Helix varicosa Pfeiffer, 1853

Pl. 14, fig. H, Pl. 16, fig. C

Pfeiffer, 1853a. Monographia heliceorum viventium, 3: 97.

Type material: Lectotype fixed by inference of holotype (ICZN Article 74.6) by Climo (1969a: 204, text figs. 16 A–C). Pfeiffer’s description was based on one or more specimens in the Cuming collection. Climo (1969b: 204) noted that R.K. Dell found a single ‘type specimen’ at the British Museum, probably during a visit c. 1960 (see Dell 1963). The lectotype was not found in the NHMUK collection in 2018, and its whereabouts is unknown. NHMUK 1849.12.22.124–125 contains a paralectotype of H. varicosa Pfeiffer, illustrated here in pl. 16, fig. C (see preceding species entry).

Type locality: ‘Nova Seelandia’ (Pfeiffer 1853a: 97).

Previous illustrations of type material: Reeve (1852 [in 1851–1854]: pl. 133, fig. 824), Climo (1969a: text figs. 16 A–C [from a drawing by R.K. Dell]).

Remarks: Helix varicosa Reeve, 1852 and H. varicosa Pfeiffer, 1853, are based on the same type material, which was sent to H. Cuming by the Australian-based naturalist Frederick Strange (Pfeiffer 1853: 97). Pfeiffer evidently intended to publish the original description in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London issue for 1851 (see Reeve 1852 [in 1851–1854]: species 824; Pfeiffer 1853a: 97), but publication was delayed until 1854 (Pfeiffer 1854b: 148), and was pre-empted by Reeve (1852 [in 1851–1854]) [note that the publication date of ‘ October 1851 ’ listed for plate 133 of Reeve (1851 –1854) is presumed to be an error, as the immediately preceding and following plates were dated ‘ October 1852 ’ (see Petit 2007: table 3)]. Authorship was previously attributed to Pfeiffer (1853) (e.g., Hutton 1880: 7; Suter 1913b: 688; Climo 1978a: 187; Climo 1989: 593; Spencer et al. 2009: 215), but Reeve (1852) has priority.

Taxonomy: Helix varicosa Pfeiffer, 1853 is a junior primary homonym and an objective junior synonym of

Fectola varicosa (Reeve, 1852) N. syn.