Phrixgnathus haasti Hutton, 1883

Pl. 5, fig. C

Hutton, 1883. The New Zealand Journal of Science, 1: 476.

Type material. Lectotype (designated here), CMNZ M1389.1, and paralectotypes CMNZ M1389.2 – 21 (20), AIM MA72977 (1), CMNZ M1051 [ex ZS 796] (41), NMNZ M.125541 [ex H. Suter colln.] (16) (dry shells).

Label details. CMNZ M1389—‘Mt Somers, Canterbury, Hutton Coll. pill box no. 116’; AIM MA72977— ‘ Phrixgnathus haasti Hutt., Mt. Somers, Canterbury, ex H. Suter coll. (cotype)’ in A.W.B. Powell’s handwriting; NMNZ M.125541—‘2038. Phrixgnathus haasti, Hutton, Co-type specim., Hutt., Mt Somers’, in H. Suter’s handwriting.

CMNZ molluscan catalogue details. M1051—‘ Laoma haasti Hutton, Mount Somers (old number ZS 696) ’; M1389—‘ Phrixgnathus haasti Hutton, Mt. Somers, Canterbury (21 specimens) (old No. 116) ’.

Type locality. ‘Mt Somers (Haast)’ (Hutton 1883g: 476), ‘Mount Somers, Canterbury (Dr. v. Haast), on limestone cliffs’ (Hutton 1884b: 178).

Previous illustrations of type material. The shell(s) illustrated by Pilsbry (1892 [in 1892–1893]: pl. 23, figs. 91–93, ‘H. Suter, del.’) and Suter (1915: pl. 9, figs. 22, a, b) may have been from the type series.

Remarks. Hutton submitted a description of Phrixgnathus (?) haasti to the Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute issue for 1883, but publication was delayed until May 1884 (Hutton 1884b: 177), and was pre-empted by a brief description in an account of a meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury (Hutton 1883g: 476). Phrixgnathus haasti is a calciphile restricted to dryland habitats on limestone and marble in the eastern South Island (below). Records from Akaroa and Riccarton Bush, Christchurch, by Suter (1913: 752) and Powell (1979: 328) were in error.

Current taxonomy. Phrixgnathus haasti — Hutton (1884b: 177), Spencer et al. (2009: 217).

Distribution. New Zealand; very sparsely distributed in the eastern South Island between southern Marlborough and North Otago (Suter 1913: 752 —in part; Powell 1979: 328 —in part; AIM and NMNZ collection records).