Acicularia lubrica Acicularia

lubrica, Acicularia [Melanella lubrica (Monterosato, 1890)] (Figures 18M, N)

1878c: 96—XIX: 410 — as Acicularia intermedia var. solidula —nomen nudum

1884h: 103 [XXXI: 759]—as Acicularia intermedia var. solidula —not available (infrasubspecific)

1890b: 159 [XXXVIIIb: 907]—available name

Type material. MCZR–M–30021 —1 sh “ Acicularia lubrica Monts = intermedia auct. typ. England!”.

MCZR–M–30052 —9 sh + 2 frg “Palermo” // 1 sh “ Eulima lubrica Monts acic. fondi coral. Palermo” (unknown handwriting) // 3 sh “Eulime rade de Morlaix 20 brasses beaucoup plus rare que Eul. Polita” (A. Bavay’s handwriting?) // 2 sh “ Eulima di Napoli !! vicina alla polita. La stessa foss. a Ficarazzi!!” // 1 sh “ Eulima intermedia Cant. 1 expl Bergen” (unknown handwriting) //2 sh “ Eulima intermedia Cantraine England”.

Type locality. “Numerous localities” in Mediterranean and Atlantic.

Remarks. Monterosato (1890b: 159) deemed Jeffreys’ (1867: 203; 1869: 214; pl. 77, fig. 4) interpretation of Eulima intermedia Cantraine, 1835, as not corresponding to Cantraine’s actual species [= Melanella polita (Linnaeus, 1758)]. He had previously described this form as Acicularia intermedia var. “ solidula ” (1884h: 103; nomen nudum in 1878c: 96). The name Eulima solidula, however, may fall in homonymy with Eulima solidula A. Adams & Reeve, 1850, and it may therefore be argued that Monterosato (1890b: 159) preferred to introduce by a description a different name, Acicularia lubrica for Eulima intermedia Cantraine sensu Jeffreys. This is a well– known species of the genus Melanella Bowdich, 1822, parasitic on holothurians (Bouchet & Warén, 1986: 352). It is noteworthy that in the type material and additional (non-type) samples in the collection the typical spiral microsculpture, assumed to be diagnostic of M. lubrica as currently conceived (e.g. Bouchet & Warén, 1986: 362, figs 742,743; Gofas et al., 2011: 228), is rather variable in presence/absence and strength. Recorded by MolluscaBase (2018) as Melanella lubrica (Monterosato, 1890).