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Records of the Australian Museum (2017) Vol. 69 
(1840: 96), “its first publication as a synonym”. The name has 
been attributed correctly by many later authors. Many others 
have attributed it to Harvey, but the name definitely was made 
available by Thompson (1840) according to Article 11.6.1. 
The name J. pallida was attributed to Harvey in 13 references 
listed by Priolo (1959: 186-187); only two of those Priolo 
cited attributed it to Thompson. Thorpe (1844: 152) provided 
a slightly muddled attribution of the name to “Thompson’s 
Annals of Nat. Hist. 5. p. 96. t. 2. f. 2.”, and was followed by 
Dali (1908: 318). Dali (1908) provided a publication date of 
1817, even though Forbes & Hanley (1853: 553) provided the 
correct reference, despite attributing the name to Harvey. The 
name Janthinapallida was not published in 1817 (Sherbom, 
1922-1933) and the page and figure numbers cited by both 
Thorpe and Dali are the same as for Thompson (1840), so 
their references were in error. Several other authors have 
published muddled references to this name, not having seen 
Thompson’s (1840) paper. 
Janthina pallida consistently is smaller than the largest 
specimens of J. globosa, but is otherwise very similar in 
most characters. The illustration by Ardovini & Cossignani 
(2004: 136) shows an unusually tall, narrow specimen. The 
obvious difference from J. globosa is that it lacks the small, 
angular, anterior extension of the columellar margin of the 
aperture of J. globosa , and instead the anterior end of the 
aperture is evenly and regularly curved in J. pallida. The 
outer lip sinus also is very shallow, considerably shallower 
than in all other living Janthina species. A unique character 
is that the central area of the columella is quite strongly 
convex, curving towards the anterior (abaperturally). Many 
specimens also have the outer lip quite broadly flared, or 
reflexed, a further unique character. Most specimens are 
also a much paler violet colour than all other Janthina 
species, fading almost to white on the sutural ramp of some 
specimens. Some specimens also have a weak spiral ridge 
or groove formed as the trace of the apex of the sinus in the 
outer lip, showing as a low spiral ridge on spire whorls of 
about 20% of specimens (as in Laursen, 1953: fig. 36), but 
this is an individual character. The radular teeth (Laursen, 
1953: fig. 39) are much the shortest and most strongly 
hooked of all Janthina species. Janthina pallida also has 
a narrower distribution than most other Janthina species, 
and is one of the least common species throughout most of 
its range, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, although it 
is common in the Mediterranean and in southern Western 
Australia. Palazzi (1979) recorded 280 specimens collected 
on the beaches of Terrasini, Sicily. Priolo (1959: 186-187) 
also listed 21 references in the literature on Mediterranean 
molluscs mentioning J. pallida , including under other species 
names. Dimitris Poursanidis sent the writer photographs 
of living specimens collected at Arina Beach, Heraklion, 
Crete, revealing that the eggs are bright pink (Figs 4A, 5B), 
much deeper in colour than the other consistently pale pink 
Janthina eggs observed. These photographs also reveal that 
this is the one species of Janthina that does not seem to rest 
its head or snout in the (correspondingly very shallow) sinus 
in the outer lip. The specimens photographed by Dimitris 
Poursanidis did not expand out of their shells sufficiently 
to confirm their external anatomical characters fully, but do 
not appear to be distinguishable from other Janthina species 
anatomically. 
Time range. No fossil record; living only. 
Janthina umbilicata d’Orbigny, 1841 
Figs 2N, Q, 34D, G-H 
Janthina globosa Blainville, 1822: 155 (Aug 1822; junior 
homonym of J. globosa Swainson, Jan 1822); Berry, 
1958: 27; Keen, 1971: 442, fig. 687. 
Janthina umbilicata d’Orbigny, 1841:414, pi. 20, figs 22-23; 
Hedley, 1918: M62; Bennett, 1966:43; Bosch etal, 1995: 
111; Redfem, 2001: 75, pi. 36, figs 315A-B; Robertson, 
2007a: 5, fig. 5; Spencer et al., 2009: 206. 
Ianthina umbilicata d’Orbigny.-Reeve, 1858: pi. 5, figs 
22a-b; Benson, 1860: 411; G. B. Sowerby II, 1882: 52, 
pi. 444, fig. 22; Martens, 1904: 143; Iredale, 1910: 71, 
74; Oliver, 1915: 525; Laursen, 1953: 26, figs 26-28. 
Janthina (Iodina) umbilicata D’Orbigny.-Morch, 1860: 
283; Rehder, 1980: 53, pi. 7, fig. 7; Okutani, 2000: 319, 
pi. 158, fig. 4. 
Ianthina (Iodina) megastoma A. Adams, 1861: 403; Try on, 
1887: 38. 
Janthina nitida A. Adams, 1869: 620, footnote; Tryon, 
1887: 38. 
Iodina nitida (A. Adams).-Iredale, 1929: 279; Iredale & 
McMichael, 1962: 49. 
Janthina laeta Monterosato.-Pasteur-Humbert, 1962: 52, fig. 
74 (misidentification as Amethistina laeta Monterosato, 
1884, = J. globosa). 
Iodina umbilicata d’Orbigny.-Habe, 1964: 48, pi. 14, fig. 8; 
Kuroda et al., 1971: 247, pi. 62, figs 13-14. 
Janthina (Violetta) umbilicata d’Orbigny.-Higo et al., 
1999: 174. 
Janthina exigua Lamarck.-Luque, 2011: 209, text-fig. 
(misidentification). 
Type material. Janthina umbilicata , four syntypes 
NHMUK1854.12.4.403 (K. Way, NHMUK, pers. comm. 05 
Feb 2013), from the “Atlantic Ocean”; recorded as present 
in the British Museum by Gray (1855: 36) and Reeve (1858: 
caption to pi. 5, figs 22a-b). Janthina globosa Blainville, 
location of any type material unknown. Because of confusion 
between the names Janthina globosa Swainson and J. 
globosa Blainville over many years, it is highly desirable to 
identify the name J. globosa Blainville unambiguously with 
the present species. The specimen illustrated as J. umbilicata 
by Reeve (1858: pi. 5, figs 22a-b), one of the syntypes of 
J. umbilicata in NHMUK1854.12.4.403, is here designated 
the neotype of Janthina globosa Blainville, 1822. I. 
megastoma , from the Indian Ocean, no type material known; 
the specimen illustrated as J. umbilicata by Reeve (1858: 
pi. 5, figs 22a-b), one of the syntypes of J. umbilicata in 
NHMUK1854.12.4.403, is here also designated the neotype 
of Janthina megastoma A. Adams, 1861. 
No material in NHMUK is identified as Janthina nitida , 
but a board, NHMUK1870.1.3.7, has nine specimens attached 
of J. umbilicata remaining wholly or partially intact out of 
an original 21 specimens. It is labelled “J. balteata Reeve/ 
N. Atlantic/ Mrs Knocker” and as Janthina nitida was 
described within a paper by Captain Knocker, this presumably 
includes the original syntypes described by A. Adams (K. 
Way, NHMUK, pers. comm. 05 Feb 2013). Knocker (1869: 
616-619) presented a long table of specimens collected at 
numerous stations across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, 
recording J. nitida from 13 stations but, of course, it is now 
impossible to tell which specimens were collected at which 
stations. Knocker’s records are valuable, as he also records 
“Ianthina -?”, “I fragilis ”, exigua ”, “/. -? Light mauve 
colour, globular” (i.e., presumably/, pallida) and “I bicolof\ 
