Bugula fastigiata, sensu ALDER, 1857

D’Hondt, J. - L., 2006, The Henri Milne EDWARDS’ (1800 - 1885) collection of recent and fossil bryozoa, Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 25-38 : 32

1. Bugula fastigiata

The specimen existing in the Henri Milne EDWARDS’ collection raises some questions. Firstly, it does not correspond to the description of the true B. fastigiata (DALYELL 1847) sensu KLUGE (1962) , distinct species from North Europa, and whose validity was attested by PRENANT & BOBIN (1966). B. fastigiata sensu ALDER is considered as junior synonym of B. purpurotincta NORMAN 1868 by RYLAND (1960), PRENANT & BOBIN (1966) and HAYWARD & RYLAND (1998). The specimen given to Henri Milne EDWARDS by ALDER neither corresponds to these species; instead it is indeniably the Mediterranean species described from Corsica by CALVET (1902) under the name of B. germanae , and also one of the both taxa (with B. mollis HARMER 1926 ) we recognized (D’ HONDT 1994) after examination of the type to be itself a junior synonym of B. serrata ( LAMARCK 1816) . B. serrata is a rare species, very occasionally encountered in the warm seas and in localities very far apart ( Australia, New Guinea, Java, Mediterranean Sea). ALDER’ s specimen is labelled as comin from Great Britain (Northumberland), a highly doubtful (because too northern) locality – by comparison with the actually known distribution of B. serrata –; the geographical origin cannot be testify by the NYEVRE’ S inventory, the specimen being given by Henri Milne EDWARDS (in 1868) after the preparation of this document (1867). Consequently, we must consider the labelled provenance as erroneously.