Helix crebriflammea Reeve, 1852

Pl. 4, fig. D

Reeve, (1851–1854) 1852. Conchologia iconica, 7: species 805, pl. 131, fig. 805.

Type material: Syntypes (3), NHMUK 20140671 (dry shell material); ex Museum Cuming (Acc. no. 1829) .

Label details: ‘crebiflammis P.’—in Pfeiffer’s handwriting, ‘N. Zealand’.

Type locality: ‘New Zealand’ (Reeve 1852 [in 1851–1854]: species 805).

Previous illustrations of type material: Reeve (1852 [in 1851–1854]: pl. 131, fig. 805); Pfeiffer (1853 [in 1852–1860]: pl. 155, figs. 5–8—as Helix crebriflammis); Tryon (1885 [from Reeve 1852]: pl. 26, fig. 9—as Elaea crebriflammis).

Remarks: Helix crebriflammea Reeve, 1852 and H. crebriflammis Pfeiffer, 1853 are based on the same type material, which H. Cuming had obtained from the Australian-based naturalist Frederick Strange. Pfeiffer evidently intended to publish the original description of this species in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London issue for 1851 (see Reeve 1852 [in 1851–1854]: species 805; Pfeiffer 1853a: 92, 1854 [in 1852–1860]: 456), but publication was delayed until 1854 (Pfeiffer 1854b: 148; Pfeiffer 1854 [in 1852–60]: 456), and was pre-empted by Reeve (1852 [in 1851–1854]). Authorship of this species has generally been attributed to Pfeiffer (e.g., Hector 1873: 10; Hutton 1880: 24; Suter 1913b: 676; Powell 1979: 313; Spencer et al. 2009: 215), but Reeve (1852) has priority.

Taxonomy: Flammulina crebriflammea (Reeve, 1852) n. comb. is accepted here as an available valid name. Helix crebriflammis Pfeiffer, 1853 is an objective junior synonym.

Distribution: New Zealand; North Island and northern South Island (Suter 1913b; Powell 1979).