184 
Records of the Australian Museum (2017) Vol. 69 
deposited by sediment gravity flows: the present study supports the 
downslope transport interpretation of other investigators... a shallow-water 
(inner neritic) fauna containing molluscs, corals and benthic foraminifera 
was redeposited in an outer neritic environment”. The writer has examined 
Woodring’s specimen (USNM135575, from USGS locality 2580, collected 
by J. Henderson). It is stark white, incomplete (part of the base originally 
missing), very small (H 5.7, D 4.7 mm; Woodring, 1928: 405), and has now 
largely disintegrated into five main fragments and several smaller ones. It 
is very thin-shelled, with an obvious but low, rounded spire as in Janthina 
globosa , a narrow inner lip reflected over the very narrow umbilical chink, 
and an almost completely smooth, evenly and strongly inflated exterior 
representing an originally subspherical, naticiform shell. The largest basal 
fragment (maximum dimension 4.2 mm; Fig. 31) bears very faint growth 
lines revealing a moderately deep sinus in the centre of the outer lip, agreeing 
with that of Recent specimens of J. globosa. One growth line is almost 
complete, and many others are faintly visible parallel to the complete one, 
all visible only in strongly oblique light. The protoconch is missing. Because 
of its evenly subspherical shape, low but obvious, rounded spire, lack of 
sculpture other than faint growth lines, and the moderately deep sinus with 
its apex located in the centre of the outer lip, the Bowden specimen also is 
identified as a late Piacenzian fossil specimen of J. globosa. 
Mediterranean: Janssen (2012: 24, figs 6A-7B, 45H) recorded Janthina 
globosa (six samples) and another possibly distinct taxon referred to 
“ Janthina janthina? ” (19 samples) from late Pleistocene-Holocene core 
tops collected throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The protoconch 
illustrated (Janssen, 2012: fig. 45H) as that of J. janthina is shorter and 
inclined at a much greater angle to the teleoconch coiling axis than in 
Janthina species illustrated previously (Robertson, 1971: pi. 5, fig. 17) and 
although the juvenile teleoconch (Janssen, 2012: figs 7A-B) lacks axial 
ridgelets, it closely resembles those studied here. Also, Robertson (1971: 
7) described the angle of the protoconch to the teleoconch coiling axis as 
varying between 10° and 50° in J. janthina , and those examined here (Figs 
32A-D) lie at a high angle to the teleoconch, indicating that Janssen’s (2012) 
identification is correct. Specimens assigned to J. globosa (Janssen, 2012: 
figs 6A-B) also are correctly identified. 
Present-day samples from Australia and New Zealand: Australia: Northern 
Territory : Port Essington (AMS). Western Australia: Broome (NMV); False 
Bay (AMS). South Australia: Encounter Bay (SAM). New South Wales: 
Ulladulla (AMS); Nelson Bay (AMS); Curl Curl Beach (C83054, AMS); 
Maroubra (SAM; C51088, AMS); Collaroy Beach (C79166, C77799, 
AMS); Long Reef (AMS); Palm Beach (AMS); La Perouse (AMS); 
Coogee (C56764, AMS); Middle Harbour, Port Jackson (NMV); Manly 
Beach (NMV); Terrigal (AMS); Port Kembla (AMS); South Ocean Beach, 
Bermagui (AMS); Putty Beach, Kilcare (AMS); Wollongong (Cl 1239, 
AMS); Mallacoota (NMV); Ulladulla (C83053, AMS). Queensland: 
Caloundra (AMS); Fairfax I., Bunker Group (C69053, AMS); Keppell 
Bay (NMV); Lady Elliott I. (C73001, AMS). Tasmania: Tasmania (many, 
NMNZ M210990). 
Lord Howe Island (NMV; Cl3799, AMS); Blimey Beach (AMS). Norfolk 
Island: C59408 (AMS); specimen observed, AGB, in Mrs M. Hoare 
colln, Norfolk. Kermadec Islands: Raoul I. (NMV; AWM; AMS; NMNZ 
M200951, 10; M22294, 70); Denham Bay, Raoul I. (GNS WM8273, 1; 
NMNZ M201609,1); 1.8km NW of Napier I., Raoul I. (NMNZ M226575,1). 
New Zealand: Spirits Bay (NMNZ M03935, 1); Tapotupotu, SE of Cape 
Reinga (NMNZ M308661, 30); Waikuku Beach, S of North Cape (NMNZ 
M044726, 4); Matai Bay, Karikari Peninsula (GNS RM3760, 2); Cable 
Bay, Doubtless Bay (GNS RM4063, 1); outer Bay of Islands (NMNZ 
M308652, 3); Otahei Bay, Bay of Islands (NMNZ M087147, 3); Russell, 
Bay of Islands (AWM); Bream Head, Northland (AWM18130); Mangawai 
Heads, Northland (GNS RM333, 2; AWM 17547); Waipu Cove, S of 
Whangarei (GNS RM4322, 3); Pakiri Beach, N of Leigh (GNS RM5320, 
4); Whangateau, Leigh (AWM30150); Piha Beach, W Auckland (GNS 
RM5310, 1); Muriwai Beach, W Auckland (GNS M5321, 3); Auckland 
(S492, S780, Suter Colln, GNS); Takapuna Beach, Auckland (AWM18131); 
Orakei, Auckland (GNS Suter colln, S780,1); Auckland harbour (GNS Suter 
colln, S492, 1); Kaitoke Beach, Great Barrier I. (NMNZ M087145, 1); W 
coast Awhitu Peninsula, SW ofWaiuku, SW Auckland (NMNZ M087148, 
3; M277738, 1; M277739, 2); Matakana I., Bay of Plenty (AWM33258; 
AWM42753, 53; NMNZ Ml 11096, 2); Papamoa Beach, Bay of Plenty 
(NMNZ M120140,100; M120141,40); Waihau Bay, Whangaparaoa, near 
East Cape (NMNZ Ml5032, 1). 
Distribution. Janthina globosa is among the least common 
living Janthina species around New Zealand. It is recorded 
only from the northeastern North Island warm-water region, 
as far south as Awhitu Peninsula, SW Auckland, on the 
west coast and the eastern Bay of Plenty on the east coast. 
Nevertheless, samples of some hundreds of specimens 
have been collected in this area from time to time. It is 
much more common around eastern, northern and western 
Australia, and is one of the most common species in the North 
Pacific. Savilov (1969: 402) noted that the distribution of J. 
globosa in the Pacific is very similar to that of J. janthina , 
and many large schools contained both species, although 
J. globosa was much the less common. It was collected at 
81 of the 393 Vityaz stations with Janthina. “Exceptionally 
large concentrations were observed in ... the north and 
south subtropical current systems, as well as in the eastern 
regions of the Trade Wind Current. They also occurred 
near the coast of California. Only single young individuals 
(1-3 mm) were observed in the western areas of the North 
Trade Wind Current and in the Trade Wind Countercurrent” 
(Savilov, 1969:402). Berry (1958) reported that it is “of only 
occasional Californian occurrence”. As noted above, Okano 
& Wada (2012) provided data on height and egg-capsule 
incidence for a collection of about 170 specimens cast ashore 
in September 2010 on the beaches of Iwami-cho, eastern 
Tottori Prefecture, Japan Sea coast of Honshu. Egg capsules 
were present in 41 of these specimens (24%); the largest 
shell was 40.35 mm high, and none with shells shorter than 
27.4 mm had egg capsules attached to their floats. Suzuki 
& Shiga (2008) also recorded specimens rather surprisingly 
cast ashore in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. 
Most importantly for the evolution of neustonic 
Epitoniidae, Piacenzian or possibly Gelasian fossil 
specimens of Janthina globosa are recorded here from 
two localities, in Jamaica and the Philippine Islands. Late 
Pleistocene-Holocene fossils are also reported widely in the 
Mediterranean Sea. This species has a much longer fossil 
record than any other living Janthina species, and is critical 
for demonstrating that a living Janthina species already had 
achieved a wide, presumably cosmopolitan distribution 
before J. chavani became extinct. This confirms that J. 
globosa and J. janthina had distinct origins. 
Dimensions. See Table 6. 
Table 6. Dimensions of Janthina globosa. 
locality 
height 
diam. 
H/D 
Janthina iricolor syntype, neotype of J. globosa 
31.3 
31.8 
0.98 
Janthina iricolor syntype 
38.2 
36.6 
1.04 
Janthina iricolor syntype 
33.6 
32.4 
1.04 
GNS WM15254, Mauritius 
37.7 
31.2 
1.21 
GNS RM5321, Muriwai Beach, Auckland, NZ 
27.6 
25.4 
1.09 
GNS RM5321, Muriwai 
26.5 
23.9 
1.11 
GNS RM5321, Muriwai 
21.5 
19.9 
1.08 
NMNZ M201609, Raoul I., Kermadec Islands 
23.2 
20.7 
1.12 
NMNZ M200951, Raoul I., Kermadec Islands 
27.1 
22.5 
1.20 
NMNZ M308661, Tapotupotu, Cape Reinga, NZ 
24.1 
22.0 
1.10 
NMNZ M308661, Tapotupotu 
24.3 
20.6 
1.18 
NMNZ M277739, Irwins Gap, Waiuku, NZ 
25.7 
21.9 
1.17 
NMNZ M042102, Gove, NT, Australia 
37.9 
33.8 
1.12 
NMNZ M042102, Gove 
38.5 
33.5 
1.15 
