Stromboidea

• Struthiolariidae
  • Pelicaria
    • Pelicaria vermis (Martyn, 1784)

Buccinum vermis Martyn, 1784, pl. 53

About the validity of the epithet "vermis", see Opinion 479: Validation under the plenary powers of specific names for nine species of the class Gastropoda occuring in the New Zealand area as published by Martyn (T.) in 1784 in the work entitled "The Universial Conchologist" ("Opinion" Supplementary to "Opinion" 456); Opinions and declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16(1958) 367-401, Fulltext

History and Synonymy

Synonyms

• syn. Murex australis Gmelin, 1791: p. 3542
• syn. Pelicaria mangaoparia Vella, 1952: p. 40
• syn. Struthiolaria crenulata Lamarck, 1822: p. 148
• syn. Struthiolaria inermis Sowerby 1st., p. 1825: 222, Pl. on p. 221, fig. 1,2
• syn. Struthiolaria tricarinata Lesson, 1830

1842

Struthiolaria inermis in Sowerby, 1842, pl. V, fig. 12, 13, 19 (Thesaurus Conchyliorum, or Monographs of Genera of Shells, Vol. 1)

Struthiolaria crenulata in Gray, 1842, pl. 5, fig. 3

1845

Buccinum vermis Martyn, 1784 (reprinted in Chenu, 1845), pl. 53 (Chenu: pl. 16, fig. 3)

1851

Struthiolaria australis in Reeve, 1851, Struthiolaria, pl. 1, fig. 1

• "Image courtesy Biodiversity Heritage Library. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org"

Struthiolaria vermis in Reeve, 1851, Struthiolaria, pl. 1, fig. 4 a, b

• "Image courtesy Biodiversity Heritage Library. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org"

1904

Struthiolaria vermis in Cossmann, 1904, pl. VIII, fig.2

• Pliocene

Specimens from institutional collections

Pelicaria vermis (Martyn, 1784); Pliocene; Whanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, North Island, New Zealand; 39 mm; Coll. BM(NH), No. G.9551; Copyright BM(NH)

Struthiolaria vermis (Martyn, 1784); Pliocene; Whanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, North Island, New Zealand; 44 mm; Coll. BM(NH), No. G.9543; Copyright BM(NH)

Struthiolaria vermis (Martyn, 1784); Pliocene; Shrimptons Ngaruroro, Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand; 47 mm, 38mm, 35 mm; Coll. BM(NH), No. G.23864; Copyright BM(NH)

Struthiolaria (Pelicaria) vermis (Martyn, 1784); Tainui shellbed, Castlecliffian; Lower Pleistocene; Castlecliff, Whanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, North Island, New Zealand; Coll. BSPG, No. 1971 I

Specimens from private collections

Pelicaria vermis (Martyn, 1784); -30m, Dredged; Omaha, north Island, New Zealand, 46mm; Coll. Chong Chen

Comment Chong Chen:

• "The "Small Ostrich Foot" is a member of the ostrich foot family endemic to a small part of New Zealand ranging from the Cook Straight to North Island. It is the only extant species in genus Pelicaria (although a few subspecies exist) and many fossil specimens are known from Pliocene. It gains its common name from the fact that it is smaller than the closely related "Large Ostrich Foot", Struthiolaria papulosa (Martyn, 1786). It uses its large gill for filter feeding and is locally not uncommon from low tide down to depths around -100m. The shown specimen is slightly immature, mature specimens have thickened inner and outer lip and may exceed 55mm in shell length."

Pelicaria vermis (Martyn, 1784); Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland, New Zealand; on tidal mud flats; 24 mm; Coll. Aart Dekkers STR 0202

Pelicaria vermis vermis (Martyn, 1784); South of Leigh Harbour, Northland, North Island, New Zealand; Hermit crabbed on sand at 20-22 m depth by SCUBA-diver; Coll. Ulrich Wieneke

• t: UW2531: 40,5 mm
• b: UW2532: 37.7 mm

Pelicaria vermis tricarinata Lesson, 1841; Tory Channel, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough Sounds, South Island, New Zealand; Snorkelling in 1-3 m; 2/1987; Coll. Ulrich Wieneke

• t: UW2533: 41,6 mm
• b: UW2534: 40,2 mm

The following subspecies are defined:

• Pelicaria vermis bradleyi Neef, 1970
• Pelicaria vermis flemingi Neef, 1970
• Pelicaria vermis grahami Neef, 1970
• Pelicaria vermis powelli Neef, 1970
• Pelicaria vermis tricarinata Lesson, 1841
• Pelicaria vermis vermis (Martyn, 1784)

Comment

• Not all subspecies might be valid

References:

• Gmelin, J.F., 1791. C. a Linné ... Systema naturae per regna tria naturae ... editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata, cura J. F. Gmelin. Tomus I, pars VI, Vermes testacea. G. E. Beer, Lipsiae. pp. 3021-4120.
• Harris, 1897
• Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de Monet de, 1822. Histoire Naturelle des Animaux sans Vertèbres, présentant des charactères généraux et particuliers de ces animaux, leur distribution, leurs classes, leurs familles, leurs genres, et la citation des pricipales espèces qui s’y rapportent, précédée … 7: 1-711, Paris.
• Lesson, R. P., 1830. Mollusques. Chapitre 11 in Duperry, M. L. I., Journal de Voyage pittoresque autour du Monde, execute sur la Corvette la Coquille, commandce par M. Duperry, pendant les Annees 1822-25. Zoologie 2(1): 239-448, 16 pl. Paris, Arthus Bertrand.
• Martyn, Thomas: The universal Conchologist, exhibiting the figure of every known shell, accurately drawn, and painted after nature : with a new systematic arrangement; London: Vol. 1-2. - 1784-1788, Fulltext
• Neef, G. 1970: Notes on the subgenus Pelicaria. New Zealand journal of geology and geophysics 13: 436-476.
• Sowerby, G.B. 1st, 1825. A catalogue of the shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville: arranged according to the Lamarckian conchological system ; together with, An appendix containing descriptions of many new species. i-vii + 1-92 + I-XXXIV + 9 pls. E. J. Stirling, London.
• Sowerby, 1842
• Vella, 1953