Recluzia johnii
Creators: name: Beu, Alan G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Epitoniidae
Recluzia
Recluzia johnii

description: Recluzia johnii (Holten, 1802)
Figs 2P, R, 36B, D, I–J
Helix johnii Holten, 1802: 76 (refers to Chemnitz, 1795: 284, pl. 210, fig. 2076).
Recluzia hargravesi Cox, 1870: 172, pl. 16, fig. 8; Angas, 1877: 190; Tryon, 1887: 38, pl. 10, fig. 23; Brazier, 1894: 536; Hedley, 1907: 481; Iredale, 1910: 71; Iredale, 1929: 279; Iredale & McMichael, 1962: 49.
Recluzia johnii (Chemnitz).– Jousseaume, 1872: 205; Tryon, 1887: 38, pl. 10, fig. 24; Hedley, 1910: 358; Winckworth, 1943: 148.
Recluzia erythraea Jickeli, 1882: 367; Tryon, 1887: 39; Thiele, 1928: 83, fig. 6.
Type material. Holten (1802) provided a list of binominal names from Martini & Chemnitz’s (1769–1795) famous but non-binominal iconography in a catalogue prepared for the sale of Chemnitz’s collection (Winckworth, 1943). Part of the collection was purchased for Peter the Great and is now in the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg (Martynov, 2002). Chemnitz’s illustrated shell is not in ZMUC (J. Knudsen ZMUC pers. comm. 07 Feb 1978; AGB personal obs.). The possibility that Chemnitz’s (1795: 284, pl. 210, figs 1076–1077) illustrated specimen of Helix johnii remains in Chemnitz’s collection in the Zoological Institute, St Petersburg, was investigated at the writer’s request by B. Sirenko (pers. comm. 07 Sep 2012); the illustrated specimen is not present. Chemnitz’s drawing shows a cream and pale grey shell with a tall spire, closely similar in shape and general appearance to the holotype of Recluzia hargravesi (Figs 36I–J), although with a still slightly taller spire, a shallower suture, and one more teleoconch whorl. Jousseaume (1872: 203–206) discussed the identity of the specimen, translated Chemnitz’s description and discussion into French, referred the specimen to Recluzia, and redescribed it carefully. Chemnitz received his specimen from “M. John, a missionary … living in Tranquebar, whom I must thank for many conchological riches. Whether it inhabits Coromandel, Ceylon, the Nicobar Islands or other parts of the East Indies, and whether it is a land, freshwater or marine shell he gave not the slightest information” (translation from Jousseaume, 1872: 204). The strongly and evenly inflated whorl shape, essentially smooth surface, circular aperture, faint spiral colour band at the continuation of the suture around the last whorl, and narrowly reflected inner lip agree with characters of Recluzia johnii of the present report. It seems feasible that this is the earliest name for a species of Recluzia, despite some early authors referring it to terrestrial gastropod groups such as Pupa Draparnaud, 1801 (i.e., Pupilla Fleming, 1828, Pupillidae; not Pupa Röding, 1798, Acteonidae) or Cochlogena Férussac, 1821, Helicidae. Férussac (1821: 57) cited the name as Helix (Cochlogena) johnii Chemnitz, but added “Habit. Les grandes Indes. Espèce incertain pour le genre”, whereas Gray (1825: 412) simply listed it as Pupa johnii without comment. Smith (1910: 203) also doubted that this name referred to a Recluzia species because of its description by Chemnitz (1795) as “subkeeled”, but this appears to refer only to the colour band around the last whorl in Chemnitz’s (1795: pl. 210, fig. 2076–2077) drawings; the drawings show no obvious sculpture. Similar narrow, irregular colour bands or faint spiral grooves are present on many specimens of Recluzia (e.g., Habe & Tokioka, 1953: fig. 12). Jousseaume’s note seems to have been inspired by a specimen in his collection, in MNHN (Figs 36B, D). The name has not been applied to any other mollusc during the last century, to the writer’s knowledge, and Jousseaume (1872) and Winckworth (1943: 148) are followed in accepting it as the earliest name for a species of Recluzia.
Recluzia hargravesi, holotype NHMUK 197432, stated to be from Miall River, Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia, but corrected by the collector, W. Glover (cited by Brazier, 1894: 536) to the beach inside the North Head of Port Stephens. It is necessary to remove the name Helix johnii from uncertain status and associate it unambiguously with this species rather than R. lutea. The name H. johnii originally was not provided with a type locality. The holotype of Recluzia hargravesi, NHMUK 197432 (Figs 36I–J) is here designated the neotype of Helix johnii Holten, 1802. Therefore, the type locality of Helix johnii becomes Port Stephens, New South Wales. Thiele (1928: fig. 6) illustrated the presumed holotype of Recluzia erythraea, ZMB /Moll-112603 (E. Strong, USNM, pers. comm. 20 Sep 2012; not seen), from Dahlak Island, Red Sea, showing that this name also refers to a tall, narrow specimen of Recluzia johnii.
Other material examined. Australia: New South Wales: Collaroy Beach, Sydney (AMS); Maroubra Beach, Sydney (AMS); Middle Harbour, Port Jackson (NMV); Port Stephens (two lots, AMS); Port Macquarie (NMV). Queensland: Green I. (AMS C9824); Palm Islands (AMS C9823); 31–37 m, Masthead I. (AMS C19351a); trawled, 150–200 m, Swain Reefs (GNS WM17360, 1); King’s Beach, Caloundra (NMV); Wreck I., off Yeppoon (AMS); Fairfax I., Bunker Group (AMS C69053).
The only other specimens observed in world museums are the holotype of Recluzia hargravesi, listed above, and Jousseaume’s specimen in MNHN. A specimen in MNHN labelled “Rade de Batavia”, i.e., Jakarta, Indonesia (E. Strong, USNM, photograph sent pers. comm. 20 Sep 20012) has a tall, narrow spire and possibly belongs in R. johnii, but is too incomplete for certain identification.
Distribution. The tall-spired species Recluzia johnii is much rarer than R. lutea. In this study, almost all specimens observed are from Queensland and northern New South Wales, eastern Australia; none have been observed from New Zealand. Living specimens have also been collected on northern New South Wales beaches by Riek (2017; Fig. 7). However, the type specimens of the synonyms demonstrate that R. johnii also occurs in the northern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. It probably occurs throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific province. The writer is not aware of records from the Atlantic Ocean or the eastern Pacific, but this probably results merely from its rarity.
Dimensions. See Table 12.
Diagnosis. Moderately large (H to 39, D to 24 mm), larger than Janthina species other than J. janthina and J. globosa; taller and narrower than all other neustonic Epitoniidae including Recluzia lutea; mean height: diameter 1.56, mean diameter: spire height 1.20. Teleoconch of 6–7 whorls; whorls strongly and evenly inflated, of almost circular crosssection, narrower than in R. lutea; suture deeply impressed; without obvious sculpture. Aperture almost circular, almost all specimens without anterior spout-like expansion. Lays smooth, narrow, cylindrical to weakly club-shaped, yellow egg capsules on underside of float, as in R. lutea.
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Remarks. Recluzia johnii is so rare that little can be stated about it. It is concluded here that it is a second species of Recluzia with a taller, narrower spire with straighter outlines than in R. lutea, produced by its greater translation rate and slightly more numerous whorls of narrower cross-section. Most specimens have faint, irregular sculpture of weak spiral and axial grooves and ridges, varying individually, as in R. lutea. The teleoconch also tends to be a slightly warmer shade of yellow-brown than in R. lutea. Further material is required before the status and distribution of R. johnii is certain.
Riek (2017) published on his web page several excellent photographs of specimens collected alive on northern New South Wales beaches, showing two specimens of Recluzia hargravesi (i.e., R. johnii) feeding on the floating anemone Actinecta sp. The Recluzia specimens have extremely long, narrow, undivided cephalic tentacles, apparently much more extended than those in the photographs of R. lutea. However, the bright yellow animal, cylindrical egg capsules, and other characters are identical to those of R. lutea. It is notable that the floats of all specimens on this web page are as irregularly arranged as those of R. lutea in all other photographs observed, and it appears that the float of Recluzia species is less regular than and formed slightly differently from that of Janthina. Denis Riek (Brunswick Heads, NSW, pers. comm. 11 Nov 2015) confirmed that the cephalic tentacles of all Recluzia specimens he has seen are undivided; the double appearance in some of his photographs is due to reflection on the undersurface of the water in the aquarium. He also stated that the photographed specimens ate the Actinecta anemones voraciously; they had consumed one anemone before he reached home and they could be transferred to his aquarium. Thereafter he was able to photograph them consuming the remaining anemone.
An unlocalized specimen from Jousseaume’s collection in MNHN (Figs 36B, D; point identified by “JJ” in Fig. 35; photographs provided by E. Strong, USNM, pers. comm. 20 Sep 2012) is similar in spire height to Chemnitz’s (1795: 284, pl. 210, fig. 2076) drawing of the lost holotype of Recluzia johnii. It is unusually narrow, and has a still narrower appearance than other Recluzia specimens because its suture is markedly shallower and the spire outline consequently less strongly stepped than in any other Recluzia specimen the writer has examined (H 23.3, D 12.6, SH 9.3 mm; H/D = 1.85, D/SH = 1.35; i.e., intermediate between the means of R. lutea and R. johnii; dimensions included in Table 12 and in calculations of dimensions and means for R. johnii, including in Table 11). The anterior end of the aperture is flared narrowly. It is an unusually pale yellowish grey, similar to the colour of Chemnitz’s (1795: 284, pl. 210, fig. 2076) drawing, and paler than all other specimens of R. johnii and R. lutea observed by the writer. It also has seven teleoconch whorls, indicating that the whorls are still narrower than those of other specimens assigned to R. johnii. This specimen presumably inspired Jousseaume’s (1872) note on this species. It possibly represents a third living species of Recluzia. However, as only one specimen has been observed it must be assumed to be part of the variation of R. johnii until more specimens allow it to be evaluated more fully. The available material suggests that there are two species of Recluzia.
description: Published as part of Beu, Alan G., 2017, Evolution of Janthina and Recluzia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Epitoniidae), pp. 119-222 in Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 69 (3) on pages 201-203, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1666, http://zenodo.org/record/4677010