Bull. zool. Norn., vol. 43, pt 4, December 1 986 335 
FILELLUM SERPENS (HASSALL, 1848) (CNIDARIA, 
HYDROZOA): PROPOSED CONSERVATION OF BOTH 
GENERIC AND SPECIFIC NAMES. Z.N.(S.)2508 
By Paul F. S. Cornelius (Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural 
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.) and Dale R. Calder 
(Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's 
Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S2C6 and Department of Zoology, 
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S lAI) 
Introduction 
The hydroid species Filellum serpens (Hassall, 1 848) is common and 
near-cosmopolitan in recorded distribution, but it happens that neither the 
genus name nor the species name applied to it is the oldest available. Strict 
application of the Code would cause confusion and a case is made for the 
conservation of both names. 
Coppinia Hassall, 1848 
With the exception of a single genus {Cryptolarella Stechow, 1913, 
p. 138), hydroids of the nominotypical subfamily lafoeinae of the family 
LAFOEiDAE Hincks, 1868 (p. 198) have aggregated gonophores known as 
coppiniae. Resembling muffs or nests, coppiniae occur on the stems and 
larger branches of erect species and on the stolons of those which are reptant, 
and in several genera are protected by a tangle of modified hydrothecal tubes. 
Such aggregated gonophores were initially beheved to be distinct taxa grow- 
ing as parasites or epizoites on other hydroids. The term coppinia is derived 
from the genus name Coppinia Hassall, 1 848 (p. 2223; described more fully in 
Hassall & Coppin, 1852, p. 160), established to accommodate a supposedly 
parasitic hydroid later shown (Levinsen, 1893, p. 162) to have been just 
such clustered lafoeid gonophores. Although scarcely used this century, 
the name Coppinia is available and threatens the familiar and widely used 
name Filellum Hincks, 1868 (p. 214), a name introduced in a well known 
monograph on hydroids. Filellum serpens (Hassall, 1848) (p. 2223, as 
Campanularia), type species of Filellum by monotypy, is a stolonal species 
commonly found epizoic on other hydroids in all oceans. It is inconspicuous 
except for its relatively large coppiniae, but is distinctive and often reported 
in faunal surveys. 
2. The species name serpens was published in 1848 by Gray also 
(p. 151, as 'Capsularia serpens, n.s.; Campanularia serpens Hassall, mss'). 
Although the exact dates of publication of Gray's or Hassall's works could 
not easily be ascertained, Sherborn (1926, p. 272) recorded Gray's work 
being shown to the Trustees of the British Museum on 31 August 1848 for 
approval prior to pubHcation. A note inside a copy in the British Museum 
(Natural History) library records the receipt of the published copy by the 
336 Bull. zool. Norn., vol. 43, pt 4, December 1986 
Museum on 25 September 1848, so it can be assumed that Gray's work was 
published between 31 August 1848 and 25 September 1848. Hassall's (1848) 
paper on p. 2223 of volume 6 of Zoologist is, according to a note by C. D. 
Sherborn on the title page of the Museum copy, in the eighth monthly part 
for that year. Part 8 corresponded to August of 1848 and would have been 
published, according to the preamble to the volume, 'three days before the 
end of each month'. Thus Hassall's paper should have been pubUshed on 28 
August 1848. If so, his use o^ serpens would probably have had priority over 
Gray's. We assume that this is so. Reasons for not employing the genus 
names Capsularia Cuvier, 1797 (p. 665), and Reticularia Thomson, 1853 
(p. 443), were given by CorneHus (1975, p. 378). 
3. The nominal species Coppinia mirabilis Hassall, 1848 (p. 2223; 
described more fully in Hassall & Coppin, 1852, p. 160), type species of 
Coppinia by monotypy, was based on a single colony overgrowing another 
hydroid, Hydrallmaniafalcata (Linnaeus, 1758, p. 810) (type specimen of C. 
mirabilis BMNH 1973.10.8.3, on herbarium sheet). P.F.S.C. examined the 
specimen and found it to be a fertile colony of the species known today as 
Filellum serpens (Hassall, 1 848). The type specimen of Campanularia serpens 
Hassall, 1848 (overgrowing colony of Abietinaria abietina (Linnaeus, 1758, 
p. 808), British Museum (Natural History) 1973. 10.8.4, on herbarium sheet) 
has also been examined and found to conform to the modern concept of 
F. serpens. We conclude that Hassall (1848) simultaneously and unwittingly 
based two nominal species, Coppinia mirabilis and Campanularia serpens, on 
material of the same species, thus making either species name available for 
F. serpens auct. Of these two names we select as first revisers the more widely 
used species name serpens as having priority. 
4. Coppinia mirabilis Hassall, 1848, a junior subjective synonym of 
Coppinia arcta (Dalyell, 1847, p. 224, as Sertularia), has commonly been 
assumed to be conspecific with Lafoea dumosa (Fleming, 1820, p. 83, as 
Sertularid), a species recently revised by Cornelius (1975, p. 385). This is 
based on a misinterpretation of the discovery by Levinsen (1893, p. 162) that 
the gonophores of hydroids belonging to the genera Lafoea Lamouroux, 
1821 (p. 8), Grammaria Stimpson, 1853 (p. 9) and Filellum Hincks, 1868 (p. 
214) are aggregated into coppiniae and are identical with nominal species 
once referred to the genus Coppinia. It happens that the name Coppinia has 
mistakenly been regarded as a junior synonym, in part or in whole, of Lafoea 
(e.g. Levinsen, 1893, p. 170; Bedot, 1905, p. 61; Stechow, 1923, p. 137). 
However, our reidentification of the type specimen of Coppinia mirabilis as 
identical with Campanularia serpens shows that the genus name Coppinia is 
available as a senior synonym of the universally used name Filellum. The 
word 'coppinia' has become familiar in accounts of the subfamily lafoeinae 
and promulgation of Coppinia as a genus name might well cause confusion. It 
would unquestionably upset existing usage of Filellum and we consequently 
request suppression of the genus name Coppinia. 
5. The genera Sertularia Linnaeus, 1 758 (p. 807) and Campanularia 
Lamarck, 1 8 1 6 (p. 1 1 2) have both long since been redefined so as to preclude 
Bull. zool. Nom., vol. 43, pt 4, December 1986 337 
any question of the nominal species Sertularia arcta Dalyell, 1847, or 
Campanularia serpens Hassall, 1 848, being retained in either genus (summar- 
ies in Cornelius, 1 979, p. 249; Cornelius, 1 982, p. 5 1 ). Thus Coppinia Hassall, 
1 848, a name scarcely used this century, is the oldest available genus name for 
C serpens. The exhaustive Hterature reviews of Bedot (1905, 1910, 1912, 
1916, 1918, 1925) listed 58 uses of the name Co/jpmw between 1848 and 1905, 
including the first uses of it by Hassall and Gray. Bedot listed no later uses of 
Coppinia, nor are there any listed in Zoological Record. Indeed, it is remark- 
able how soon the name Coppinia fell into disuse once Levinsen (1893, pp. 
162, 170) showed that it was based merely on reproductive structures of 
known taxa. 
6. In contrast, the name Filellum Hincks, 1868, has been widely used 
in the hydroid literature of the past 1 00 years. A list of ten major works in the 
last 50 years estabUshes a prima facie case for its continued use: Fraser, 1944, 
p. 215; Naumov, 1960, p. 280; Blanco, 1967, p. 103; Calder, 1970, p. 1522; 
Vervoort, 1972, p. 50; Cornelius, 1975, p. 378; Millard, 1975, p. 175; 
Stepanjants, 1979, p. 48; Gili i Sarda, 1982, p. 55; Cornelius & Ryland, in 
press. 
Sertularia arcta Dalyell, 1847 
7. We concur with the opinion of Hincks (1868, p. 219) and others 
that the nominal species Sertularia arcta Dalyell, 1847 (p. 224, pi. 42) is 
conspecific with Coppinia mirabilis Hassall, 1 848, and hence in our view with 
Fillellum serpens auct. In the first description of S. arcta it was stated by 
Dalyell that its hydranth had only eight tentacles and that the planula was 
green. Hincks (1868, p. 220) reported that hydranths of C. arcta' had 8-10 
tentacles and were greenish-yellow. Few subsequent authors have described 
the hydranth of this species. Broch ( 1 9 1 1 , fig. 20a) gave no textual description 
but provided an illustration of the hydranth o^ Filellum serpens showing nine 
tentacles. The same illustration was reproduced by Kramp (1935, fig. 54a) 
and Vervoort (1946, fig. 82). Hamond (1957, p. 308, fig. 15) provided a new 
illustration showing 11 tentacles, and stated in his description that the 
number was 'about 12'. Hydranths of the only species from which F. serpens 
need be distinguished in British waters, Lafoea dumosa Fleming, 1 820 (p. 83), 
have 16 tentacles even when young and older ones have up to about 20 
(P.F.S.C., unpublished). Dalyell also described L. dumosa in his 1847 work 
and there seems little possibihty that his S. arcta was identical with it. All 
evidence corroborates Hincks' identification as F. serpens. The species name 
arcta Dalyell, 1 847, which predates serpens, has like the genus name Coppinia 
fallen into disuse. Neither Bedot (1925) nor Zoological Record listed uses 
subsequent to 1905. Indeed, arcta and the genus name Coppinia were used 
almost solely in mutual combination and the comments in paragraph 5 apply 
to both genus and species names. Therefore, we request that arcta Dalyell, 
1847, be suppressed in favour o{ serpens Hassall, 1848. 
8. The species name serpens has been widely used both before the 
turn of the century and since, usually in the combination Filellum serpens. 
338 Bull. zool. Norn. , vol. 43, pt 4, December 1 986 
The 1 important works mentioned in paragraph 6 also illustrate the usage of 
the species name serpens. 
Campanularia intertexta Couch, 1844 
9. The nominal species Campanularia intertexta Couch, 1844 (pp. 
41-42, pi. 1 1, fig. 3) was referred to Lafoea dumosa (Fleming, 1820, p. 83) by 
CorneHus (1982, p. 122). He reported that the type specimen of C intertexta 
was almost certainly not extant. However, the identity of this nominal species 
is in doubt. The possibility that the type specimen of intertexta included 
Filellum serpens has not been adequately eliminated. Couch stated that the 
species as he conceived it grew on both Lafoea dumosa and Sertularella 
polyzonias (Linnaeus, 1 758, p. 8 1 3, as Sertularia). The latter substrate is more 
typical for F. serpens and, as deduced by CorneHus (1982), it is plausible that 
Couch's type series of intertexta included F. serpens as well as L. dumosa (in 
addition to Orthopyxis integra (Macgillivray, 1 842, p. 465), as Campanularia: 
see Cornelius, 1982, p. 122). Cornelius designated the specimen of which the 
coppiniae were illustrated as lectotype of C. intertexta, expressly discrimin- 
ating it from the clearly epizoic O. integra (a distinction not made by Couch). 
Despite the assertion by Cornelius (1982, p. 122) it is not at present possible 
to determine whether the illustrated coppinia was of L. dumosa or of F. 
serpens. Nevertheless one or other is considered to have been in the mixed 
type series. If the coppinia were to be identified as F. serpens, then the older 
name serpens would become threatened by intertexta and an additional case 
for the conservation of serpens would have to be made to the Commission. So 
far as we know the name intertexta has been employed in the original sense 
only twice since Couch's work (references in Bedot, 1905-1925) and we 
therefore request its suppression in favour of serpens. 
Conchella Gray, 1848 
10. Campanularia intertexta Couch, 1844, is the type species (by 
monotypy) of the genus Conchella Gray, 1848 (p. 88). Hence, if the type 
specimen of C intertexta were identified as F. serpens, the name Conchella 
might threaten the widely used genus name Filellum Hincks, 1 868 (see pre- 
vious paragraph). The index of Bedot (1905-1925), covering Uterature up to 
1910, indicated no subsequent uses of Conchella, whereas the genus name 
Filellum had been widely used. The references listed in paragraph 6 establish 
a prima facie case for the continued use of Filellum and we therefore request 
that Conchella be suppressed. 
Proposals 
1 1 . The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is 
accordingly asked: 
(1) to use its plenary powers to suppress the following generic 
names for the purposes of the Principle of Priority: 
(a) Coppinia Hassall, 1848 (gender: masculine), type species by 
monotypy, Coppinia mirabilis Hassall, 1848; 
Bull. zool. Norn., vol. 43, pt 4, December 1986 339 
(b) Conchella Gray, 1848 (gender: feminine), type species by 
monotypy, Campanularia intertexta Couch, 1844; 
(2) to use its plenary powers to suppress the following specific 
names for the purposes of the Principle of Priority: 
(a) arcta Dalyell, 1 847, as published in the binomen Sertularia 
arcta; 
(b) intertexta Couch, 1844, as published in the binomen 
Campanularia intertexta; 
(3) to place on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology the 
name Filellum Hincks, 1868 (gender: neuter), type species by 
monotypy, Campanularia serpens Hassall, 1848; 
(4) to place on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology the 
name serpens Hassall, 1 848, as published in the binomen Cam- 
panularia serpens (specific name of the type species of Filellum 
Hincks, 1868); 
(5) to place the following names, as suppressed in (1) above, on 
the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in 
Zoology: 
(a) Co/?/?/«/a Hassall, 1848; 
(b) Conchella Gray, 1848; 
(6) to place the following names on the Official List of Rejected and 
Invalid Specific Names in Zoology: 
(a) arcta Dalyell, 1847, as published in the binomen Sertularia 
arcta and as suppressed under the plenary powers in (2) (a) 
above; 
(a) intertexta Couch, 1844, as published in the binomen 
Campanularia intertexta and as suppressed under the 
plenary powers in (2)(b) above. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
We are grateful to Professor W. Vervoort, Leiden, and Dr K. W. 
Petersen, Copenhagen, for commenting on the typescript and to Dr I. W. B. 
Nye, London, for discussing the paper by Hassall (1848). We are grateful 
also to Professor Vervoort also for confirming the identity of the type 
specimen of 'Coppinia mirabilis', and to Mr M. E. Tollitt for advice on our 
submission. 
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