the Bay of Islands in 1840, during a visit by the United States Exploring Expedition (Gould 1852: 5). As with Milax antipodarum, it was originally thought to be native to New Zealand (Gould 1852; Hutton 1884b: 205). Musson (1891: 886) implied that it could be adventive, and Hedley & Suter (1893: 665) listed it as an introduced species. Suter (1913b: 1072 —as A. antipoda) noted that it was related to Limax gagates Draparnaud, 1805, and it was listed as a junior synonym of, Milax gagates (Draparnaud) by Powell (1979: 450) and Barker (1979: 420, 1982: 178, 1999: 87). Gould’s record of this taxon from the Bay of Islands is the earliest record of an adventive northern hemisphere land snail from New Zealand.

Current Taxonomy: Treated as a subjective junior synonym of Milax gagates (Draparnaud, 1801) by Powell (1979) and Barker (1979, 1982, 1999), albeit without examination of type material.