Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 353 PROPOSED USE OF THE PLENARY POWERS TO DESIGNATE A TYPE SPECIES FOR THE GENUS " TORQUESIA " DOUVILLfi, 1929 (CLASS GASTROPODA) By J. MARWICK {Geological Survey of Neiv Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand) (Commission's Reference : Z.N.(S.) 1027) The object of the present application is to ask the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to use its Plenary Powers to designate a type species for the genus Torquesia Douville, 1929 {Mem. geol. Surv. India, Pal. Ind. (n.s.) 10 (Mem. 3,Fasc.2) : 55) (Class Gastropoda) for the purpose of putting a stop to the confusion which has already begun to develop in consequence of the difficulties encountered in interpreting DouviUe's original description of this genus. The facts of this case are set out in the following paragraphs. 2. The generic name Torquesia was introduced by Douville for a group of Cretaceous tueritellidae (Class Gastropoda) in the following passage : — Ces formes sont encore comprises par Cossmann dans son genre Hav^tator, elles en different nettement par leur ornementation et par leur repartition dans le temps ; leur developpement est certainenient plus ancien que celui des Haustator {sensu stricto) ; je proposerai de les distinguer sous le nom de Torquesia, en prenant pour type T . granulosa de Blackdown. In his accompanying discussion Douville used the same phrase to denote this species, " T. granulosa de Blackdown ". Nowhere in his paper did he cite the name of the author of the name granulosa. 3. We may consider first whether the species which DouviUe here referred to was Turritella granulosa Deshayes, 1832 {Descr. Coq. foss. Paris 2 : 275). This is a species from the Middle Eocene of the Paris Basin. It does not occur in the Cretaceous or at Blackdown. On the other hand there is a species named Turritella granulata Sowerby (J. de C), 1827 {Min. Conch. 6 : 125), which is a Cretaceous species which occurs in the south-east of England and of which Blackdown is the type locality. It seems clear that Douville by some lapse wrote the name " granulosa " by mistake for the word " granulata " and that it was Sowerby's species of this name which he intended to make the type species of his genus Torquesia. That this is so is shown both by his repeated association of his species with the locahty Blackdown and also by the emphasis which he placed on the importance of geological time in taxonomy. Moreover, he stated that the species which he grouped in the genus Torquesia were classed by Cossmann under Haustator. This is true of Turritella granulata Sowerby, but it is not true of Turritella granulosa Deshayes, which Cossmann in 1912 (: 120) placed in the genus Peyrotia established by him on that occasion. Bull. zool. Nomend. vol. 11, Part 11 (May 1956).
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