The (almost) unknown Italian naturalist Raffaello Bellini (1874 - 1930): biography malacological publications, and status of his recent molluscan taxa
Author
Fasulo, Giuseppe
Author
Duraccio, Sergio
Author
Federico, Antonio
Author
Crocetta, Fabio
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-09-11
4668
3
343
369
journal article
25478
10.11646/zootaxa.4668.3.3
911ecd53-56b9-4c32-b948-7aec22113775
1175-5326
3449562
DC193332-6762-47B2-B2E6-C5949D56D41E
Helix cerioi
Bellini, 1900a: 39
Type
locality:
Capri Island
(
Naples
,
Italy
)
.
Original description:
“animal parvus, antice rotundatus, postice acuminatus, colori atro-rubro. Testa subperforata, globosa-depressa, obscure carinata, fragilis, opaca, subvitrea, pellucide subfasciata, rubescens; anfractus 5 ½ convexiusculi; apertura lunaris; peristoma acutum, extus rufulim. Diam. maj.
6 mm
.; min
5 mm
.; ap.
4 mm
.” [small animal, rounded anterior part, acuminate posterior part, dark red in colour. Shell with a narrow umbilicus, depressed-globose, slightly keeled, fragile, matte, near to vitreous, with a slight transparent band, reddish in colour; 5 ½ whorls, slightly convex; moon-shaped aperture; peristome sharp, reddish in its external part. Maximum diameter
6 mm
; minimum
5 mm
; aperture
4 mm
].
FIGURE 5.
A–F.
Helix
(
Turricula
)
caprensis
,
Helix
(
Turricula
)
elata
, and
Helix
(
Tropidocochlis
)
elata
var.
elevata
. A, C, E, F. Shells from Capri Island (Naples). A–F. Original labels handwritten by unidentified curators, Monterosato (B: down; D: up), and Bellini (F). A, B: MZF2—Z6908 (up to 5 mm in total height); C, D: MZF2—Z6909 (up to 7 mm in total height); E: MZF2—Z6910 (up to 7 mm in total height); F: MCCIC—drawer 19, n. 273 (9×6 mm).
Material examined:
a bulk of shells, divided in two parts but holding a single label by Monterosato “
Hel. Cerioi
juv. et
Hyal. Blauneri
juv. [now
Oxychilus blauneri
(Shuttleworth, 1843)
]—Di Capri” (MCCIC—drawer 21, n. 312), belongs to non-identifiable juveniles of terrestrial molluscs. They come from the same
type
locality of
Helix cerioi
Bellini, 1900a
. According to the
MCCIC
inventory, additional material belonging to this taxon should have been found in drawer 19 (n. 285) and drawer 21 (n. 313), but these locations are empty. Also Petraccioli (2005) mentioned the presence of specimens preserved in
MCCIC
holding original labels handwritten by Bellini, but without listing the exact location. Seven shells labelled by Monterosato “
H. Cerioi
, Bell.—Capri, loc. orig. [località originale =
locus typicus
]” (MCZR-M-2987) belong to the
Monacha cantiana
(Montagu, 1803)
species complex (
Fig. 6A
).
Remarks:
considered a junior synonym of
Monacha gregaria
(Rossmässler, 1839)
by
Sacchi (1955b)
and
Alzona (1971)
, and of
Monacha cantiana
(Montagu, 1803)
by Petraccioli (2005).
Monacha gregaria
is now considered a Sicilian endemic (
Bodon
et al.
1995
;
Welter-Schultes 2012
), and in this line
Petraccioli
et al
. (2006)
excluded its presence in Capri.
Monacha cantiana
, as well as
H. cerioi
, were also considered originally uncommon in Capri Island by
Bellini (1900a)
;
Petraccioli
et al.
(2005
,
2006
) did not find it during recent samplings held in Capri Island, and only listed
Monacha cartusiana
(Müller, 1774)
as present. Noteworthy, species-level taxonomy of the genus
Monacha
Fitzinger, 1833
, and particularly of the
M. cantiana
species complex, is still unresolved (
Welter-Schultes 2012
;
Neiber & Hausdorf 2017
;
Pieńkowska
et al.
2018
,
2019
). Apart of that, the absence of
type
material and even figures in any paper published by Bellini, as well as the fact that the description originally offered by
Bellini (1900a)
is then at least partially in disagreement with that provided subsequently (
Bellini 1915
), led to the conclusion that it is here considered a
nomen dubium
(
ICZN 2012
: glossary).