Beu: Evolution of Janthina and Recluzia 
185 
Diagnosis. Moderately large (to c. 40 mm high), spire 
moderately tall, whorls strongly and evenly convex, suture 
deeply impressed; exterior lightly polished to glossy, without 
obvious sculpture. Sinus occupying entire height of outer lip, 
symmetrically V-shaped, deep but less so than in J. exigua 
and J. umbilicata ; apex of sinus at centre of lip. Anterior end 
of columella drawn out anteriorly, forming a short, triangular 
projection. Most specimens uniform deep violet, slightly 
paler below suture than elsewhere; a few specimens paler. 
Lays ovate-triangular egg capsules on underside of float. 
Remarks. The large size sets Janthina globosa apart from 
all living Janthina species other than J. janthina. Many 
shells reach 30 mm in height; Suter (1913: 300) recorded 
a New Zealand specimen with H 41, D 38 m, although it is 
not clear what this was based on, as a specimen this large 
is not present in his collection in GNS. As noted above, 
Okano & Wada (2012) also recorded Japanese specimens 
up to 40.35 mm high. Several large specimens examined 
(e.g., Gove, Northern Territory, Australia, NMNZ M042102, 
2 specimens) have an unusually pale, matt, milky bluish- 
white shell, similar in tone to most specimens of J. pallida , 
but most specimens retain their deep violet, glossy shells 
until a large size. Its lack of sculpture, anterior prolongation 
of the columella, and polished, strongly and evenly convex 
whorls also make this species easily recognised. The sinus 
in the outer lip also is significantly deeper than that of J. 
pallida. The radular teeth of J. globosa (Laursen, 1953: fig. 
33) are narrower and less strongly hooked than those of all 
other Janthina species. Priolo (1959: 183-184) provided 
a long list of references to usages of this name and its 
many synonyms in the literature on living Mediterranean 
molluscs. 
Berry (1958) adopted the name Janthina prolongata 
for this species because he considered that “the recent 
... monograph by Laursen (1953) is ... inconsistent in its 
application of the priority rule”. Berry (1958) thought that 
Swainson’s (1822: pi. 85) plate of Janthina was published 
in 1823, whereas he correctly dated Blainville’s (1822) 
monograph. Therefore, Berry also adopted the name J. 
globosa Blainville, 1822 for the species identified here as 
J. umbilicata , as he thought J. globosa Blainville was the 
senior homonym of J. globosa Swainson. Berry’s (1958) 
conclusions were followed by Keen (1971). However, 
Swainson’s (1822: pi. 85) plate was published in January 
1822, whereas Blainville’s monograph was published in 
August 1822; these dates were confirmed by Rosenberg 
(2017). 
A specimen of Janthina globosa collected alive after 
being cast ashore on a beach in northern New South Wales 
was photographed by Denis Riek [Brunswick Heads, NSW, 
pers. comm. 12 Nov 2015; illustrated on his web page 
(Riek, 2017); Fig. 5E] suspended from its float, with its 
head expanded but its snout rather contracted, revealing 
forked cephalic tentacles, and bearing pale pink egg capsules 
beneath the float. The external anatomy appears to be 
identical to that of J. janthina. 
Time range. Late Piacenzian-Gelasian (at Bowden, Jamaica 
and Anda, Cabarruyan Island, Luzon, Philippines) to 
living, earliest record poorly constrained; recorded widely 
from late Pleistocene-Holocene core tops in the eastern 
Mediterranean. 
Janthina janthina (Linnaeus, 1758) 
Figs 1, 2A-F, 4A-E, 5A,D, 32-33 
Helix janthina Linnaeus, 1758: 772; Linnaeus, 1767: 1246 
(in part); Bom, 1778: 392; Gmelin, 1791: 3645; Dillwyn, 
1817: 938. 
Janthina violacea Roding, 1798: 75; Morch, 1853: 49; 
Hedley, 1918: M62; May, 1921: 63; May, 1923: pi. 29, 
fig. 5; Finlay, 1928: 246; Powell, 1937: 74, pi. 1, fig. 8; 
Powell, 1946: 77, pi. l,fig. 8; Allan, 1950: 95, col. pi. 14, 
fig. 11, text-fig. 22.5; Powell, 1951: 27, fig. 123; Powell, 
1957: 98, pi. 1, fig. 8; McMichael, 1960: 72, fig. 143; 
Powell, 1962: 90, pi. 1, fig. 8; Iredale & McMichael, 
1962: 49; Grimmond, 1964: 24; Hodgkin, et al. 1966: 
35, pi. 12, fig. 8. 
Janthina fragilis Famarck, 1801: 89; Roissy, 1805: 396, pi. 
55, fig. 11; Famarck, 1816, “Fiste des objets”: 12, pi. 456, 
figs la-b; Gray, 1827: 495; Foven, 1847: 190, pi. 3, fig. 
(radula); Kuster, 1868: 4, pi. 1, figs 3^1; Fischke, 1871: 
168; Fischke, 1874: 52; Fischer, 1885: 774, fig. 541, pi. 
10, fig. 27; Hutton, 1904: 80; Moss, 1908: 28, pi. 7, fig. 
2; Pasteur-Humbert, 1962: 52, fig. 73. 
Janthina penicephala Peron & Fesueur, 1807: pi. 27, fig. 1 
(Morch, 1860: 276), pi. 31 (Sherbom, 1929: 4831). 
Janthina communis Famarck, 1822: 206; Payraudeau, 1826: 
120; Menke, 1843: 11; Deshayes, 1843: 4; Kuster, 1868: 
4, pi. 1, figs 1-2; Hutton, 1880: 71; Hutton, 1881: 164, 
pi. 7, fig. F (radula); Focard, 1898: 1; Suter, 1913: 299, 
pi. 44, fig. 11. 
lanthina fragilis Famarck.-G. B. Sowerby I, 1822: 2nd 
Ianthina page, pi. 191, fig. 1; Reeve, 1842: 145, pi. 205, 
fig. 1 (repeat of Sowerby’s 1822 fig.); Calder, 1849: 175; 
Reeve, 1858: pi. 2, figs 6a-b; Benson, 1860: 410; G. B. 
Sowerby II, 1882: 50, pi. 443, figs 1-4; Tryon, 1887: 36, 
pi. 10, figs 6-10; Whitelegge, 1889: 261. 
lanthina bicolor Menke, 1828: 84; Fesson, 1831: 365, pi. 
8, fig. 2. 
Janthina vulgaris Gray, 1847b: 148 ( nomen nudum ); Gray, 
1850: 101 (error for J. communis ). 
lanthinaplanispirata A. Adams & Reeve, 1850: 54, pi. 11, 
fig. 10; Benson, 1860: 410. 
lanthina communis Famarck.-Forbes & Hanley, 1853, vol. 
2: 549, pi. 69, figs 6-7; vol. 4: 260, pi. 133, fig. 1; H. 
Adams & A. Adams, 1854: 87; Reeve, 1858: pi. 1, figs 
5a-b; Tenison Woods, 1878: 43; G. B. Sowerby II, 1882: 
50, pi. 443, figs 7-8; Pritchard & Gatliff, 1900: 141; Tate 
& May, 1901: 407. 
Ianthina britannica Forbes & Hanley, 1852, vol. 4: 260 (in 
synonymy); Reeve, 1858: pi. 3, figs 13a-b; G. B. Sowerby 
11, 1882: 50, pi. 443, figs 5-6, 14. 
Ianthina violacea Roding.-H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854: 
86-87, pi. 69, fig. 1; Angas, 1865: 190; Whitelegge, 
1889: 261; Verco, 1908: 9; Oliver, 1915: 525; Cotton, 
1932: 537; Cotton & Godfrey, 1932: 36, pi. 1, fig. 1; 
Verco, 1935: pi. 11, fig. 4; Cotton & Godfrey, 1938: 16; 
Macpherson & Chappie, 1951: 124; Kershaw, 1955: 312; 
Cotton, 1959: 376. 
Ianthina planospirata A. Adams & Reeve.-H. Adams & 
A. Adams, 1854: 87; Reeve, 1858: pi. 2, figs 9a-b; G. 
B. Sowerby II, 1882: 50, pi. 443, figs 9-13 (incorrect 
subsequent spelling of J. planispirata A. Adams & 
Reeve, 1850). 
Ianthina striulata Carpenter, 1857: 185; Keen, 1968: 408, 
pi. 59, fig. 79. 
Ianthina striulata var. contorta Carpenter, 1857: 186; Keen, 
1968: 408, pi. 59, fig. 80. 
Ianthina affinis Reeve, 1858: pi. 1, figs 2a-b; Martens, 
1904: 142. 
