Helix greenwoodii Gray, 1850

Brook, Fred J. & Ablett, Jonathan D., 2019, Type material of land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) described from New Zealand by taxonomists in Europe and North America between 1830 and 1934, and the history of research on the New Zealand land snail fauna from 1824 to 1917, Zootaxa 4697 (1), pp. 1-117 : 77-79

Helix greenwoodii Gray, 1850

Pl. 9, fig. E

Gray, 1850. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 17 (1849): 165.

Type material: Syntypes, NHMUK 1849.12.3.38–40 (3), NHMUK 1849.12.3.44–45 (2) (dry shell material). Label details: ‘ New Zealand, Major Greenwood .’

Type locality: ‘ Auckland, New Zealand’ (Gray 1850: 165) .

Previous illustrations of type material: A shell illustrated by Pfeiffer (1851 [in 1849–1853]: pl. 107, figs. 11–13) may be from the type series.

Remarks: The original description, which was reproduced by Gray (1851: 65), was based on material collected at Auckland by Major Joseph Greenwood c. 1847–1849, and sent to the British Museum (Gray 1850). The type material in NHMUK consists of the shells of three fully grown individuals (NHMUK 1849.12.3.38–40), and two juveniles (NHMUK 1849.12.3.44–45). The species name has been consistently listed as greenwoodi by New Zealand authors (e.g., Hector 1873: 18; Hutton 1880: 16, 1884b: 208; Suter 1913b: 774; Climo 1977: 60; Parkinson 1979: 9; Powell 1979: 344; Efford 1998: 33; Spencer et al. 2009: 218), and because this spelling has been in prevailing use since 1873 it qualifies as a justified emendation of the original species name (ICZN Article 33.2.3.1). Conspecific with Helix gunnii Pfeiffer, 1850 , according to Pfeiffer (1853: 156), Martens (1873: 8), Hedley & Suter (1893: 630), Suter (1894d: 284), Möllendorff & Kobelt (1903 [in 1903–1905]: 26) and Suter (1913b: 774). Gray’s description of H. greenwoodi was published between January and June 1850 (see Sclater & Waterhouse 1893: 438), whereas the description of H. gunnii was published in August 1850 (see entry for gunnii below), so greenwoodi Gray has priority. Helix greenwoodi Gray, 1850 is the type species of Rhytida [Albers MS.] Martens, 1860, by original designation. It is also the type species of subgenus Eurhytida Möllendorff, 1903 (in Möllendorff & Kobelt 1903 –1905), which is a junior synonym of Rhytida [Albers MS.] Martens, 1860 ( Schileyko 2000: 739).

Current Taxonomy: Listed as Rhytida greenwoodi (Gray, 1850) by Hutton (1884b: 208), Suter (1913b: 774), Climo (1977: 60), Parkinson (1979: 9), Powell (1979: 344) and Spencer et al. (2009: 218).

Distribution: New Zealand; North Island, from Auckland south to Manakau on the west coast and Hawke Bay on the east coast, and Waiheke, Great Barrier, Rakitu, Cuvier, Mercury, Aldermen, Slipper and Portland islands ( Efford 1998; AIM and NMNZ collections).