Tectonatica sagraiana Orbigny 1842

Tectonatica sagraiana (Orbigny, 1842) — Figs. 7, 8A [egg mass: Figs. 3, 11 F, H, I, f]

Natica sagraiana Orbigny, 1842, in Sagra, M. R. de la (1841–1853) Histoire physique, politique et naturelle de l´Ile de Cuba, vol. 2 p. 34, pl. 17, figs. 20–22

Natica sagraiana Orbigny, 1842. Weinkauff (1867), pp. 246–247; Tryon (1886), p. 19, pl 3, fig. 45; Hidalgo (1917), p. 491

+ Natica lineolata Philippi, 1844 [non Deshayes, 1832]. Sabelli et al. (1990), p. 170, as T. filosa Philippi, 1845

+ Natica filosa Philippi, 1845. Vol. 2(2):42, pl. 2, fig. 4

+ Natica flammulata Requien, 1848. Kobelt (1901), p. 78, pl. 52, Figs. 11 –12; Jeffreys 1885, p. 36; Dautzenberg 1883, p. 316, fide Kobelt 1901

+ Tectonatica abbreviata (Sowerby, 1883). Nordsieck (1982), p. 106, pl. 17, fig. 63.25

+ Natica (Tectonatica) filosa (Philippi, 1845). Settepassi (1972), p. 24, pl. 4, 9–10, Demir (2002), p. 110

+ Natica filosa Philippi, 1845. Schiró (1978c), p. 4, fig. 1 (third row); Poppe & Goto (1991), pl. 18, fig. 3

+ Tectonatica filosa (Philippi, 1845). Sabelli & Spada (1977), p. 10, pl. 3, fig. 7; Bouchet & Warén (1993), p. 765, fig. 1824

+ Tectonatica flammulata (Requien, 1848). Barash & Danin (1992), p. 108, fig. 116

The earliest available name for the species which is most commonly known as Tectonatica filosa (Philippi, 1845) is actually Tectonatica sagraiana (Orbigny, 1842) which makes T. filosa (Philippi, 1845) a junior synonym. This was already noted by Weinkauff (1867), Tryon (1886), Kobelt (1901), and Hidalgo (1917), and was also mentioned in recent studies (e.g., Sabelli & Spada 1977, Sabelli et al. 1990, Kabat 1990). To this date, the priority of N. sagraiana has not been generally accepted despite numerous discussions in the past (e.g., Weinkauff 1867, Settepassi 1972, Schiró 1978, Kabat 1990). The preferred name T. filosa (Philippi, 1845) was retained mainly based on the fact that the published type locality of T. sagraiana did not fit a Mediterranean species. Additionally, there were uncertainties about the date of release of Orbigny´s work (revised in Keen 1971).

While T. sagraiana was described from Cuba and not the Mediterranean Sea, that locality may be an error of Sagra who provided the specimen to Orbigny (see original description). The holotype in the Natural History Museum of London (BM(NH)#1854.10.4.228) is shown in Figure 5 (A–C, F) and was published in 1842 (d´Orbigny in Sagra; our Figs. 5 D–E). Comparison of the the original descriptions of Orbigny (Natica sagraiana) and Philippi (Natica filosa) leave no doubt that both authors described the same species (see below). In addition, the holotype at the BM(NH) is virtually identical to the species described by Philippi (1845) and the specimens commonly found in the Mediterranean as well as those collected by us on Giglio Island (see Figure 7). Thus, the correct name for the species hitherto described as T. filosa (Philippi, 1845) is T. sagraiana (Orbigny, 1842). Unfortunately, the type specimen of T. filosa could not be located. It might be present at the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago de Chile, Chile, but this could not be verified.