Recluzia johnii
(Holten, 1802)
Description:
Dimensions range from 23 mm - 39 mm high.
Width to height ratio: 00:1 ~ 00:1
Shell: Spire tall, smooth, oval, and pointed; lightweight, rather thin, shining, transparent; moderately small. Exterior colour fawn, translucent. About 8 whorls, rounded; teleoconch with 6-8 whorls convex. Suture deep, impressed and narrowly channelled. Intercostal spaces smooth with microscopic weak and irregular spiral grooves, and irregular axial growth lines. Columella sinuous, thin but slightly raised and reflected. Aperture wide, crescent-shaped, slightly more that half the shell height; outer lip thin, without sinus, expanded anteriorly; inner lip inner lip folded over, covering umbilicus. Periostracum thin brown.
Distribution:
Pacific Ocean, from Japan to the Pacific coast of Mexico; northern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea [Beechey, 2008]; southern Africa; Australia, Queensland to New South Wales [Wilson, 1993:281]; Tasman Sea and Great Australian Bight [Gershwin et al., 2018:58].; The reference to a Mexican distribution in Beechey [2008] appears to be unsupported, as the source cited therein [Rehder, 1980:53] refers to Recluzia lutea (Bennett, 1840), not R. johnii.
Habitat:
Pelargic, feeding on floating Minyadidae anemones [Beu, 2017:201].
Etymology:
Uncertain, most probably honouring someone with the last name John, but this has not been stated by the author.
Type Material:
Beu [2017:201] designated the holotype of Recluzia hargravesi, NHM 197432, as the neotype of Helix johnii Holten, 1802. The NHM online catalogue records the specimen as a syntype NHM ZOO:1974032, rather than NHM 197432 as cited by Beu [2017:201].
The name Helix johnii 'Chemn. XI, fig. 2076' cited by Holten (1802) refers to a specimen illustrated and named in Chemnitz's Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet, vol. 11 (1795), a work placed on the ICZN Official Index under Opinion 184, and is therefore an unavailable name with no standing in zoological nomenclature.
Neotype: NHMUK197432 [as designated by Beau [2017:201] from holotype of Recluzia hargravesi] for Recluzia johnii (Holten, 1802) - Type Locality: Port Stephens, New South Wales. [Beu, A. G., 2017]
Syntype: Natural History Museum: ZOO:1974032 for Recluzia johnii (Holten, 1802) - Type Locality: New South Wales. [Natural History Museum, 2014]
Beu, A. G. (2017). pp: 202. Plate 36. Fig. I-J.
Neotype: Recluzia johnii,
NHMUK197432, holotype of Recluzia hargravesi Cox and neotype designated of Helix johnii Holten; Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia (photos by E. Strong)
Distribution
as listed in source literature
Chemnitz, J. H. (1795).
Shown in text as Helix johnii [NB: Scientific names in this volume are invalid]
Plate Tab 10. Fig. 2076-2077.
pp: 284.
pp: 410.
exceprt from OPINIONS AND DECLARATIONS
RENDERED BY THE INTER-
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON
ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE Issued 1st April, 1954
Holten, H. S. (1802).
pp: 76.
this refers to a specimen listed in Neues systematisches Conchylien Cabinet. vol. 11 Chemnitz, J. H. (1795)
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Shown in text as R. JoHNI
Plate 10. Fig. 24.
pp: 38.
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Shown in text as Recluzia hargravesi J. C. Cox, 1870
Plate 10. Fig. 23.
pp: 38.
Hemming, F. (ed) (1954).
pp: 41.
Direction detailing rejection of the validity of Martini (F.H.W.) and Chemnitz (J.H.), 1769-1795, Neues Systematisches Conchylien Cabinet, Volumes 1-11, all new specific names and names of lower rank
Beu, A. G. (2017).
pp: 123. Plate 2. Fig. P.
(P, R) Recluzia johnii (Holten), GNS WM17360, ventral and dorsal views; trawled in sediment, 130