Helix coma var. β Pfeiffer, 1853

Pl. 4, fig. B

Pfeiffer, 1853. Monographia heliceorum viventium, 3: 99.

Material: Specimens (12), NHMUK 20130107 (dry shell material); ex Museum Cuming (Acc. no. 1829).

Label details: ‘N. Zealand’.

Locality: ‘Nova Seelandia’ (Pfeiffer 1853a: 99).

Remarks: Helix coma var. β Pfeiffer, 1853 is not a valid taxon because the varietal name was not spelt out in the Latin alphabet in the original publication (see ICZN Article 11.2). Charopa coma var. beta of Hedley & Suter (1893: 641) and Suter (1894a: 128, 1894b: 148, 1894d: 262) is a nomen nudum. Patula coma forma globosa Suter, 1892, described from Forty-Mile Bush, near Hastwell, southern North Island, was listed as a synonym of H. coma var. β by Suter (1894d: 262, 1913b: 706). Pfeiffer’s var. β and Suter’s forma globosa referred to specimens that differed from typical Zonites coma Gray in having a more elevated spire and narrower umbilicus, but Suter (1892a: 273) noted at Hastwell “there are all intermediate forms to be found, from the flat, normal form, whose height is 0.12 in., to the globose form showing a height of 0.16 in.” Climo (1970a: 294) listed Helix coma var. β Pfeiffer, 1853 and Patula coma forma globosa Suter, 1892, as synonyms of Zonites coma Gray. One of Pfeiffer’s specimens of Helix coma var. β is illustrated here for the first time in pl. 4, fig. B.