Bithynia socialis (Papaianopol and Macaleț , 2006) non Westerlund, 1886

Neubauer, Thomas A., Harzhauser, Mathias, Kroh, Andreas, Elisavet, Georgopoulou & Mandic, Oleg, 2014, Replacement names and nomenclatural comments for problematic species-group names in Europe's Neogene freshwater Gastropoda. Part 2, ZooKeys 429, pp. 13-46 : 30

Taxon classification Animalia ORDO FAMILIA

Bithynia socialis (Papaianopol and Macaleț, 2006) non Westerlund, 1886

Bulimus (Tylopoma) socialis Papaianopol and Macaleț, 2006: 82, pl. 4, figs 1-5 [non Bythinia socialis Westerlund, 1886].

Type locality.

Bengeşti, Gorj, Romania.

Age.

Early Pliocene (Early Dacian, Getian).

Holotype.

Collection of the Geological Institute of Romania, coll. no. 18.906.

Discussion.

The genus-group name Bulimus Scopoli, 1777 was suppressed under Plenary Powers and placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology by ICZN (1957, Op. 475). Bithyniid species originally attributed to this genus are now referred to Bithynia Leach, 1818. In a strict sense, this makes this species a primary homonym of Bithynia socialis Westerlund, 1886. Latter taxon has been recombined with Paraelona Beriozkina and Starobogatov in Anistratenko and Stadnichenko 1995, which is considered a junior synonym with Bithynia ( Glöer and Maassen 2009; see also Kantor et al. 2010).

The status of Bithynia socialis (Papaianopol & Macaleț 2006), however, is doubtful. The bithyniids of the Dacian Basin are quite well studied (e.g., Cobălcescu 1883, Stefanescu 1896, Krejci-Graf and Wenz 1932, Wenz 1942, Pană et al. 1981), including material from the localities mentioned by Papaianopol and Macaleț (2006). The species closely resembles the co-occurring Tylopoma speciosa (Cobălcescu, 1883) and differs only in the stronger, rib-like growth lines, which were to a minor extent also detected for Tylopoma speciosa ( Wenz 1942, p. 53). Therefore, we regard Bithynia socialis (Papaianopol & Macaleț 2006) as junior synonym of Tylopoma speciosa and do not introduce a nomen novum.