Quasimodia J. L. Barnard 1969

Genus Quasimodia J.L. Barnard, 1969

Quasimodia Sheard, 1936: 464 (nomen nudum, without type species fixation; Article 13.3 of the Code).—J.L. Barnard, 1972: 298.— Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 223.— Lowry & Myers, 2013: 31.

Quasimodia J.L. Barnard, 1969: 412 (inadvertently validated).

Type species. Quasimodia womersleyi Sheard, 1936, fixed by original designation.

Diagnosis. See J.L. Barnard (1972).

Etymology. Although Sheard (1936) did not provide an etymology of Quasimodia, J.L. Barnard (1972) mentioned that this genus-group name was from Quasimodo—a fictional hunchbacked character in Victor Hugo’s novel, and referred to the dorsal hump on pereonite 1 of the originally included three species. Thus, the generic name is deemed to be derived from the name of Quasimodo. Sheard (1936) did not state the gender of his genus-group name and it is not possible to tell from his original publication (his three included species-group names comprise two patronyms and a noun). As he used the Latin suffix –ia, it is reasonable to assume that the gender of the name Quasimodia should be treated as feminine as well.

Included species. Quasimodia barnardi Sheard, 1936; Quasimodia enna J.L. Barnard, 1972; Quasimodia capricornis Sheard, 1936; and Quasimodia womersleyi Sheard, 1936.

Remarks. J.L. Barnard (1972) indicated the similarity of the Phliantidae—which contains Quasimodia —to the Ceinidae. This is confirmed in the cladogram of senticaudate relationships in Lowry & Myers (2013) where the two families are next to each other.