174 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature MUREX LOTORIUM LINNAEUS, 1758 (MOLLUSCA, GASTROPODA): REQUEST FOR VALIDATION IN ITS ACCUSTOMED SENSE UNDER THE PLENARY POWERS. Z.N.(S.) 1886 A. G. Beu {New Zealand Geological Survey, Lower Hutt, New Zealand) All taxonomists working on recent Indo-Pacific MoUusca are familiar with a large, bizarre, orange and black shell known by the name Cymatium lotorium (Linnaeus, 1758). While preparing a catalogue of species of the family Cymati-idae, the writer was forced to the conclusion that the name Murex lotorium Linnaeus, 1758, does not refer to this species but is a synonym o^ Murex pileare Linnaeus, 1758. The name lotorium has been long and consistently used in the sense of Cymatium lotorium of authors, and the trivial name Cymatium pileare is even better known and correctly used for another species of Cymatium (sensu lata). As there is no well-known name that could be used in place of lotorium, an application is here made to the Commission to validate the name lotorium in its accustomed sense. 2. There are two ways in which taxonomists can usefully determine the identity of species erected by Linnaeus. The presence in Linnaeus" collection, housed by the Linnean Society of London, of a labelled specimen bearing a number corresponding to that of the species in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae fixes identity quite clearly, and such specimens are available for designa-tion as lectotypes of Linnaeus' species. Dodge (1957 : 133) did not mention a specimen of Cymatium lotorium of authors in Linnaeus' collection, and Dance (1967 : 21) included Murex lotorium in a list of species now missing from Linnaeus' collection. Thus this method of determination cannot be used. 3. The other objective method is to refer to the figures cited by Linnaeus, try to recognise the species they represent, and designate a figure as the type (which constitutes designation of the figured specimen as lectotype of Linnaeus' species). Some authors (notably Hanley, 1855 and Dodge, 1957) have used a third method, and tried to interpret the brief Latin descriptions given by Linnaeus. These authors frequently arrived at subjective or patently incorrect conclusions, and it seems best to avoid this method unless the other two are not applicable. 4. Linnaeus (1758 : 749) cited only one figure of Murex lotorium: d'Argen-ville, 1742, UHistoire Naturelle . . . £claircie . . . la Lithologie et la Conchylio-logie . . ., PI. 13, fig. M. This figure (personal observation) is clearly of Cym-atium pileare of authors, = Murex pileare Linnaeus, 1758, erected on the same page as Murex lotorium. Thus by strict application of the Code, Murex lotor-ium Linnaeus, 1758 and Murex pileare Linnaeus, 1758 are synonyms of equal status. In order to preserve the name Murex pileare for the species for which it has long been applied, the author, as first reviser, here selects Murex pileare Linnaeus as the name to be used for the taxon described by Linnaeus (1758 : 749) under the names Murex lotorium and Murex pileare. Bull. zool. Nomencl., Vol. 26, Part 3. October 1969.
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