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the insufficiently sealing glass-stoppered containers (and, to a lesser part, due to post-war alcohol theft). Most
importantly, all of the museum’s accession catalogs were destroyed in 1943. Each taxon description will thus have
to be evaluated individually to ascertain the identity of types and their current location. This task is further
complicated by the facts that the sequential sales catalogs combine and restock specimens from various locales and
collecting events under the same number, and that specimens with manuscript names were widely traded, directly
or via third parties, often before their formal description appeared in print. Numerous museum collections around
the world contain such “ex Museum Godeffroy” specimens and various nomina nuda and incorrectly assigned
authors on their labels have found their way into published listings (e.g., Nevill 1884).
TAXA NOTES
1. Mousson wrote a series of papers on material from Graeffe, four of which (1869, 1870a, 1870b, 1871) were
devoted to specific island groups. His 1869 paper, as shown in the title was devoted to mollusks of Samoa.
Mousson (1869: 369) listed the species name Melania subexusta Mousson, under which he then listed “Var.
persulcata Mousson” giving its locality as “Hab. Upolu.”
Mousson described this variety, referring to it as “this species, which belongs to the fauna of the Viti islands
whose diagnosis will be published in a forthcoming report devoted to the species of this archipelago, is found in
Upolu, represented by some individuals”. In short, Mousson stated that a species of Melania from Fiji, which was
to be described later, had a subspecies on Samoa which he described as M. persulcata Mousson, 1869. This action
makes M. persulcata the nominotypical species.
Mousson (1870b) finally described Melania subexusta from Ovalau [Fiji] with two subspecies, M. persulcata
and M. albizonata Mousson, 1870. In the 1870 description of persulcata no mention is made of the earlier
introduction of the name and there is no mention of Samoa, the only localities given being “Mango et Ovalau”. The
1869 and 1870b descriptions are somewhat different and it will be left to Melania specialists to determine the status
of these nomina. In any event, M. persulcata cannot be subordinate to M. subexusta.
2. The name plumescens was never used as a species name in Modiola or Perna by Dunker. Clessin (1888: 129, pl.
33, figs. 8–9) described Modiola tumescens, attributing it to “Dunker in schedis.” Lynge (1909: 131, pl. 2, figs.
13–14) listed and figured “Modiola plumescens Dunk[er]”. Lynge’s reference for Dunker was “Museum
Godeffroy, Catalog IV, 1868, p. 115” and he listed “Modiola tumescens Dunker (Clessin)” as a synonym. In the text
Lynge stated that Clessin incorrectly used the name tumescens but there is no evidence for that statement as Clessin
referenced only “Dunker in schedis.” The error may well have been in Catalog IV. The most recent treatment of
this species is by Huber (2010: 123) as “Modiolus plumescens (Dunker, 1868)” which should have read Modiolus
tumescens (Clessin, 1888).
3. The genus group name Isselia first appeared in Schmeltz, 1874[V]: 104, 110. In a footnote on page 104 he wrote
[translated] “the changes of names of the remaining rissoines marked by *) is based on communications from Mr.
O. Semper in Altona.” In the same footnote it is stated that Rissoina mirabilis Dkr. [= Dunker] is the type of a new
genus Isselia. As R. mirabilis Dunker is a nomen nudum, Isselia is invalid. It was treated by Weinkauff (1881: 67)
who evidently recognized that Isselia had been validly used for a different genus since 1874 when he described
Rissoina (Isseliella) mirabilis, attributing it to Dunker. For a modern treatment see Ponder (1985: 95).
4. The name Nanina subcicercula first appeared as a nomen nudum in Schmeltz, 1874[V]: 91. No record of its use
by Mousson has been located. It next appeared when its dentition was figured as Nanina subcircula [sic] Mousson
by Binney (1875: 248, pl. 20, fig. 1). Garrett (1881: 362) treated Microcystis subcicercula Mousson with reference
to Schmeltz and Binney (also with a citation by Pfeiffer that is a ‘name only’ listing). Garrett stated that he
supposed the species had not been described and gave a description, attributing the name to Mousson. Binney’s use
was included with a query in the synonymy of Hiona scalpta Garrett, 1884, a placement also used by Baker (1940:
172).
The most recent mention of the name located is in Brook (2010: 251) who cited it as Lamprocystis (Avarua)
subcicercula (Garrett, 1881). Both Brook and Baker (1938: 74; 1940: 172) declared that Binney’s “radula figures
MOLLUSCAN TAXA OF THE MUSEUM GODEFFROY OF HAMBURG
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