Kochlorine bihamata Noll, 1883

Botha, Thomas P. A. & Griffiths, Charles L., 2021, South African Acrothoracica (Crustacea: Cirripedia), Zootaxa 4949 (1), pp. 45-78 : 69

Kochlorine bihamata Noll, 1883 (deletion from fauna list)

Kochlorine bihamata .— Barnard 1924: 99.— Tomlinson, 1969: 72.— Kolbasov, 2009: 320.

Diagnosis. Females with no anterior conical processes, mantle aperture with two posterior hooks and spiny teeth on rim; size 5 mm ( Tomlinson, 1969).

Hosts. Collected as dried specimens observed in an Haliotis shell. Although not explicitly stated which Haliotis species is referred to, it can be assumed this is the abalone, Haliotis midae , which is known to host other acrothoracicans.

Remarks. This species has not been observed since its description from Cape Town by Noll (1883) and there remains grave doubt regarding the validity of the species. Noll (1883) mentioned that: “Should new specimens of Kochlorine arise from Cape Town, one can well label it Kochlorine bihamata ”. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the genus Kochlorine occurs from Cadiz, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa and burrows into shells of Haliotis spp.. Although Tomlinson (1969) calls into question the validity of the species, he later states that K. bihamata should be treated as a valid species. However, following our survey no trace of this species was found, despite the type host being collected at the type locality and several adjacent localities. Thus, we consider that it is safe to assume that this is a nomen nudum.