Raphitomidae Bellardi, 1875

Figueira, Raquel Medeiros Andrade & Absalão, Ricardo Silva, 2012, Deep-water Raphitomidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Conoidea) from the Campos Basin, southeast Brazil, Zootaxa 3527, pp. 1-27 : 5

Family Raphitomidae Bellardi, 1875

The taxon Raphitomidae was established by Bellardi (1875: 22) to include small species with turreted shells, anal sinus close to the suture, smooth columella and without an operculum. The type genus Raphitoma Bellardi, 1847 is somewhat problematic, as a type species was not designated and subsequent authors suggested different type species, creating much confusion over this issue. In the same paper in which the Raphitomidae was proposed, Bellardi (1875) mentioned Raphitoma vulpecula Brocci, 1814 as the type species of this genus. However, the earliest designation of a type species was by Monterosato (1875), who appointed Raphitoma hystrix De Cristofori & Jan, 1832 . This species was also the first to be mentioned under Raphitoma in the original description of the genus ( Bellardi, 1847: 613). Van Aarsten et al. (1984: 89) noted another complication, as Pleurotoma hystrix was published without a description or illustration (De Cristofori & Jan, 1832: 10) and is therefore a nomen nudum. Van Aarsten et al. (1984) considered the species as validated by Bellardi (1847), even though Bellardi used a different spelling of the name Raphitoma histrix and illustrated a specimen that is quite different from De Cristofori & Jan’s type material (illustrated in Pinna, 1971: 440, pl. 76, fig. 1). It seems that Raphitoma histrix Bellardi, 1847 is not the same species as Pleurotoma hystrix De Cristofori & Jan, 1832 and that the latter species, validated by Pinna’s publication, is the correct type species of the genus Raphitoma .