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Taxonomy
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Taxonomy
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This is a brief chronological history of the taxonomy of Zoila marginata.
The history is presented, starting with the type specimen through the
several subspecies now recognized, via a a series of milestones and photos.
| 1842 - The British
Museum purchases at auction a cowrie, one of a kind, coming from [New Holland] (the original name for what is now Australia). 1849 - J. S. Gaskoin names the shell, as a species new to science, Cypraea marginata. The description is published in "The Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London", [of 1848], p.91. Photo at right. Zoila marginata marginata (Gaskoin, 1849) [ Holotype, BMNH No. 42777 ] |
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1883 - After a period of 34 years, during which many malacologists considered Cypraea marginata to be an anomalous shell of some other species, G.W. Tryon concludes that the Cyprae marginata is nothing more than a variant of Cypraea thersites. 1906 - After 23 years J.G. Hidalgo confirms Tryon's opinion, "an anomalous thersites". [ This opinion continues for years and is shared by T. Iredale, W. Steadman, B. Cotton, J. Allan and other malacologists.] 1938 - Time marches on, 32 years later, Prof. F. M. Schilder places marginata in the genus Zoila and confirms it as a valid species, Zoila marginata. The poor waif is now 81 years old. 1961 - After 119 years, the appearance of a second specimen! Crawford Cate studies and confirms Cypraea marginata as a valid species. 1960's & 1970's - The proliferation of commercial trawling, lobster fishing and scuba diving, off the Australian coasts, brings up many new specimens of Zoila marginata. It is no longer a lonely waif! |
| 1978 - The
Taiwanese fishing trawlers, working the NW Australian coasts, collect several specimens of a new form of marginata. L. Raybaudi names the new form as the subspecies, Zoila marginata ketyana. Photo at right. Zoila marginata ketyana Raybaudi, 1978 Trawled by Taiwanese off NW Australia [Collection Emilio Jorge Power] |
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1980's - The many new specimens of Zoila marginata collected by trawlers, scuba and hookah divers are given form names. These names are not taxonomically valid and seem to add confusion to the already confused taxonomy of this unique mollusc. However, this proliferation of form names seems to have been implemented by advanced collectors to maintain an identity or correlation of the specimens with the localized populations of Zoila marginata. |
| 1985 - L. Raybaudi names
another subspecies, Zoila marginata albanyensis , from the Albany area of SW Australia. Photo at right. Zoila marginata albanyensis Raybaudi, 1985 Dived off Point Nuyts, SW Australia [Collection Emilio Jorge Power] |
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1992 - Dr. Felix Lorenz names another subspecies, Zoila marginata raybaudii, representing the southernmost population off the Port Lincoln area. Photo at right. Zoila marginata raybaudii Lorenz, 1992 Dived off Gambier Island, South Australia [Collection Emilio Jorge Power] |
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1993 - More turmoil in the Zoila marginata taxonomy! G. Biraghi proposes that the Zoila marginata raybaudii southern population is as the type specimen and also proposes South Australia as the locus typicus of the type specimen. Biraghi then names the Western Australian form Zoila marginata consueta. Biraghi thus relegates Z. marginata raybaudii to a synonym. This is absurd as the Southern Australia population has characters much different than the type specimen. B. Wilson accepts the Biraghi proposal and publishes this in the "Australian Marine Shells" book, Vol I. The consensus amongst most malacologists and collectors has been to ignore the Biraghi proposal. Unfortunately there are some collectors and shell dealers that list the Western Australia marginata as consueta. |
Summary:
The following are the valid existing species/subspecies names for this most unique Zoila;
Zoila marginata marginata (Gaskoin, 1849) -
[The type species, Western population]
Zoila marginata ketyana Raybaudi, 1978 -
[Northwestern population]
Zoila marginata albanyensis Raybaudi, 1985 -
[Southwestern population]
Zoila marginata raybaudii Lorenz, 1992 -
[Southern population]
The following are named forms. These forms are not taxonomically valid
however they are listed here as an aid in identification since many advanced
collectors and dealers use [have listed] the form names as a
distinguishing reference.
Z. marginata ketyana forma hypermarginata Raybaudi, 1994
Z. marginata ketyana forma lutea Raybaudi, 1994
Z. marginata marginata forma intermedians Lobetti, 1986
Z. marginata albanyensis forma nimbosa Raybaudi, 1994
The following are form/terms in common usage by
advanced collectors
and dealers. The originators of the form names are unknown or the
form name has not been "officially" published.
"Taiwan" form, Author??
"Craypot" form, Author??
As with many Cypraeidae [Example:Zoila and Cypraeovula], there exist many
"deepwater forms" which are globose and heavier than the typical
populations.
Some marginata have been listed as "profunda" or as in the case of the
Western
Australia marginata population, the " Craypot " form.
These form names are quite meaningless taxonomically , however these are
mentioned and shown here for reference purposes because the populations
thus named do exist and are distinct in minor characters of shell form.
There are other very trivial form names given to many Z. marginata
specimens by L. Raybaudi in his catalog/lists in "The Connoisseur of Shells"
and in "World Shells" magazines [Example: "profunda",
"saturata", "extrema"],
these are not discussed herein.
Synonyms:
[Zoila marginata consueta Biraghi, 1993] is
Zoila marginata marginata (Gaskoin, 1849)
Note:
The Geographical Distribution pages show [via photos & map] the populations and
distribution
of the type species, subspecies and forms. As an aid in understanding this Zoila
some brief
ecological information is also presented.