Helix (Patula) stokesi Smith, 1884

Brook, Fred J. & Ablett, Jonathan D., 2019, Type material of land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) described from New Zealand by taxonomists in Europe and North America between 1830 and 1934, and the history of research on the New Zealand land snail fauna from 1824 to 1917, Zootaxa 4697 (1), pp. 1-117 : 58

Helix (Patula) stokesi Smith, 1884

Pl. 7, fig. A

Smith, 1884. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, (1884): 275, pl. 23, figs. 17, 17a, 17b.

Type material: Lectotype, NHMUK 1884.6 .12.646, and paralectotypes (2), NHMUK 1884.6.12.647–648 (dry shell material) . Lectotype designated by R.K. Dell in Cumber (1961: 188).

Label details: ‘ New Zealand, Challenger Coll’.

Type locality: Wairarapa , Wellington, New Zealand ( Smith 1884: 274) .

Previous illustrations of type material: Smith (1884: pl. 23, figs. 17, 17a, 17b) .

Remarks: The type material was part of a small collection of New Zealand land snails that was presented to scientific staff of HMS Challenger by William Travers, when the ship was berthed at Wellington in 1874 ( Smith 1884: 274). Helix (Patula) stokesi Smith, 1884 has been considered conspecific with Patula lucetta Hutton, 1884 (e.g., Hedley & Suter 1893: 654; Suter 1894d: 268; 1913b: 668; Cumber 1961: 186; Powell 1979: 323). Hutton’s and Smith’s descriptions were published in May 1884 (see Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute, 1883, vol. 16: title page), and October 1884 (see Duncan 1937: 74), respectively, so Patula lucetta has priority, as noted by Powell (1979: 323). This taxon has been recorded from both the North and South islands, but Cumber (1961: 186) noted that there were morphological differences between populations north and south of Cook Strait and referred to this taxon as a species complex. Listed in genus Phenacohelix Suter, 1892 (e.g., Suter 1913b: 668; Powell 1979: 323; Goulstone 2001: 57; Spencer et al. 2009: 216), subgenus Phenacohelix (Neophenacohelix) Cumber, 1961 by Cumber (1961: 186), and genus Neophenacohelix Cumber, 1961 by Marshall & Worthy (2017: 305), but preliminary results of a phylogenetic study (M. Kennedy, T. King & F. Brook unpub. data) indicate that the genus-level placement of this species requires re-evaluation.

Taxonomy: Listed as a junior synonym of Patula lucetta Hutton, 1884 by Hedley & Suter (1893: 654), Suter (1894d: 268) and Powell (1979: 323).